Abstract
Pseudophyllidean cestodes as Ligula have a complex life cycle with cyclopoid copepods as first intermediate host, zooplanktivorous fish as second, and piscivorous birds as final host. We studied the effects of diet, season and habitat occupation on the prevalence of plerocercoid larvae of the tapeworm Ligula intestinalis in two closely related small barbs and the effects of the parasites on the barbs life histories in Lake Tana (Ethiopia) during 1 year. In all affected barbs L. intestinalis caused retardation in gonad development, maturation at reduced size and lower absolute fecundity. Infection rate, averaged over all habitats was significantly higher in B. tanapelagius (10%) than in B. humilis (6%). Below a threshold of 48 mm the infection rate was zero for both barbs, this coincided with a very low proportion of copepods in their diets, increasing up to 90 and 55%, respectively, for their largest size class (81–90 mm). The relatively high infection rate in B. tanapelagius is explained by its obligatory zooplanktivorous feeding behaviour, ingesting a relatively high proportion of infected cyclopoid copepods. This is in contrast with B. humilis, which is a polyphagous species, feeding both on zooplankton and benthic invertebrates. Significant seasonal effects in infection rates were observed. In both barb species infection rates were lower during the breeding season. Only for B. tanapelagius a significant negative correlation was observed between rain fall and infection rate, probably caused by an increased turbidity that decreases feeding efficiency on zooplankton. Habitat type had also a significant effect on infection rate. Barbus humilis showed a much higher infection rate in shallow clear water (10%) than in shallow turbid water (3%), whereas B. tanapelagius showed much higher infection rates in the shallow sublittoral (13%) than in the deeper pelagic (7%). Most likely, birds predate more efficiently on barbs in shallow clear waters than in shallow turbid and deep waters.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Z. Adamek V. Barua M. Prokea (1996) ArticleTitleSummer diet of roach (Rutilus rutilus) infested by Ligula intestinalis (Cestoda) plerocercoids in the Daleaice reservoir (Czech Republic) Folia Zoologica 45 347–354
I. Barber R. Poulin (2002) Interactions between fish parasites and disease P. J. B. Hart J. D. Reynolds (Eds) Handbook of Fish Biology and Fisheries. Volume 1. Fish Biology Blackwell Publ Oxford 359–389
C. W. Bean I. J. Winfield (1992) ArticleTitleInfluences of the tapeworm Ligula intestinalis (L.) on the spatial distributions of juvenile roach Rutilus rutilus (L.) and gudgeon Gobio gobio (L.) in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland Netherlands Journal of Zoology 42 416–429
Boulenger, G. A., 1902. Descriptions of new fishes from the collection made by Mr. E. Degen in Abyssinia. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7th Series 10: 421–437.
A. O. Bush J. C. Fernandez G. W. Esch J. R. Seed (2001) Parasitism: The Diversity and Ecology of Animal Parasites Cambridge University Press Cambridge
de Graaf, 2003. Lake Tana’s piscivorous Barbus (Cyprinidae, Ethiopia). Ecology, evolution and exploitation. Ph.D. Thesis Wageningen University, Wageningen.
M. Graaf Particlede E. Dejen F. A. Sibbing J. W. M. Osse (2000) ArticleTitle Barbus tanapelagius, a new species from Lake Tana (Ethiopia): its morphology and ecology Environmental Biology of Fishes 59 1–9
Dejen, E., 2003. Ecology and potential for fisheries of the small barbs (Cyprinidae, Teleostei) of Lake Tana, Ethiopia. Ph.D. Thesis Wageningen University, Wageningen.
E. Dejen H. A. Rutjes M. Graaf Particlede L. A. J. Nagelkerke J. W. M. Osse F. A. Sibbing (2002) ArticleTitleThe ‘small barbs’ Barbus humilis and B. trispilopleura of Lake Tana (Ethiopia): are they ecotypes of the same species? Environmental Biology of Fishes 65 373–386 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1021110721565
E. Dejen F. A. Sibbing J. Vijverberg (2003) ArticleTitleThe reproductive biology of two ‘small barbs’ (Barbus humilis and B. tanapelagius) in Lake Tana, Ethiopia Netherlands Journal of Zoology 52 281–299 Occurrence Handle10.1163/156854203764817724
E. Dejen J. Vijverberg L. A. J. Nagelkerke F. A. Sibbing (2004) ArticleTitleTemporal and spatial distribution of microcrustacean zooplankton in relation to turbidity and other environmental factors in a large tropical lake (L. Tana, Ethiopia) Hydrobiologia 513 39–49 Occurrence Handle10.1023/B:hydr.0000018163.60503.b8
T. A. Dick A. Choudhury (1995) Cestoidea (Phylum Platyhelminthes) P. T. K. Woo (Eds) Fish Diseases and Disorders. Volume 1. Protozoan and Metazoan Infections CAB International Cambridge 391–414
Froese, R. & D. Pauly, 2001. World Wide Web electronic publications.
