Infection by the cestode parasite Schistocephalussp. and effects on diet, body condition and survival of sculpins Cottus aleuticusand Cottus cognatus

• Published in: Journal of Fish Biology
• Main Authors: Harmon, B. S., Hilborn, R., Quinn, T. P.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2015
• Subjects: Sockeye; Cottus cognatus; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jfb.12646; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fjfb.12646; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jfb.12646

Sampling in Iliamna Lake, Alaska, U.S.A. revealed that a greater proportion of coastrange sculpins Cottus aleuticus were infected by the cestode Schistocephalus solidus than slimy sculpins Cottus cognatus (52 v . 23%), and infected C. aleuticus contained more cestodes than did C. cognatus (2·1 v . 1·3 per fish). Consumption of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka eggs (the primary diet item) was lower in fishes with cestodes, and a model based on cestode prevalence and age composition estimated higher rates of infection and parasite‐associated mortality in C. aleuticus compared with C. cognatus .