Infection of Cypriniform Fishes with Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura: Argulidae) in a Low-elevation Stream, Central Japan

Recent studies have reported that salmonids and ayu Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis (Temminck and Schlegel, 1846), both of which are salmoniform fishes, serve as important hosts for Argulus coregoni Thorell, 1864. These studies found the parasite in the upper and middle-lower reaches of large river...

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Main Authors: Kazuya Nagasawa, Hiroyuki Nishimura
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Japanese Society of Systematic Zoology 2025-01-01
Series:Species Diversity
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author Kazuya Nagasawa
Hiroyuki Nishimura
author_facet Kazuya Nagasawa
Hiroyuki Nishimura
author_sort Kazuya Nagasawa
collection DOAJ
description Recent studies have reported that salmonids and ayu Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis (Temminck and Schlegel, 1846), both of which are salmoniform fishes, serve as important hosts for Argulus coregoni Thorell, 1864. These studies found the parasite in the upper and middle-lower reaches of large rivers, respectively, originating from high-elevation mountain areas in central Japan. However, very recently, we collected specimens of A. coregoni from cypriniform fishes at a low elevation (25 m) in the lower reaches of the Kushiko River, a small stream originating in a mountain area and a tributary of the Hasu River, in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. The lower Kushiko River lies in a rural area surrounded by rice fields, but its water is unpolluted and running. The infected cypriniform fishes were fat minnow Rhynchocypris lagowskii steindachneri (Sauvage, 1883) (Leuciscidae) and dark chub Nipponocypris temminckii (Temminck and Schlegel, 1846) (Xenocyprididae), and these fishes dominated at the collection site. No salmonids or ayu were collected there, and other fishes (one species of amblycipitid and one species of gobiid) were rare and uninfected. These facts indicate that, despite the fact that the river flows at low elevations, A. coregoni is able to utilize the two dominant cypriniform fishes (fat minnow and dark chub) as its hosts and maintain its population there. This is in contrast to the previous reports that A. coregoni exclusively infects salmonids and ayu in Japan. This paper reports on the occurrence of A. coregoni on the two cypriniform fishes and also describes the parasite from these fish species. Fat minnow represents a new host record for the parasite.
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spelling doaj-art-957ac213590640acace2195a5be361f42025-01-08T21:49:36ZengJapanese Society of Systematic ZoologySpecies Diversity1342-16702189-73012025-01-013011910.12782/specdiv.30.1Infection of Cypriniform Fishes with Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura: Argulidae) in a Low-elevation Stream, Central JapanKazuya Nagasawa0Hiroyuki Nishimura1Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima UniversityFukui Coastal Nature CenterRecent studies have reported that salmonids and ayu Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis (Temminck and Schlegel, 1846), both of which are salmoniform fishes, serve as important hosts for Argulus coregoni Thorell, 1864. These studies found the parasite in the upper and middle-lower reaches of large rivers, respectively, originating from high-elevation mountain areas in central Japan. However, very recently, we collected specimens of A. coregoni from cypriniform fishes at a low elevation (25 m) in the lower reaches of the Kushiko River, a small stream originating in a mountain area and a tributary of the Hasu River, in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. The lower Kushiko River lies in a rural area surrounded by rice fields, but its water is unpolluted and running. The infected cypriniform fishes were fat minnow Rhynchocypris lagowskii steindachneri (Sauvage, 1883) (Leuciscidae) and dark chub Nipponocypris temminckii (Temminck and Schlegel, 1846) (Xenocyprididae), and these fishes dominated at the collection site. No salmonids or ayu were collected there, and other fishes (one species of amblycipitid and one species of gobiid) were rare and uninfected. These facts indicate that, despite the fact that the river flows at low elevations, A. coregoni is able to utilize the two dominant cypriniform fishes (fat minnow and dark chub) as its hosts and maintain its population there. This is in contrast to the previous reports that A. coregoni exclusively infects salmonids and ayu in Japan. This paper reports on the occurrence of A. coregoni on the two cypriniform fishes and also describes the parasite from these fish species. Fat minnow represents a new host record for the parasite.parasitic crustaceanfish lousehost utilizationnew host recordnew locality recordprevalence and intensity of infection
spellingShingle Kazuya Nagasawa
Hiroyuki Nishimura
Infection of Cypriniform Fishes with Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura: Argulidae) in a Low-elevation Stream, Central Japan
Species Diversity
parasitic crustacean
fish louse
host utilization
new host record
new locality record
prevalence and intensity of infection
title Infection of Cypriniform Fishes with Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura: Argulidae) in a Low-elevation Stream, Central Japan
title_full Infection of Cypriniform Fishes with Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura: Argulidae) in a Low-elevation Stream, Central Japan
title_fullStr Infection of Cypriniform Fishes with Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura: Argulidae) in a Low-elevation Stream, Central Japan
title_full_unstemmed Infection of Cypriniform Fishes with Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura: Argulidae) in a Low-elevation Stream, Central Japan
title_short Infection of Cypriniform Fishes with Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura: Argulidae) in a Low-elevation Stream, Central Japan
title_sort infection of cypriniform fishes with argulus coregoni crustacea branchiura argulidae in a low elevation stream central japan
topic parasitic crustacean
fish louse
host utilization
new host record
new locality record
prevalence and intensity of infection
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AT hiroyukinishimura infectionofcypriniformfisheswitharguluscoregonicrustaceabranchiuraargulidaeinalowelevationstreamcentraljapan