Fish parasite

Fish parasites are single or multicellular organisms that are hosted by fish . Both come ectoparasites ago on fins, skin or gills and internal parasites in the internal organs.

meaning

The increased occurrence and handling of fish parasites is of particular importance

• in commercial fishing or fish farming ,
• in infested fish as a pathogen for humans,
• in keeping aquarium fish and
• as a bio-indicator for the quality of ecosystems.

Fish parasites are part of a healthy, unpolluted ecosystem and can be used well as bio-indicators. The parasite fauna of a body of water not only reflects its current state, but also establishes a connection between the behavior of the fish and the surrounding natural or anthropogenic factors of the body of water. Since many parasites have a very complex life cycle that also takes place outside the fish, in different intermediate hosts or in open water, changes in the ecosystem also directly influence the occurrence and distribution of the parasites.

Around 100 species of fish parasites have been identified in North Rhine-Westphalia.

More common fish parasites

Triggers for parasitic diseases are:

• Flagellates (cloudy skin)
  • Ichthyobodo necator
  • Piscinoodinium pillulare ( Syn . : Oodinium pillularis ), causative agent of the velvet disease
  • Cryptobia
  • Trypanosoma
• Apicomplexa
• Cnidarians
  • Myxobolus cerebralis , causative agent of rotational sickness in fish
  • Myxobolus pfeifferi , causative agent of the lump or lump disease
• Ciliates (ciliophora)
  • Chilodonella
  • Tetrahymena ( Tetrahymena pyriformis )
  • Trichodina
  • Ichthyophthirius multifiliis , causative agent of ichthyophthiriosis
  • Heteropolaria colisarum , only attacks threadfish
• Roundworms
  • Milling headworms such as Camallanus cotti
• Hooked suction worms
  • Skin worm Gyrodactylus
  • Gill worm Dactylogyrus
• Scratchworms , acanthocephalosis of fish
• Tapeworms
  • Fish tapeworm (fish are intermediate hosts)
  • Belt worm
  • Carp tapeworms such as Bothriocephalus ssp.
  • Carnation tapeworms such as Khawia sinensis and Atractolytocestus huronensis
• Leeches , e.g. B. the fish leech Piscicola geometra
• Small crabs ( Copepoda )
  • Fish lice z. B. the carp louse ( Argulus foliaceus ) cause of argulosis
  • Gill shrimp z. B. Ergasilus Sieboldi

See also

• Fish disease

Individual evidence

1. ^ Fish parasites ( Memento of December 18, 2010 in the Internet Archive ). Wien.at
2. ↑ ^{a b} Project fish parasites ( Memento of the original from January 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Landesfischereiverband Westfalen und Lippe eV Accessed on February 19, 2012.