Parasites of the slimy sculpin, Cottus cognatus Richardson, 1836, from Lake Huron, U.S.A

Abstract

One hundred slimy sculpins, Cottus cognatus (Cottidae), collected from Six Fathom Bank Lake Trout Refuge in Lake Huron in June 1995 were examined for parasites. A total of 17 parasite species (3 Digenea, 2 Monogenea, 3 Cestoda, 3 Nematoda, 2 Acanthocephala, 2 Ciliophora, 1 Microspora, and 1 Myxosporea) were found to infect sculpins. Tetracotyle sp. had the highest prevalence, mean intensity, and mean abundance, followed by Diplostomum sp. The most common gastrointestinal helminth species was Echinorhynchus salmonis . Epistylis sp. occurred on the gills of 79 sculpins. The mean parasite species richness ± SD and mean helminth abundance ± SD were 5.4 ± 1.6 and 242.6 ± 264.5, respectively. The mean Brillouin's diversity and evenness values were 0.5773 ± 0.1915 and 0.5248 ± 0.1892, respectively. Although the helminth community of slimy sculpins is dominated by larval trematodes that mature in piscivorous birds, it is believed that few slimy sculpins are eaten by birds at this location.