Three new records of fishes and their parasite fauna from Pomeranian Bay, Baltic Sea

Abstract

This paper reports the occurrence of three new fish species, extremely rare in the Baltic Sea, and provides new data on their parasite fauna. The fish collected were Barbus barbus (Linnaeus, 1758), Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill, 1814), and Scophthalmus rhombus (Linnaeus, 1758). Their taxonomic identity was confirmed through genetic analyses using DNA extracted from fin clips. The stomach contents were examined, and age was determined by otolith or scale readings. Parasitological examinations focused on the skin, vitreous humour, eye lenses, mouth and nasal cavities, gills, gonads, viscera, and muscles. Furthermore, the changes of fish species composition over 20 years in Pomeranian Bay were analysed. The sequence comparisons against GenBank records revealed that sequences obtained for B. barbus and S. rhombus from Pomeranian Bay represent new rhodopsin barcodes. Record of the juvenile B. barbus in this study is the first in the Baltic Sea. Scophthalmus rhombus is a new host for the ciliate Trichodina jadranica, while Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814) is a new food item in the diet of S. rhombus in the Baltic Sea. Acanthocephalan Pomphorhynchus laevis found in the adult specimen of B. barbus and myxozoan Myxobolus musculi, noted in the juvenile specimen, have not been recorded previously in this fish species in Polish waters. Species collected as bycatch can potentially be used for monitoring potential changes in the overall fish community structure and biodiversity.

The genome, transcriptome, and proteome of the fish parasite Pomphorhynchus laevis (Acanthocephala)

“…Along with its hosts, P. laevis occurs in Eurasian lakes and rivers, as well as in brackish waters of estuaries and the Baltic Sea. It was also found together with anadromous and catadromous fish in the waters of the North Sea and the White Sea [77,79,[81][82][83][84][85][86][87], thus covering the entire range of aquatic habitats known for Acanthocephala as a whole. Not least, P. laevis belongs to the best-studied acanthocephalan species in terms of morphology, ecology, life history, and pathogenicity in aquaculture [8,[88][89][90].…”

Detection of koi herpesvirus (KHV) and carp oedema virus (CEV) in invasive round goby, Neogobius melanostomus Pallas, 1814, from Poland and Germany

“…This aspect is particularly relevant as the species can penetrate into fish ponds during filling and become an intermediate host in the chain of transmission of parasitic diseases. With regard to viral diseases, there is a possibility of the round goby transmitting viral diseases to species of great economic importance, as it has been found in the stomachs of such species as cod, perch, pikeperch, and brill (29).…”

Diphyllobothrium sp. and Other Parasites of Migrating and Rare Fish Species in the Southern Baltic Sea and Coastal Waters, Poland

“…Its presence in the Pomeranian Bay could result from either active migration from these areas or passive translocation with inflows of waters from the western Baltic. The first record of brill in the Pomeranian Bay was in 2014 [15]. Sole, as per Heessen et al [10], is a southern species commonly found in the Kattegat (salinity > 25), but seldom encountered in the Baltic.…”

“…It can cause health problems in fish in aquaculture, e.g., [77]. T. jadranica was first recorded in brill by Więcaszek et al [15]; this was also the first record of this parasite in the Pomeranian Bay [15].…”

“…The literature on the parasite fauna of fish species from the Pomeranian Bay and Szczecin Lagoon is scarce. Data on the parasite fauna of rare and endangered fish species can be found in papers by Więcaszek et al [13][14][15], while parasites of commercial fish species are described by Sobecka et al [16] (Atlantic cod), Korlatowicz and Piasecki [17] (European flounder), Radačovska et al [18] (perch Perca fluviatilis L., 1758), Bielat et al [19] (perch and pike-perch Sander lucioperca (L., 1758)), and Sobecka and Słomi ńska [20] (perch and bream Abramis brama (L., 1758)).…”