Abstract
The fecundity, the relationship between fecundity and worm size, as well as abundance of the adult worm Proctoeces cf. lintoni (Digenea: Fellodistomidae) in four gastropod hosts (keyhole limpets of the genus Fissurella) and one vertebrate host, the clingfish Sicyases sanguineus from northern Chile, were compared. Worms obtained from Fissurella latimarginata were smaller than those from Fissurella maxima, Fissurella limbata, and S. sanguineus. The mean fecundity of parasites from Fissurella crassa was significantly lower than those from F. limbata, F. maxima and S. sanguineus. For all invertebrate hosts, there were significant, positive relationships between worm size and fecundity, and the slopes of the regression did not differ significantly for the invertebrate hosts. Parasites of the keyhole limpet F. limbata and the clingfish showed the highest intensity, prevalence, and mean fecundity, and these species must be considered to be the hosts in which P. cf lintoni shows the best fitness.
References
Aldana M, Gonzalez K, Loot G, Pulgar J, Marquet PA (2009) First intermediate host of the digenean trematode Proctoeces lintoni (Fellodistomidae) in Chile. J Parasitol 95:1408–1414. doi:10.1645/GE-2004.1
Chylinski C, Boag B, Stear MJ, Cattadori IM (2009) Effects of host characteristics and parasite intensity on growth and fecundity of Trichostrongylus retortaeformis infections in rabbits. Parasitology 136:117–123. doi:10.1017/S0031182008005143
El-S.Hassanine R, Al-Jahdali MO (2008) Intraspecific density-dependent effects on growth and fecundity of Diplosentis nudus (Harada, 1938) Pichelin et Cribb, 2001 (Acanthocephala, Cavisomidae). Acta Parasitol 53:289–295. doi:10.2478/s11686-008-0043-6
George-Nascimento M, Marin SL (1992) Efecto de dos especies hospedadoras, el lobo fino austral Arctocephalus australis (Zimmerman) y el lobo marino común Otaria byronia (Blainville) (Carnivora; Otaridae), sobre la morfología y fecundidad de Corynosoma sp. (Acanthocephala; Polymorphidae) en Uruguay. Rev Chil Hist Nat 65:183–193
George-Nascimento M, Muñoz S (1997) Specificity and host suitability of Cucullanus genypteri (Nematoda: Cucullanidae) in three Genypterus (Ophiididae) fish host species from the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Parasite 4:233–238
George-Nascimento M, Balboa L, Aldana M, Olmos V (1998) Las lapas Fissurella spp. (Mollusca: Archaeoastropoda) y el pejesapo Sicyases sanguineus (Pisces: Gobiesocidae) son huéspedes secuenciales de Proctoeces lintoni (Digenea: Fellodistomidae) en Chile. Rev Chil Hist Nat 71:169–176
Hanelt B (2009) An anomaly against a current paradigm—extremely low rates of individual fecundity variability of the gordian worm (Nematomorpha:Gordiidae). Parasitology 136:211–218. doi:10.1017/S0031182008005337
Karvonen A, Cheng GH, Seppälä O, Valtonen ET (2006) Intestinal distribution and fecundity of two species of Diplostomum parasites in definitive hosts. Parasitology 132:357–362. doi:10.1017/S0031182005009091
Oliva ME, Valdivia IM, Cardenas L, George-Nascimento M, Gonzalez K, Guiñez RE, Cuello D (2010) Molecular and experimental evidence refuse the life cycle of Proctoeces lintoni (Fellodistomidae) in Chile. Parasitol Res 106:737–740. doi:10.1007/s00436-009-1708-2
Paterson S, Barber R (2007) Experimental evolution of parasite life-history traits in Strongyloides ratti (Nematoda). Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 274:1467–1474. doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.0433
Riquelme C, George-Nascimento M, Balboa L (2006) Morfometría y fecundidad de Profilicollis bullocki Mateo, Córdova and Guzmán 1982 (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) en especies simpátricas de aves costeras. Rev Chil Hist Nat 79:465–474
Rohde K (1980) Host specificity indices of parasites and their applications. Experientia 36:1370–1371
Rohde K (1994) Niche restriction in parasites: proximate and ultimate causes. Parasitology 109:869–884
Rowe A, McMaster K, Emery D, Sangster N (2008) Haemochus contortus infection in sheep: parasite fecundity correlates with worm size and host lymphocyte counts. Vet Parasitol 153:285–293. doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.01.040
Schleppe JL, Goater CP (2004) Comparative life histories of two diplostomid trematodes, Ornithodiplostomum ptychocheilus and Posthodiplostomum minimum. J Parasitol 90:1387–1390
Shostak AW, Scott ME (1993) Detection of density-dependent growth and fecundity of helminthes in natural infections. Parasitology 106:527–539. doi:10.1017/S0031182000076836
Valdivia IM, Cardenas L, Gonzalez K, Jofré D, George-Nascimento M, Guiñez R, Oliva ME (2010) Molecular evidence confirms that Proctoeces humboldti and Proctoeces chilensis (Digenea: Fellodistomidae) are the same species. J Helminthol 84:341–347. doi:10.1017/S0022149X09990745
Wang CL, Renaud F, Thomas F (2002) Negative influence of Gammarinema gammari (Nematoda) on the fecundity of Microphallus papillorobustus (Trematoda): field and experimental evidence. J Parasitol 88:425–427
Whittington ID (1997) Reproduction and host—location among parasitic Platyhelminthes. Int J Parasitol 27:705–714
Zar JH (1996) Biostatistical analysis. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River
Acknowledgments
Funded by FONDECYT(National Fund for Science and Technology-Chile) grant 1070898.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Oliva, M.E., Alvarez, C. Is a vertebrate a better host for a parasite than an invertebrate host? Fecundity of Proctoeces cf lintoni (Digenea: Fellodistomidae), a parasite of fish and gastropods in northern Chile. Parasitol Res 109, 1731–1734 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2489-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2489-y