PARASITES FAUNA OF THE LAKE KRONOTSKOE CHARRS (SALVELINUS), KAMCHATKA

Abstract

The new data on the parasites fauna of the Lake Kronotskoe sympatric charr forms (genus Salvelinus (Nilsson) Richardson, 1836) is presented. Parasites fauna of Bigmouth and Smallmouth charr forms are described for the first time. The information about Longhead charr, Nosed charr and White charr parasites is added. 29 species of parasites from 9 classes were found: Oligohymenophorea, Myxosporåà, Monogenea, Trematoda, Cestoda, Nematoda, Acantocephala, Crustacea and Hirudinea. Longhead charr was the most intensively infected by Proteocephalus longicollis (Zeder, 1800) (abundance 306.0) and Neoechinorhynchus salmonis Ching, 1984 (abundance 230.0). White charr was mostly infected by Crepidostomum Braun, 1900 (abundance 242.2) and P. longicollis (abundance 183.4). Nosed charr group that feed on gammarids was infected mostly by Crepidostomum spp. (abundance 3461.3), Cyathocephalus truncatus (Pallas, 1781) (abundance 179.9) and Cystidicola farionis Fisher, 1798 (abundance 169.0); while Chironomidae consumers group was infected mostly by Diplostomum Nordmann, 1832 (abundance 62.3) and Phyllodistomum umblae (Fabricius, 1780) (abundance 27.3). Bigmouth charr was infected mostly by P. longicollis (abundance 17.0) and Eubothrium salvelini Sñhrank, 1790 (abundance 11.0), Smallmouth charr form — by P. longicollis (abundance 67.0) and Diplostomum sp. (abundance 64.2). Sympatric flock of charrs form the Lake Kronotskoe (Kamchatka) is the most polymorphic for the genus Salvelinus in Eurasia. According to the parasitological analysis this flock consists six ecological forms.