Leeches on Mudskippers: Host–Parasite Interaction at the Water's Edge

• Published in: The Journal of parasitology 2009-08, Vol.95 (4), p.1021-1025
• Main Authors: Polgar, G, Burreson, E. M, Stefani, F, Kamrani, E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air exposure; Animals; Annelida and closely related phyla: sipuncula. Echiura. Nemertinea; Aquariums; Biological and medical sciences; Boleophthalmus dussumieri; DNA - chemistry; DNA - isolation & purification; Ectoparasitic Infestations - parasitology; Ectoparasitic Infestations - veterinary; Endemic species; Fish Diseases - parasitology; Fresh Water - parasitology; Freshwater fishes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; General aspects and techniques. Study of several systematic groups. Models; Geologic Sediments - parasitology; Habitat selection; Habitats; Haplotypes; Hirudinea; Host-Parasite Interactions; Hypotheses; Invertebrates; Leeches - classification; Leeches - genetics; Leeches - physiology; Marine ecology; Marine fishes; Morphology; Mud flats; Museums; Natural history; Parasite hosts; Parasites; Parasitology; Perciformes - parasitology; Periophthalmus; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Research Notes; Sand dunes; Scartelaos; Sequence Alignment - veterinary; Sympatric species
• ISSN: 0022-3395; 1937-2345
• DOI: 10.1645/GE-1718.1

A host–parasite relationship was observed, for the first time, between a piscicolid leech and a species of amphibious goby (Scartelaos tenuis) from an intertidal mud flat in southern Iran. Morphological and molecular investigations assign the leech to Zeylanicobdella arugamensis. Of the 3 endemic and sympatric mudskipper species living in the Persian Gulf (S. tenuis, Boleophthalmus dussumieri, and Periophthalmus waltoni), leeches were only found on S. tenuis (prevalence and mean intensity  =  71.4% and 2.3 ± 2.5, respectively), which is also the most-aquatic mudskipper species. Scartelaos tenuis is not the largest species, but more leeches (≥4 leeches/host) were found on larger specimens (>12 cm standard length [SL]). Nonetheless, in aquaria, leeches also attached on P. waltoni. This suggests either an ecological partitioning of host–parasite complexes, determined by host habitat selection, or leech limited-resistance to air exposure, or both.