Life cycle of the temporary fish parasite,Gnathia pilosus(Crustacea: Isopoda: Gnathiidae) from the east coast of South Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (7) ◽  
pp. 1331-1339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry A. Hadfield ◽  
Nico J. Smit ◽  
Annemarié Avenant-Oldewage
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
South African ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Complete Life Cycle ◽  
Gnathiid Isopod ◽  
Blood Meals ◽  
Main Factor

The life cycle of the South African gnathiid isopod,Gnathia pilosus, was studied using the common east coast tidal pool fish,Scartella emarginataandAntennablennius bifilumas hosts. Laboratory studies observing the feeding ecology of these temporary ectoparasites determined that the second and third unfed larval stages (zuphea larvae 2 and 3) took an average of 3 hours 52 minutes and 4 hours 19 minutes to feed respectively. After feeding, the second stage fed larvae (praniza 2) took 35 days to moult into the third zuphea form. Male and female praniza 3 larvae could be discerned before their final moults into adults which took place approximately 42 and 48 days respectively after their blood meals. Fertilization occurred within 24 hours after the female had completed her moult. It was thus estimated that the complete life cycle from the first larval stage to adult took between 134 to 140 days in water temperatures ranging between 20°C and 25°C. The length for this life cycle is unexpectedly long for gnathiids living in subtropical waters and may indicate that water temperature is not always the main factor in determining the duration of gnathiid life cycles.

Unusual haemogregarines parasitizing intertidal teleosts from the subtropical east coast of South Africa, with the description ofHaemogregarina kunegeminasp. nov.

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 1209-1215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryke L. Ferreira ◽  
Nico J. Smit ◽  
Angela J. Davies
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
African Species ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Fish Hosts ◽  
Gnathiid Isopod

Of three intertidal fish species collected on the east coast of South Africa, 67% (127/190) had haemogregarine infections. Horned rockskippers,Antennablennius bifilumGünther, 1861, demonstrated 77% parasite prevalence, maned blennies,Scartella emarginataGünther, 1861, 53% prevalence, and a single specimen of the hotlips triplefin,Helcogramma obtusirostre Klunzinger, 1871, was also parasitized. Less than 1% ofA. bifilumandS. emarginataerythrocytes were infected, but ~2% of those ofH. obtusirostre. Haemogregarines inA. bifilumandS. emarginatawere morphologically similar toH. bigeminaLaveran & Mesnil, 1901, but uncharacteristic clusters of four merozoites were observed inS. emarginataand paired gamonts were smaller overall than those of the type species, although close in size toH. bigeminareported elsewhere. Intraerythrocytic gamonts inH. obtusirostre, occurred mainly in fours, a characteristic of the European species originally namedH. quadrigeminaBrumpt & Lebailly, 1904. Additionally however, this South African species infrequently demonstrated eight intraerythrocytic gamonts and host cells commonly had spiny perimeters and were de-haemoglobulinized. Owing to the differences observed, this species is described as new to science and namedHaemogregarina kunegeminasp. nov. Possible haemogregarine developmental stages were found in first and second stage pranizae of the gnathiid isopod,Gnathia pilosusHadfield, Smit & Avenant-Oldewage, 2008, that had fed on the three fish hosts. These are the first reports of haemogregarines from teleosts of the subtropical east coast of South Africa.

scholarly journals Molecular data reshape our understanding of the life cycles of three digeneans (Monorchiidae and Gymnophallidae) infecting the bivalve, Donax variabilis: it’s just a facultative host!

Parasite ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Kristina M. Hill-Spanik ◽  
Claudia Sams ◽  
Vincent A. Connors ◽  
Tessa Bricker ◽  
Isaure de Buron
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
The United States ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Complete Life Cycle ◽  
Morphological Criteria ◽  
Donax Variabilis

The coquina, Donax variabilis, is a known intermediate host of monorchiid and gymnophallid digeneans. Limited morphological criteria for the host and the digeneans’ larval stages have caused confusion in records. Herein, identities of coquinas from the United States (US) Atlantic coast were verified molecularly. We demonstrate that the current GenBank sequences for D. variabilis are erroneous, with the US sequence referring to D. fossor. Two cercariae and three metacercariae previously described in the Gulf of Mexico and one new cercaria were identified morphologically and molecularly, with only metacercariae occurring in both hosts. On the Southeast Atlantic coast, D. variabilis’ role is limited to being a facultative second intermediate host, and D. fossor, an older species, acts as both first and second intermediate hosts. Sequencing demonstrated 100% similarities between larval stages for each of the three digeneans. Sporocysts, single tail cercariae, and metacercariae in the incurrent siphon had sequences identical to those of monorchiid Lasiotocus trachinoti, for which we provide the complete life cycle. Adults are not known for the other two digeneans, and sequences from their larval stages were not identical to any in GenBank. Large sporocysts, cercariae (Cercaria choanura), and metacercariae in the coquinas’ foot were identified as Lasiotocus choanura (Hopkins, 1958) n. comb. Small sporocysts, furcocercous cercariae, and metacercariae in the mantle were identified as gymnophallid Parvatrema cf. donacis. We clarify records wherein authors recognized the three digenean species but confused their life stages, and probably the hosts, as D. variabilis is sympatric with cryptic D. texasianus in the Gulf of Mexico.

