The Regional Spatial Structure of Parasites and Pathologies in Oysters and Mussels in the United States: 16 Years of Mussel Watch

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Mussel Watch Program sampled bays on the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the United States over a period of 16 y. Analytical protocols included the recording of parasites and pathologies. Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) harbored significantly more parasitic taxa than mussels (Mytilidae). Cases where body burden was higher in mytilids were exclusively eukaryotic parasites, trematode metacercariae and trematode sporocysts. Oysters had higher body burdens of Nematopsis, alimentary tract ciliates, prokaryotic inclusions, and a number of unique taxa including haplosporidians, Perkinsus marinus, cestodes, and nematodes. Major pathologies were much more common in mytilids. For oysters, many parasitic taxa were more common in the Gulf of Mexico, including Nematopsis, P. marinus, trematode sporocysts, and nematodes. For mytilids, most parasites and pathologies were more common on the East Coast. Most parasite distributions were clinal on the East and West coasts, with clear relationships to well-known ...