Occurrence of digenea in fishes other than Notothenioidei in the Weddell Sea and the whole Antarctica
AbstractIn total, 60 fish specimens belonging to four families, Zoarcidae (19 specimens of three species), Liparididae (14 specimensof two species), Macrouridae (23 specimens of one species) and Rajidae (four specimens of two species), caught in the WeddellSea were examined. A zoarcid, Lycodichthys dearborni, and both Rajidae, Bathyraja maccaini and Bathyraja sp., were notinfected. Macrourus whitsoni was the most strongly infected (six digenean species found, prevalence 91.3%, mean abundance10.13). Two zoarcids, Ophthalmolycus amberensis and O. bothriocephalus, were infected with Macvicaria longibursata; theformer also with Aphanurus sp., Paraliparis antarcticus and P. trilobodon were infected with Steringophorus liparidis andNeolebouria terranovaensis, and Derogenes johnstoni, respectively. The check list of Digenea recorded in Antarctica in non-notothenioid fishes is given. Infected fishes belong to six families, Zoarcidae (7 digenean species found), Macrouridae (8),Muraenolepididae (9), Liparididae (5), Bathylagidae (one) and Rajidae (one). In total, 29 digenean species were found, of which12 are common for Notothenioidei and other fishes, whereas 17 species are specific for non-notothenioid definitive hosts.Digenea belong to four higher taxa, Opecoelidae (10 species), Lepocreadiidae (10), Fellodistomidae (one) and Hemiuroidea (8).