Zoogeography of marine parasites

Abstract

Latitudinal gradients in species numbers of marine parasites, differences between the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans, latitudinal gradients in frequency and intensity of infection, in host range and specificity, and in fluctuations of infection are discussed, as well as differences between shallow and deep water, parasite endemicity at remote oceanic islands, and importance of temperature for parasite distribution. Examples are given to demonstrate the usefulness of marine parasites as biological tags and as indicators of the geographical origin of hosts.