Life Cycles

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan A. Pechenik
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Complex Life Cycles ◽  
Volume Number ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Life Cycle Evolution

I have a Hardin cartoon on my office door. It shows a series of animals thinking about the meaning of life. In sequence, we see a lobe-finned fish, a salamander, a lizard, and a monkey, all thinking, “Eat, survive, reproduce; eat, survive, reproduce.” Then comes man: “What's it all about?” he wonders. Organisms live to reproduce. The ultimate selective pressure on any organism is to survive long enough and well enough to pass genetic material to a next generation that will also be successful in reproducing. In this sense, then, every morphological, physiological, biochemical, or behavioral adaptation contributes to reproductive success, making the field of life cycle evolution a very broad one indeed. Key components include mode of sexuality, age and size at first reproduction (Roff, this volume), number of reproductive episodes in a lifetime, offspring size (Messina and Fox, this volume), fecundity, the extent to which parents protect their offspring and how that protection is achieved, source of nutrition during development, survival to maturity, the consequences of shifts in any of these components, and the underlying mechanisms responsible for such shifts. Many of these issues are dealt with in other chapters. Here I focus exclusively on animals, and on a particularly widespread sort of life cycle that includes at least two ecologically distinct free-living stages. Such “complex life cycles” (Istock 1967) are especially common among amphibians and fishes (Hall and Wake 1999), and within most invertebrate groups, including insects (Gilbert and Frieden 1981), crustaceans, bivalves, gastropods, polychaete worms, echinoderms, bryozoans, and corals and other cnidarians (Thorson 1950). In such life cycles, the juvenile or adult stage is reached by metamorphosing from a preceding, free-living larval stage. In many species, metamorphosis involves a veritable revolution in morphology, ecology, behavior, and physiology, sometimes taking place in as little as a few minutes or a few hours. In addition to the issues already mentioned, key components of such complex life cycles include the timing of metamorphosis (i.e., when it occurs), the size at which larvae metamorphose, and the consequences of metamorphosing at particular times or at particular sizes. The potential advantages of including larval stages in the life history have been much discussed.

The life cycle ofGyliauchen volubilisNagaty, (Digenea: Gyliauchenidae) from the Red Sea

2011 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.O. Al-Jahdali ◽  
R.M. El-Said Hassanine
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Post Infection ◽  
Aquatic Vegetation ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Gulf Of Aqaba ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Phylogenetic Studies ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Second Intermediate Host ◽  
Siganus Rivulatus

AbstractAlthough nothing is known about gyliauchenid life cycles, molecular phylogenetic studies have placed the Gyliauchenidae Fukui, 1929 close to the Lepocreadiidae Odhner, 1905. The gyliauchenidGyliauchen volubilisNagaty, 1956 was found in the intestine of its type-host,Siganus rivulatus, a siganid fish permanently resident in a lagoon within the mangrove swamps on the Egyptian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. Larval forms of this trematode (mother sporocysts, rediae and cercariae) were found in the gonads and digestive gland ofClypeomorus clypeomorus(Gastropoda: Cerithiidae), a common snail in the same lagoon. So, this life cycle ofG. volubiliswas elucidated under natural conditions: eggs are directly ingested by the snail; mother sporocysts and rediae reach their maturity 3–6 and 11–13 weeks post-infection; rediae contain 23–29 developing cercariae; fully developed cercariae are gymnocephalus, without penetration glands, emerge from the snail during the night 16–18 weeks post-infection and rapidly encyst on aquatic vegetation (no second intermediate host); encysted metacercariae are not progenetic; 4-day-old metacercariae encysted on filamentous algae fed toS. rivulatusdeveloped into fully mature worms 6–8 weeks post-infection. The cycle was completed in about 26 weeks and followed one of the three known patterns of lepocreadiid life cycles, and except for the gymnocephalus cercariae, the other larval stages are very similar to those of lepocreadiids. Generally, the life cycle ofG. volubilisimplicitly supports the phylogenetic relationship of Gyliauchenidae and Lepocreadiidae inferred from molecular phylogenetic studies.

