Abstract
Seasonal dynamics of the fish parasite Neoplagioporus ayu (Digenea; Opecoelidae; Plagioporinae) in its definitive host, the ayu Plecoglossus altivelis, in the Chikugo River, Kyushu, Japan, was examined. Natural ayu are amphidromous. In the upper Chikugo River, ayu fry raised in hatcheries are released into the river every spring because the migration of ayu is completely blocked by a dam that has no fish-pass channel. Ayu collected in April 2003 (within 1 month after release) harbored no N. ayu, but the prevalence of N. ayu rose to about 80% in May. The prevalence, abundance, and maturity of N. ayu were maintained at high levels from June to September. These finding indicate that the life cycle of N. ayu is completed in a freshwater area, although its intermediate hosts have not yet been identified despite the intense examination of invertebrates.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all members of the Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Fukuoka University of Education, for their kind help in our fieldwork. This research was partly supported by the Foundation of River and Wetland Environmental Management.
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Yanagi, S., Kuribayashi, Y., Okamoto, M. et al. Seasonal dynamics of the fish parasite Neoplagioporus ayu (Digenea) in its definitive host, Plecoglossus altivelis, in the Chikugo River, Kyushu, Japan. Limnology 11, 167–170 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-009-0302-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-009-0302-8