Ingelbrecht, J., K.O. Lear, S.B. Martin, A.J. Lymbery, B.M. Norman, G.A. Boxshall & D.L. Morgan. (2024). Ectoparasites of the critically endangered green sawfish Pristis zijsron and sympatric elasmobranchs in Western Australia. Parasitology International. 101:1-12. Aug 2024.

484595

10.1016/j.parint.2024.102900 [view]

Ingelbrecht, J., K.O. Lear, S.B. Martin, A.J. Lymbery, B.M. Norman, G.A. Boxshall & D.L. Morgan

2024

101:1-12. Aug 2024

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This study reports the metazoan ectoparasite fauna of juvenile Critically Endangered green sawfish, Pristis zijsron , and sympatric elasmobranchs in Western Australia. Five parasite taxa were found on 76 screened P. zijsron : Caligus furcisetifer (Copepoda: Caligidae), Dermopristis pterophila (Monogenea: Microbothriidae), Branchellion plicobranchus and Stibarobdella macrothela (Hirudinea: Piscicolidae), and praniza larvae of an unidentified gnathiid isopod. Only C . furcisetifer and D . pterophila were common, exhibiting discrepant site-specificity, with C . furcisetifer occurring mostly on the head and rostrum, and D . pterophila around the pectoral and pelvic fins. Intensity of infection for C . furcisetifer and D . pterophila increased with host total length and was influenced by host sex, but in opposite directions; intensity of C . furcisetifer was greater on female P. zijsron , whereas intensity of D . pterophila was greater on males. In the Ashburton River, likelihood of infection for C . furcisetifer and D . pterophila on P. zijsron increased with time since substantial freshwater discharge events, suggesting decreased salinity impacts both taxa. In addition to P. zijsron , five other sympatric elasmobranch species were opportunistically screened for ectoparasites in the study area: the giant shovelnose ray, Glaucostegus typus , the eyebrow wedgefish, Rhynchobatus palpebratus , the nervous shark, Carcharhinus cautus , the lemon shark, Negaprion acutidens , and the graceful shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides . Caligus furcisetifer was found on R. palpebratus ; no other parasites of P. zijsron were found on other sympatric elasmobranch species. Conversely, Perissopus dentatus (Copepoda: Pandaridae) was found on all three carcharhinids but not on batoid rays ( P. zijsron , G. typus or R . palpebratus ).

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