First recorded occurrence of the parasitic barnacle (Anelasma squalicola) on a Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) in the Canadian Arctic

• Published in: Journal of Fish Biology
• Main Authors: Ste-Marie, Eric, Glenner, Henrik, Rees, David J., Hussey, Nigel E.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Scholarship at UWindsor 2023
• Subjects: cirripedia; genetics; marine; parasite; sharks; Integrative Biology; Arctic; Greenland; Somniosus microcephalus
• Online Access: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ibiopub/165; https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15421; https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/context/ibiopub/article/1164/viewcontent/Journal_of_Fish_Biology___2023___Ste_Marie___First_recorded_occurrence_of_the_parasitic_barnacle__Anelasma_squalicola__on_a.pdf

A solitary Anelasma squalicola specimen was collected from the cloaca of a Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus), the first time this association has been recorded. The specimen's identity was confirmed through morphological and genetic assessment (mitochondrial markers: COI and control region). A. squalicola is a species typically associated with deep-sea lantern sharks (Etmopteridae) and, until the present observation, had never been observed at a sexually mature size in the absence of a mating partner. Given the reported negative effects of this parasite on its hosts, monitoring Greenland sharks for additional cases is recommended.