Parasites of Fish from the Great Lakes - Great Lakes Fishery ...

Acanthocephalans
Fourteen species of adult acanthocephalans representing four families were found in the intestine.
Three species are in the Echinorhynchidae, with Echinorhynchus salmonis occurring in five fish
species. Eight species are in the Neoechinorhynchidae, with Neoechinorhynchus cylindratus
reported from eight fish species. Pomphorhynchus bulbocolli and Leptorhynchoides thecatus
infected 18 and 20 fish species, respectively. Neoechinorhynchus carpiodi, N. crassus, N.
cristatus, N. tumidus, and Octospinifer macilentus are host-specific to one fish species or one
family.
Six species of immature acanthocephalans have been reported. Acanthocephalus dirus,
Echinorhynchus sp., Neoechinorhynchus cylindratus, and Pomphorhynchus bulbocolli infected
the digestive tract. Neoechinorhynchus sp. and Leptorhynchoides sp. occurred in both the liver
and mesentery. Leptorhynchoides thecatus occurred in the mesentery and intestine of 17 fish
species. Pomphorhynchus bulbocolli was also found in the mesentery.
Leeches
Five species of leeches representing three families have been reported from several external sites
on Lake Erie fish. Myzobdella lugubris and Piscicola punctata occurred on 5 and 10 fish species,
respectively.
Crustaceans
Thirteen species of copepods in four families were documented in Lake Erie fish. Four species
are in the Ergasilidae, with Ergasilus caeruleus reported from 21 fish species and E.
centrarchidarum reported from seven species. Lernaea cyprinacea and Achtheres pimelodi each
has been reported from six fish species. All copepods occurred on the external surface or on the
gills or gill arches.
Molluscs
Glochidia of Anodonta sp. occurred on the gills of Lepomis gibbosus. Unidentified glochidia were
found on the gills of 24 fish species.
Fish Species—Parasite Analyses Overview
Parasites have been reported from 89 (83%) of the 107 established fish species (24 families) in
Lake Erie (Table 21). Most of these species (66) were in six families–Cyprinidae (23),
Catostomidae (9), Ictaluridae (7), Centrarchidae (10), Percidae (13), Salmonidae (4). The
individual fish species with the most-reported parasite species were Perca flavescens (46),
Micropterus dolomieu (43), Ambloplites rupestris (39), Carpiodes cyprinus (36), Catostomus
commersonii (34), Ictalurus punctatus (34), Morone chrysops (31), and Notropis hudsonius (23).
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