Gordeev I.I.1, Sokolov S.G.2 2023. Skeleton shrimp Caprella septentrionalis Krøyer, 1838 (Amphipoda: Caprellidae), an intermediate host of various helminths in the White Sea // Invertebrate Zoology. Vol.20. No.4: 380–389 [in English].

1 Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskiye Gory 1/12, Moscow, 119234, Russia. E-mail: gordeev_ilya@bk.ru

2 A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the RAS, Leninsky pr. 33, 119071, Moscow, Russia. E-mail: sokolovsg@mail.ru

doi: 10.15298/invertzool.20.4.03

ABSTRACT: The marine amphipod Caprella septentrionalis was examined for helminth infection at four localities in the Velikaya Salma Strait (Kandalaksha Bay, White Sea). A non-zero infection with helminths was found in skeleton shrimps collected at three sampling sites located closest to the White Sea Biological Station (WSBS) of the Lomonosov Moscow State University. The larvae of four parasitic species were found: third-stage juveniles of the nematodes Hysterothylacium aduncum and Pseudoterranova sp., cystacanths of the acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus gadi, and progenetic metacercariae of the digenean Progonus muelleri. Skeleton shrimps collected at a distance from WSBS were uninfected. This striking difference seems to be associated with an unusual hydrological regime near WSBS. A high turbulence during tidal motion results in an abundant supply of oxygen and biogenic substances, promoting a high species diversity, biomass and abundance of hosts. Comparison with earlier studies showed a significant reduction in infection rates of skeleton shrimps since the middle of the 20th century.

KEY WORDS: Hysterothylacium aduncum, Progonus muelleri, Pseudoterranova, Echinorhynchus gadi, parasites, infection.

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