Blood parasites from fish of the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, Northwest Atlantic Ocean, with notes on the distribution of fish hematozoa

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 396-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Khan ◽  
M. W. Newman
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
The United States ◽  
Infected Fish ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
Blood Smears ◽  
Cape Hatteras

Examination of blood smears from 657 marine fish collected from the continental shelf off the east coast of the United States, Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of Maine, revealed hematozoa in 19 of 39 species. Among the infected fish species, hemogregarines were more prevalent (17%) than trypanosomes (5%), piroplasms (4%), or trypanoplasms (1%). Ten species were infected with the virus that causes piscine erythrocytic necrosis. Prevalence of hemogregarines was higher in pleuronectiform and gadiform fish than among perciform species. Sedentary benthic species, especially flatfishes, and some demersal fish, were infected more often than pelagic species. Comparison of this survey with previous studies in the Northwest Atlantic suggests that hematozoa are more prevalent among fish in areas north of Newfoundland and decrease towards the equator. Piroplasms are reported only from fish occurring in temperate Atlantic waters. Piscivorous species of leeches, which are suspected or proven vectors of hematozoa, are more prevalent in the arctoboreal than in the neotropical Atlantic Ocean, and might account for the higher prevalence of piscine hematozoa in the northern latitudes.

Blood parasites of fish from the northwestern Atlantic Ocean

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 770-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Khan ◽  
M. Barrett ◽  
J. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Marine Fish ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
The Other ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Blood Smears ◽  
Water Species ◽  
Cold Water Species ◽  
Thin Blood Smears

Examination of thick and thin blood smears from 5013 marine fish from the northwestern Atlantic Ocean revealed 25 of 59 species to be infected with one or more of the following blood parasites: trypanosomes (27% of 3610), trypanoplasms (9% of 588), piroplasms (26% of 2584), and haemogregarines (36% of 1708). Higher prevalences of infection were observed in cold-water, benthic, sedentary fish than in warm-water, littoral, epipelagic, or midwater species. Trypanosome infections were more prevalent among fish taken off the Labrador – east Newfoundland coasts, lower in those from St. Pierre Bank, Grand Bank, and Gulf of St. Lawrence, and lowest in forms from the Scotian Shelf. Seven of nine species of hematophagous leeches harboured asexual stages of haemogregarines, whereas natural infections of trypanosomes occurred in one leech, Johanssonia arctica. Using five species of laboratory-reared leeches and laboratory-initiated infections of trypanosomes in piscine hosts, development of Trypanosoma murmanensis was observed only in J. arctica. It is suggested that the distribution of trypanosomes of marine fish is related to that of J. arctica, a cold-water species, whereas the other haematozoan infections might be attributed to those leech species that are associated with their respective piscine hosts.

Hematozoa of deep-sea demersal fish of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
pp. 1926-1933 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Khan ◽  
W. Threlfall ◽  
W. S. Whitty
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Chemical Factors ◽  
Total Fish

A total of 410 deep-sea demersal fish comprising 54 species was taken at depths of 1000–3200 m from two locations in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean and examined for hematozoans. Prevalences of 29% of the total fish and 61% of the species examined were observed. Piroplasms (Haemohormidium spp.) were the most common parasites (26% infection), with hemogregarine, trypanosome, and cryptobia infections being considerably lower. Haemogregarina marshalllairdi sp.nov. is described from Nezumia bairdi and Macrourus berglax. An enigmatic intraerythrocytic parasite was observed in one fish. A comparison of prevalences of the infections in fish living in the deep sea, on the continental shelf, and in inshore areas indicates that the percentages of fish species infected are comparable in the three areas and that the prevalence of piroplasm infections is greater in the deep-sea locations. It is likely that transmission of hematozoans, probably by hematophagous leeches, in the deep-sea demersal zone is similar to that on the continental shelf, despite the dramatic changes in biological and physico-chemical factors with increasing depth.

Haemogregarines and other blood infections from deep demersal fish of the Porcupine Seabight, north-east Atlantic

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 1095-1102 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Davies ◽  
N.R. Merrett
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
Porcupine Seabight ◽  
North East ◽  
Antimora Rostrata ◽  
Blood Smears ◽  
Sea Fish

Giemsa-stained blood smears were examined from 70 deep demersal fish of 27 species in 20 genera, trawled from depths of 747–4143 m in the region of the Porcupine Seabight, north-east Atlantic. Infections were found in four species of teleosts in three families: 1/3 Alepocephalus rostratus and 1/3 Narcetes stomias (Alepocephalidae); 2/3 Antimora rostrata (Moridae); and 1/1 Cataetyx laticeps (Bythitidae). Blood films from C. laticeps and Antimora rostrata were well preserved but those from the other two species were less satisfactory. The blood parasites included two types of haemogregarines, Haemohormidium-like and viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN)-like infections. Haemogregarina (sensu lato) johnstoni sp. nov. was described from C. laticeps captured at 1541 m. This haemogregarine was unusual in apparently having dimorphic gamonts, some with prominent caps. A second, but monomorphic, haemogregarine found in Alepocephalus rostratus captured from 985 m, was named as Desseria sp. since only extracellular stages were observed. Haemohormidium-like organisms were found in Antimora rostrata taken from 2441 m, and were similar to those described previously from this deep-sea fish. A VEN-like infection from one N. stomias captured from 2567 m was reported. No marked effects on host cells were evident in any of these blood infections.

Stock identification of the sciaenid fish Micropogonias undulatus in the western North Atlantic Ocean using parasites as biological tags

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany G. Baker ◽  
Serge Morand ◽  
Charles A. Wenner ◽  
William A. Roumillat ◽  
Isaure de Buron
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
The United States ◽  
Atlantic Croaker ◽  
South Atlantic Bight ◽  
Stock Structure ◽  
Micropogonias Undulatus ◽  
Cape Hatteras ◽  
Biological Tags

AbstractProper fisheries management of the Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus is necessary in the United States due to the commercial and recreational importance of this fish species. Croaker stock structure in the western North Atlantic has been investigated in the past by various authors, with inconclusive results. In this study, macroparasites were used as biological tags to identify putative croaker stocks in the area between New Jersey and Florida, which encompasses the Mid Atlantic Bight and the South Atlantic Bight separated at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The macroparasite community of the fish was identified, showing the presence of 30 species in four phyla, of which several were new host records, and one species, a monogenean, was new to science. A canonical correspondence analysis was applied to determine the variables responsible for parasite species composition, to resolve the question of croaker stock structure in the western North Atlantic Ocean. This analysis showed that latitude was the deciding variable delineating the parasite community composition of the Atlantic croaker. Among the 30 parasites, 15 were identified as putative tags according to qualitative criteria, and then 10 out of those 15 were selected as being appropriate tags using quantitative criteria. These parasite tags support the presence of two stocks roughly separated at the known biogeographical barrier at Cape Hatteras.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document