scholarly journals Diversity and life-cycle analysis of Pacific Ocean zooplankton by videomicroscopy and DNA barcoding: Crustacea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Bryant ◽  
Timothy Arehart
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Molecular Taxonomy ◽  
Dna Barcode ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Small Element ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Life Cycle Stages

Crustacea larvae and adults make up a large fraction of the biomass and number of organisms in both holoplankton (organisms that spend their entire lives in the plankton) and meroplankton (organisms that spend their larval stages in the plankton). The life cycles of these animals can be studied by raising individuals and studying them longitudinally in the laboratory, but this method can be very laborious. Here we show that DNA sequencing of a small element in the mitochondrial DNA (DNA barcoding) makes it possible to easily link life-cycle phases without the need for laboratory rearing. It can also be used to construct taxonomic trees, although it is not yet clear to what extent this barcode-based taxonomy reflects more traditional morphological or molecular taxonomy. Collections of zooplankton were made using conventional plankton nets in Newport Bay and the Pacific Ocean near Newport Beach, California, and individual crustacean specimens were documented by videomicroscopy. Adult crustaceans were collected from solid substrates in the same areas. Specimens were preserved in ethanol and sent to the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada for sequencing of the COI DNA barcode. From 1042 specimens, 609 COI sequences were obtained falling into 169 Barcode Identification Numbers (BINs), of which 85 correspond to recognized species. The results show the utility of DNA barcoding for matching life-cycle stages as well as for documenting the diversity of this group of organisms.

A 7-year life cycle for two Chironomus species in arctic Alaskan tundra ponds (Diptera: Chironomidae)

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm G. Butler
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Slow Growth ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Standing Stock ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Larval Size ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Tundra Ponds

The life cycles of two sibling Chironomus species inhabiting tundra ponds on the arctic coast of Alaska are interpreted from larval and adult data collected over 3 years. Emergence of adults was highly synchronous within each species, and the two emergence periods were always discrete. Larvae of the two species could not be separated morphologically and were treated as a single population through most of the life cycle. Analysis of larval size and development toward pupation indicated that seven cohorts coexist on nearly all sampling dates. A 7-year developmental period for each cohort is hypothesized and is supported by larval growth rates observed in the habitat and by the rates at which apparent cohorts progressed through the larval stages. Ten cohorts observed during the study period showed very similar schedules of growth and development, but cohort abundances varied considerably.This life cycle is among the longest reported for an arctic insect. It results from slow growth during an annual open-water season of about 90 days, though neither food nor temperature limitation could be definitely implicated in causing such slow growth. Coexistence of up to seven cohorts in each species stabilized Chironomus production and standing stock and may be important to benthic-feeding waterfowl which use these ponds.

Challenges for Diadromous Fishes in a Dynamic Global Environment

2009 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Character State ◽  
Freshwater Species ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Ancestral Character State ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Group Relationships

<em>Abstract</em>.-We develop the view, based on life cycle differences and recently published sister group relationships, that the freshwater life cycle was the ancestral character state leading to anadromy among salmoniforms, whereas the marine life cycle was the ancestral character state leading to anadromy among osmeriforms. In contrast to most salmonid fishes, the reproductive migrations of smelts are generally characterized by brief excursions to spawn in freshwater, and larvae may spend no more than 24 h in freshwater before being transported to coastal marine or estuarine environments. We reconstructed the phylogeny of the suborder Osmeroidei to establish the phylogenetic relationships among anadromous, marine, and freshwater species of this taxon. We mapped these life cycles onto phylogenetic trees of osmeriforms and salmoniforms and applied character-reconstruction methodology based on simple parsimony and likelihood methodologies. A freshwater origin of salmonids was supported by our analyses, whereas either marine or anadromous life cycles characterized the evolution of osmeroids. The possibility that the evolution of anadromy in salmonids and osmeroids followed separate paths requires a reconsideration of some generalizations concerning anadromy. We hypothesize that anadromy in osmeroids may be first and foremost an adaptation to place embryos and the early larval stages in reproductive safe sites to maximize their survival. The evolution of exclusive freshwater species of osmeriforms has occurred via anadromy through the various processes associated with landlocking. Freshwater amphidromy in osmeroids is most likely a consequence of anadromy rather than a precursor and may be contingent upon the availability of food resources in freshwater. Finally, marine osmeroids have been derived from anadromous ancestors and are "safe-site" specialists, exploiting principally the upper intertidal zone for reproduction. We also suggest that such contrasting evolutionary pathways to anadromy may provide insight into the evolution of partial migration, observed uniquely in salmonids, and the nature and extent of population genetic structure found in the two groups of fishes.

