Abstract
Due to its remote and isolated location, Antarctica is home to a unique diversity of species. The harsh conditions have shaped a primarily highly adapted endemic fauna. This includes the notothenioid family Channichthyidae. Their exceptional physiological adaptations have made this family of icefish the focus of many studies. However, studies on their ecology, especially on their parasite fauna, are comparatively rare. Parasites, directly linked to the food chain, can function as biological indicators and provide valuable information on host ecology (e.g., trophic interactions) even in remote habitats with limited accessibility, such as the Southern Ocean. In the present study, channichthyid fish (Champsocephalus gunnari: n = 25, Chaenodraco wilsoni: n = 33, Neopagetopsis ionah: n = 3, Pagetopsis macropterus: n = 4, Pseudochaenichthys georgianus: n = 15) were collected off South Shetland Island, Elephant Island, and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula (CCAML statistical subarea 48.1). The parasite fauna consisted of 14 genera and 15 species, belonging to the six taxonomic groups including Digenea (four species), Nematoda (four), Cestoda (two), Acanthocephala (one), Hirudinea (three), and Copepoda (one). The stomach contents were less diverse with only Crustacea (Euphausiacea, Amphipoda) recovered from all examined fishes. Overall, 15 new parasite-host records could be established, and possibly a undescribed genotype or even species might exist among the nematodes.
Highlights
The exploration of remote habitats such as those of Antarctica has significantly influenced the understanding of the molecular, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms by which organisms adapt in order to survive, grow, and reproduce under extreme conditions
Parasites belonged to the six taxonomic groups Digenea, Nematoda, Cestoda, Acanthocephala, Hirudinea, and Copepoda
In the case of the genera Pseudoterranova and Contracaecum, the main final hosts are Pinnipedia (Kloser et al, 1992; McClelland, 2002), just like the only acanthocephalan Corynosoma bullosum, which was isolated from P. georgianus, matures in a pinniped host (e.g., Mirounga leonine) (Zdzitowiecki, 1991a)
Summary
The exploration of remote habitats such as those of Antarctica has significantly influenced the understanding of the molecular, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms by which organisms adapt in order to survive, grow, and reproduce under extreme conditions.How to cite this article Kuhn et al (2018), Lighten up the dark: metazoan parasites as indicators for the ecology of Antarctic crocodile icefish (Channichthyidae) from the north-west Antarctic Peninsula. The extinction of a large part of the endemic fish fauna due to freezing intolerance fueled the evolution of cold-adapted species (Bargelloni et al, 1994; Wohrmann, 1997; Kock, 2005; Cheng, di Prisco & Verde, 2009; Near et al, 2012) This period of extreme cooling, ice sheet growth, and formation of sea ice along the Antarctic continental shelf, together with little competition between species, is thought to be the period of strong diversification and radiation within the Notothenioidei The suborder contains 130 species in eight families (Artedidraconidae, Bovichtidae, Pseudaphritidae, Eleginopsidae, Nototheniidae, Harpagiferidae, Bathydraconidae, Channichthyidae) (Near, Pesavento & Cheng, 2003; Near et al, 2012)
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