Parasitic fauna of the deepsea fish,Macrourus rupestris(Gunnerus) from Korsfjorden, Norway

Abstract

Abstract Forty eight specimens of Macrourus rupestris collected from a depth of 680 m in Korsfjorden were examined for their animal parasites. The incidences of infection were: Myxosporida 52%, larval Nematoda 52%, larval Cestoda 6.3%. Other helminths and copepods were not found. Blood smears were negative and protozoa other than the Myxosporida were absent. A comparison of this host with three other macrourids suggests that the family Macrouridae is characterized by a relatively heavy infection with larval nematodes and Myxosporida, but with a highly variable incidence with other parasites. The reasons for these differences are probably related to differences in host food habits and availability of infected intermediate hosts, as well as population densities of the fish. The presence of larval helminths indicates that macrourids are themselves intermediate hosts for some parasites that live as adults in predators of macrourids.