Can a specialist parasite species of a widespread and common host species be rare? The case of Spinitectus inermis (Nematoda: Cystidicolidae) in eels Anguilla anguilla

Title:

Can a specialist parasite species of a widespread and common host species be rare? The case of Spinitectus inermis (Nematoda: Cystidicolidae) in eels Anguilla anguilla

Creator:

Kennedy, Clive R.

Identifier:

https://cdk.lib.cas.cz/client/handle/uuid:db01983d-b1b0-47a1-be7a-7dae1bd22c20
uuid:db01983d-b1b0-47a1-be7a-7dae1bd22c20
doi:10.14411/fp.2012.018

Subject:

Spinitectus inermis, eel, geographical distribution, abundance, overdispersion, and rarity

Type:

model:article and TEXT

Format:

bez média and svazek

Description:

The claim by many authors that Spinitectus inermis (Zeder, 1800), a narrowly specific parasite of European eels Anguilla anguilla (L.), is a rare species is considered at three levels: its geographical range, its frequency of occurrence compared to other eel parasites and its relative abundance in component communities. The parasite is widely distributed in freshwater throughout the European range of the eel but its occurrence is erratic and unpredictable, being known from only 8 countries. Surveys of eel parasites in the United Kingdom and in Continental Europe show that it is present in only 13% of British and 29% of continental localities. This satisfies one of the criteria for rarity. When present, its prevalence ranges from 1.8% to 43.3%, so it can be considered rare in some localities but in a few it may be common and on occasion it may be the dominant species in the gastro-intestinal community. Populations of S. inermis are almost always characterised by high levels of overdispersion, even at low prevalence. The species also displays an ability to colonise a locality following introduction there. Overall it meets many of the criteria of a rare species including a restricted distribution and a low frequency of occurrence and so it can be considered to exhibit diffusive rarity.

Language:

English

Rights:

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
policy:public

Coverage:

131-138

Source:

Folia parasitologica | 2012 Volume:59 | Number:2

Harvested from:

CDK

Metadata only:

false