Background

Studies of parasite communities and patterns in the Antarctic are an important knowledge base with the potential to track shifts in ecological relations and study the effects of climate change on host–parasite systems. Endemic Nototheniinae is the dominant fish group found in Antarctic marine habitats. Through their intermediate position within the food web, Nototheniinae link lower to higher trophic levels and thereby also form an important component of parasite life cycles. The study was set out to gain insight into the parasite fauna of Nototheniops larseni, N. nudifrons and Lepidonotothen squamifrons (Nototheniinae) from Elephant Island (Antarctica).

Methods

Sampling was conducted at three locations around Elephant Island during the ANT-XXVIII/4 expedition of the research vessel Polarstern. The parasite fauna of three Nototheniine species was analysed, and findings were compared to previous parasitological and ecological research collated from a literature review.

Results

All host species shared the parasites Neolebouria antarctica (Digenea), Corynosoma bullosum (Acanthocephala) and Pseudoterranova decipiens E (Nematoda). Other parasite taxa were exclusive to one host species in this study. Nototheniops nudifrons was infected by Ascarophis nototheniae (Nematoda), occasional infections of N. larseni with Echinorhynchus petrotschenkoi (Acanthocephala) and L. squamifrons with Elytrophalloides oatesi (Digenea) and larval tetraphyllidean Cestoda were detected.

Conclusion

All examined fish species’ parasites were predominantly euryxenous regarding their fish hosts. The infection of Lepidonotothen squamifrons with Lepidapedon garrardi (Digenea) and Nototheniops larseni with Echinorhynchus petrotschenkoi represent new host records. Despite the challenges and limited opportunities for fishing in remote areas, future studies should continue sampling on a more regular basis and include a larger number of fish species and sampling sites within different habitats.

中文翻译：

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来自大象岛的三种密切相关的南极鱼类（Teleostei：Nototheniinae）的寄生虫

背景

对南极寄生虫群落和模式的研究是一个重要的知识库，有可能跟踪生态关系的变化并研究气候变化对宿主-寄生虫系统的影响。地方性 Nototheniinae 是在南极海洋栖息地发现的主要鱼类群。通过它们在食物网中的中间位置，Nototheniinae 将较低的营养水平与较高的营养水平联系起来，从而也形成了寄生虫生命周期的重要组成部分。该研究旨在深入了解来自大象岛（南极洲）的Nototheniops larseni、N. nudifrons和Lepidonotothen squamifrons (Nototheniinae) 的寄生虫动物群。

方法

在研究船 Polarstern 的 ANT-XXVIII/4 远征期间，在大象岛周围的三个地点进行了采样。分析了三种 Nototheniine 物种的寄生虫动物群，并将研究结果与从文献综述中整理的以前的寄生虫学和生态学研究进行了比较。

结果

所有宿主物种都有寄生虫Neolebouria antarctica (Digenea)、Corynosomabullosum (Acanthocephala) 和Pseudoterranova decipiens E (Nematoda)。在本研究中，其他寄生虫类群是一种宿主物种独有的。Nototheniops nudifrons被Ascarophis nototheniae (Nematoda) 感染，偶尔检测到N. larseni与Echinorhynchus petrotschenkoi (Acanthocephala) 和L. squamifrons与Elytrophalloides oatesi (Digenea) 和幼虫 tetraphyllidean Cestoda 的感染。

结论

所有被检查的鱼类的寄生虫都主要是关于它们的鱼类宿主的。用Lepidapedon garrardi (Digenea)感染Lepidonotothen squamifrons和用Echinorhynchus petrotschenkoi感染Nototheniops larseni代表了新的宿主记录。尽管在偏远地区捕鱼存在挑战和有限的机会，但未来的研究应继续更定期地进行采样，并在不同栖息地包括更多的鱼类和采样点。