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Four-year monitoring of parasite communities in gobiid fishes of the south-western Baltic

I. Guild and component community

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Abstract

The parasite communities of goby species (Teleostei, Percomorphi) from the south-western Baltic Sea were investigated from 1997 to 2000 in three different seasons. In total, 30 parasite species were found in the guild of four goby spp. from Dahmeshöved (Lübeck Bight). The component community of Pomatoschistus minutus comprised 22, Pomatoschistus pictus 20, Gobiusculus flavescens 18 and Gobius niger 14 parasite species, whereas Pomatoschistus microps from the Salzhaff (Mecklenburg Bight) harboured 24 species. The digenean Podocotyle atomon (ingested with prey) and Cryptocotyle concavum (active penetration) were the most common parasites. Cryptocotyle lingua and the nematode Hysterothylacium sp. in Gobius niger as well as the specialists Aphalloides timmi and Apatemon gracilis (Digenea) in Pomatoschistus microps were also very abundant. There were large changes in the parasite communities within the years as well as between the seasons of a year; only Gobius niger presented rather homogeneous communities. The ratio of core parasite species in the hosts was at most 28% (Gobiusculus flavescens) and at least 9% (Gobius niger). The core species can attain their maximum values at different seasons, which is not only influenced by the parasite but also by the host species. It is concluded that the composition of parasite communities was predominantly determined by the ways of life of the host as well as of the parasite species. Another important factor is the population density of intermediate hosts.

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Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Kristina Barz for pre-preparing with great accuracy the fish material from 1997 and 1998, and Maria Machola for doing this for the years 1999 and 2000. For accompanying and support under water I am thankful to Kristina Barz, Inga Nordhaus, Judith Voce and, especially, to Dr. Uwe Strohbach, who caught a greater part of the fish investigated.

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  1. Zoologischjes Institut und Zoologisches Museum, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    C. Dieter Zander

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  1. C. Dieter Zander
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Correspondence to C. Dieter Zander.

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Zander, C.D. Four-year monitoring of parasite communities in gobiid fishes of the south-western Baltic. Parasitol Res 90, 502–511 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-003-0887-5

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