Publication details
Parasites of the invasive round goby, Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814) (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae), in the estuarine zone of the Elbe River, North Sea basin
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | The round goby, Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814) (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae), is Ponto-Caspian brackish water fish species, naturally ranged in the Black and Caspian seas and lower reaches of adjacent rivers. This species is one of the most successful fish invaders in many water bodies of Europe and North America [1]. Recently it was registered in the estuary of the Elbe River [2]. The North Sea is terminal point for two routs of aquatic invasions in Europe: Central and Southern corridors [3]. North Sea riverine estuaries and deltas have specific ecological conditions, with unstable salinity and water levels that change rapidly due to the presence of intensive tides [4]. Ponto-Caspian gobiids mainly inhabit brackish or high salinity waters in their natural range; however, some species, classed as neo-limnetic, have a brackish water origin but mainly inhabit freshwaters [5]. Taking into account the untypical environmental conditions for Ponto-Caspian gobiids, the aim of the present work was to study the colonization of the round goby by parasites in the estuarine Elbe. The fish were sampled by angling in two localities in lower Elbe: 1. Suderelbe (53°28.266 N 9°59 133 E), 2.Geesthacht (53°25.643 N 10°21.905 E). The fish were transported alive in aerated cans with riverine water tot he field laboratory, where dissected in accordance to recommendations. The data from the upper Elbe near Ústí nad Labem [6], were used for comparative study. In total of 12 parasite taxa occurred in estuarine zone of the Elbe River: 6 in the Suderelbe and 9 in Geesthacht. Fish parasite communities significantly differed among each of three sites, Suderelbe fish were infected mostly by Angullicoloides crassus larvae, which was almost absent in fish from the other two sites. While fish from Ústí nad Labem were infected mostly by Pomphorhynchus tereticollis cystacants and glochidia occurring sporadically, this pattern was reversed in Geesthacht fish and both these taxa were absent in the Suderelbe fish. Infracommunity species richness was not significantly different among the three sites, being generally poor with mean values reaching 0.75 in Suderelbe fish (range 0-3), 1.09 in Geesthacht fish (range 0-3) and 0.54 in fish from Ústí nad Labem (0-2). Total parasite abundance did not significantly differ between the Suderelbe and Geesthacht, but significantly fewer parasites were found at both German sites compared to fish from Ústí nad Labem. |
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