Infection of the lesser spotted dogfish with Proleptus obtusus Dujardin, 845 (Nematoda: Spirurida) reflects ontogenetic feeding behaviour and seasonal differences in prey availability

Carlota, Silva, Ana, Verissimo, Pedro, Cardoso, Cable, Joanne ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8510-7055 and Raquel, Xavier 2017. Infection of the lesser spotted dogfish with Proleptus obtusus Dujardin, 845 (Nematoda: Spirurida) reflects ontogenetic feeding behaviour and seasonal differences in prey availability. Acta Parasitologica 62 (2) , pp. 471-476. 10.1515/ap-2017-0055

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Abstract

Proleptus obtusus Dujardin, 1845 is the most common parasite infecting the gut of the lesser spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula, Linnaeus). This nematode is trophically transmitted from an intermediate crustacean host to the definitive elasmobranch host. Sexual and age-related differences in habitat occupancy and feeding behaviour of the lesser spotted dogfish make this parasite-host dyad ideal for testing which aspects of host biology influence parasite transmission. Here, the relationship between P. obtusus burden and host condition, sex and age were investigated in lesser spotted dogfish captured in the Northeast Atlantic. Prevalence of P. obtusus was of 94.8% with a mean abundance of 23.3 worms per host. Our results indicate that parasite burden is best explained by the interaction between ontogenetic differences in foraging behaviour of the lesser spotted dogfish and seasonal differences in prey availability.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Biosciences
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Scyliorhinus canicula, parasite trophic transmission, ontogenic feeding behaviour
Publisher:	Springer Verlag
ISSN:	1230-2821
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	20 January 2017
Date of Acceptance:	27 December 2016
Last Modified:	13 May 2023 02:40
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/97608

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