J. C. Holmes W. M. Bethel (1972) ArticleTitleModification of intermediate host behaviour by parasites Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 51 IssueIDSuppl. 1 123–149
A. Ismen F. Bingel (1999) ArticleTitleNematode infection in the whiting Merlangius merlangius euxinus off Turkish Coast of the Black Sea Fisheries Research 42 183–189 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0165-7836(99)00022-3
C. R. Kennedy (1974) ArticleTitleA checklist of British and Irish freshwater fish parasites with notes on their distribution Journal of Fish Biology 6 613–644
H. K. Kim J. K. Ahn S. C. Kim (2001) ArticleTitleSeasonal abundances of Prosomicrocotyla gotoi (Monogenea) and Opecoelus sphareicus (Digenea) from greenlings Hexagrammos otakii in a southern coastal area in Korea Aquaculture 192 147–153
G. Loot R. Poulin S. Lek J. -F. Guegan (2002) ArticleTitleThe differential effects of Ligula intestinalis (L.) plerocercoids on host growth in three natural populations of roach, Rutilus rutilus (L.) Ecology of Freshwater Fish 11 168–177 Occurrence Handle10.1034/j.1600-0633.2002.00006.x
L. A. J. Nagelkerke (Eds) (1997) The barbs of Lake Tana, Ethiopia – morphological diversity and its implication for taxonomy, trophic resource partitioning, and fisheries Wageningen University Wageningen
L. A. J. Nagelkerke F. A. Sibbing (2000) ArticleTitleThe large barbs (Barbus spp., Cyprinidae, Teleostei) of Lake Tana, Ethiopia, with a description of a new species, B. osseensis Netherlands Journal of Zoology 50 179–214 Occurrence Handle10.1163/156854200505946
G. V. Nikolsky (1963) The Ecology of Fishes Academic Press London
Ogwai, C., 1998. Parasite fauna of Rastrineobola argentea (Pellegrin 1904) with reference to Ligula intestinalis in the Kenyan part of Lake Victoria. M.Sc. Thesis Department of Fundamental and Applied Marine Ecology at Free University of Brussels, Brussels.
Okedi, J., 1981. The Engraulicypris “Dagaa” fishery of Lake Victoria: with special reference to the southern waters of the lake. In Proceedings of the Workshop of the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institution on Aquatic Resources of Kenya, Mombassa, 13–19 July 1981, Nairobi. KMFRI & Kenian National Academy for the Advancement of Arts and Science: 445–484.
Paperna, I., 1980. Parasites, infections and diseases of fish in Africa. CIFA Technical paper 7, 216 pp.
R. J. Quinnell A. Graffen E. J. Woolhouse (1995) ArticleTitleChanges in parasite aggregation with age: a decrease infection model Parasitology 111 635–644
M. J. Rochet (1998) ArticleTitleShort-term effects of fishing on life-history traits of fishes ICES Journal of Marine Science 55 371–391 Occurrence Handle10.1006/jmsc.1997.0324
F. A. Sibbing L. A. J. Nagelkerke (2001) ArticleTitleResource partitioning by Lake Tana barbs predicted from fish morphometrics and prey characteristics Reviews of Fish Biology and Fisheries 10 393–437
R. A. Sweeting (1976) ArticleTitleStudies on Ligula intestinalis effects on a roach population in a gravel pit Journal of Fish Biology 9 515–522
G. V. Tanguay M. E. Scott (1992) ArticleTitleFactors generating aggregation of Heligmosomoides polygyrus (Nematoda) in laboratory mice Parasitology 104 519–529 Occurrence Handle1641250 Occurrence Handle10.1017/S0031182000063782
W. H. Dobben ParticleVan (1952) ArticleTitleThe food of the commorant in the Netherlands Ardea 40 1–63
Wanink, J. H., 1992. The pied kingfisher Ceryle rudis and dagaa Rastrineobola argentea: estimating the food-intake of a prudent predator. In Bennun, L. (ed.), Proceedings of 7th Pan-African Ornithological Congress, 28 August–5 September 1988, Nairobi, Kenya. PAOCC, Nairobi: 403–411.
J. H. Wanink P. C. Goudswaard M. R. Berger (1999) Rastrineobola argentea, a major resource in the ecosystem of Lake Victoria W. L. T. Densen Particlevan M. J. Morris (Eds) Fish and Fisheries of Lakes and Reservoirs in Southeast Asia and Africa Westbury Publishing Otley 295–309
R. Wotten I. F. Waddell (1977) ArticleTitleStudies on the biology of larval nematodes from the musculature of cod and whiting in Scottish waters Journal Cons. Internationale Exploration de la Mer 37 266–273
T. Wudneh (1998) Biology and management of fish stocks in Bahr Dar Gulf, Lake Tana, Ethiopia Wageningen Institute of Animal Sciences, Wageningen Agricultural University Wageningen
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dejen, E., Vijverberg, J. & Sibbing, F.A. Spatial and Temporal Variation of Cestode Infection and its Effects on Two Small Barbs (Barbus humilis and B. tanapelagius) in Lake Tana, Ethiopia. Hydrobiologia 556, 109–117 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-1187-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-1187-0