scholarly journals Complete Life Cycle of Trypanosoma thomasbancrofti, an Avian Trypanosome Transmitted by Culicine Mosquitoes

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2101
Author(s):  
Magdaléna Fialová ◽  
Anežka Santolíková ◽  
Anna Brotánková ◽  
Jana Brzoňová ◽  
Milena Svobodová
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Infection Rate ◽  
Culex Pipiens ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Protozoan Parasites ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Experimental Transmission ◽  
Complete Life Cycle ◽  
High Infection ◽  
Avian Populations

Avian trypanosomes are cosmopolitan and common protozoan parasites of birds; nevertheless, knowledge of their life cycles and vectors remains incomplete. Mosquitoes have been confirmed as vectors of Trypanosoma culicavium and suggested as vectors of T. thomasbancrofti; however, transmission has been experimentally confirmed only for the former species. This study aims to confirm the experimental transmission of T. thomasbancrofti to birds and its localization in vectors. Culex pipiens were fed on blood using four strains of T. thomasbancrofti, isolated from vectors and avian hosts; all strains established infections, and three of them were able to develop high infection rates in mosquitoes. The infection rate of the culicine isolates was 5–28% for CUL15 and 48–81% for CUL98, 67–92% for isolate OF19 from hippoboscid fly, while the avian isolate PAS343 ranged between 48% and 92%, and heavy infections were detected in 90% of positive females. Contrary to T. culicavium, trypanosomes were localized in the hindgut, where they formed rosettes with the occurrence of free epimastigotes in the hindgut and midgut during late infections. Parasites occurred in urine droplets produced during mosquito prediuresis. Transmission to birds was achieved by the ingestion of mosquito guts containing trypanosomes and via the conjunctiva. Bird infection was proven by blood cultivation and xenodiagnosis; mature infections were present in the dissected guts of 24–26% of mosquitoes fed on infected birds. The prevalence of T. thomasbancrofti in vectors in nature and in avian populations is discussed in this paper. This study confirms the vectorial capacity of culicine mosquitoes for T. thomasbancrofti, a trypanosome related to T. avium, and suggests that prediuresis might be an effective mode of trypanosome transmission.

The Life Cycle of Symbiotic Crustaceans

2018 ◽  
pp. 375-402
Author(s):  
J. Antonio Baeza ◽  
Emiliano H. Ocampo ◽  
Tomás A. Luppi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
The Body ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Ground Pattern ◽  
Symbiotic Relationships ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Phylogenetic Inertia ◽  
Vertebrate Hosts

In the subphylum Crustacea, species from most major clades have independently evolved symbiotic relationships with a wide variety of invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. Herein, we review the life cycle disparity in symbiotic crustaceans. Relatively simple life cycles with direct or abbreviated development can be found among symbiotic decapods, mysids, and amphipods. Compared to their closest free-living relatives, no major life cycle modifications were detected in these clades as well as in most symbiotic cirripeds. In contrast, symbiotic isopods, copepods, and tantulocarids exhibit complex life cycles with major differences compared to their closest free-living relatives. Key modifications in these clades include the presence of larval stages well endowed for dispersal and host infestation, and the use of up to 2 different host species with dissimilar ecologies throughout their ontogeny. Phylogenetic inertia and restrictions imposed by the body plan of some clades appear to be most relevant in determining life cycle modifications (or the lack thereof) from the “typical” ground pattern. Furthermore, the life cycle ground pattern is likely either constraining or favoring the adoption of a symbiotic lifestyle in some crustacean clades (e.g., in the Thecostraca).

Hyalella azteca (Amphipoda) as an intermediate host of the nematode Streptocara crassicauda

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 2335-2340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. A. Laberge ◽  
J. Daniel McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Post Infection ◽  
Anas Platyrhynchos ◽  
Hyalella Azteca ◽  
Domestic Ducks ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Third Stage

The life cycle of Streptocara crassicauda (Creplin, 1829) was studied experimentally in the amphipod Hyalella azteca (Saussure). Of 2946 H. azteca that survived exposure, 699 were infected. Developing larval stages were found almost exclusively in the cephalic haemocoel. At 18–20 °C, moulting first-stage larvae were observed initially on day 11 and moulting second-stage larvae on day 15 post infection. The moult was not synchronous and moulting stages were found for several days after the initial observation. Third-stage larvae were found as early as day 19 post infection. The larval stages found in H. azteca are described. Mature females containing larvated eggs were recovered from domestic ducks (Anas platyrhynchos dom.) 9–21 days post exposure, and eggs were found in fecal samples on day 26. None of the females recovered from ducks 42 days post infection contained larvated eggs.

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