Summary
Two cercaria emitted from the snail Melanoides tuberculata are illustrated, one of which encysts on the gills of the fish Tilapia zilli. The parasite is shown to have a marked preference for the anterior gills and especially the middle part of each gill.
Comparisons between the respiration and ventilation rates of experimentally infected and uninfected fish were made at two levels of activity. At the slower flow rate the parasitized fish have significantly higher oxygen consumptions than do the uninfected controls.
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References
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Meakins, R.H., Kawooya, J. The effects and distribution of metacercaria on the gills of the fish Tilapia zilli (Gervais) 1848. Z. Parasitenk. 43, 25–31 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00329534
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00329534