Seasonal occurrence of Dollfustrema vaneyi (Digenea : Bucephalidae) metacercariae in the bullhead catfish Pseudobagrus fulvidraco in a reservoir in China

• Published in: Diseases of aquatic organisms Vol. 44; no. 2; pp. 127 - 131
• Main Authors: WANG, Gui T, YAO, Wei J, NIE, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oldendorf Inter-Research 09-03-2001
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Catfishes - parasitology; China - epidemiology; Demecology; Disease Reservoirs - veterinary; Dollfustrema vaneyi; Fish Diseases - epidemiology; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Prevalence; Protozoa. Invertebrata; Pseudobagrus fulvidraco; Seasons; Trematoda - isolation & purification; Trematode Infections - epidemiology; Asia; China; China, People's Rep., Jiangxi Prov., Jiangkou Reservoir; Host parasite relation; Prevalence; Plathelmintha; Parasite; Zoopathogen; Trematoda; Freshwater environment; Metacercaria; Vertebrata; Seasonal variation; Pisces; Impoundment; Helmintha; Population dynamics; Intermediate host; Invertebrata; Population density
• ISSN: 0177-5103; 1616-1580
• DOI: 10.3354/dao044127

The seasonal population dynamics of metacercariae of the bucephalid Dollfustrema vaneyi (Tseng, 1930) Echmann, 1934 in the bullhead catfish Pseudobagrus fulvidraco (Richardson) were investigated in Jiangkou reservoir, Jiangxi Province, east China, during the period from April 1990 to August 1991. In total, 523 fish were obtained, and the overall prevalence of the metacercariae was 89.87% and mean abundance 136.25 +/- 308.09 (mean +/- SD). A pattern of seasonal changes in prevalence and mean abundance was observed, with higher levels of metacercariae infection in late spring and summer. An analysis of the distribution of D. vaneyi in different organs of P. fulvidraco suggested that the eyes might be a suitable location for the parasite. Furthermore, the possible role of metacercariae in bullhead catfish was discussed in relation to the life cycle of this parasite.