Comparison between spring and autumn infection by Corynosoma (Acanthocephala) in the ringed seal Pusa hispida in the Bothnian Bay of the Baltic Sea
SUMMARY Corynosoma spp. (Acanthocephala) infection in ringed seals ( Pusa hispida ) is compared in spring and in autumn in the Bothnian Bay, northern Baltic Sea. The material consists of more than 13400 specimens: 7590 from the intestines of 13 seals captured in April and May 1978 and 5850 from 29 s...
| Published in: | Parasitology |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1981
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0031182000057036 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0031182000057036 |
| Summary: | SUMMARY Corynosoma spp. (Acanthocephala) infection in ringed seals ( Pusa hispida ) is compared in spring and in autumn in the Bothnian Bay, northern Baltic Sea. The material consists of more than 13400 specimens: 7590 from the intestines of 13 seals captured in April and May 1978 and 5850 from 29 seals captured in October and November. Corynosoma strumosum infection had approximately the same intensity in spring and autumn (mean 76 and 66 individuals/infected seal, maxmum 313 and 324 individuals, respectively). C. semerme specimens, on the other hand, were 37 times more numerous in spring than in autumn (504 compared with 136/infected seal, maximum 1700 and 1230 individuals, respectively). The ratio of C. strumosum to C. semerme was 1:6·3 in spring and 1:2·0 in autumn, as calculated from the total material. Corynosoma infection was more recent on average in spring than in autumn, as judged both from the proportion of males and immature females and from the distribution of C. semerme in the intestine. The feeding habits of the ringed seals and the rate of development of Corynosoma infection are discussed. |
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