Larval Sulcascaris sulcata from Calico Scallops, Argopecten gibbus, along the Southeast Coast of the United States

Adductor muscles of calico scallops, Argopecten gibbus, collected off the southeastern coast of the United States from May 1982 to December 1984 were examined for the presence of larvae of the parasitic nematode, Sulcascaris sulcata. Infection intensity, prevalence, and larval length were all positi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of parasitology 1987-06, Vol.73 (3), p.476-480
Main Authors: Barber, Bruce J., Blake, Norman J., Moyer, Michael A., Rodrick, Gary E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Calico
Clams
Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Infections
Invertebrates
Larva
Larvae
Mollusca - parasitology
Mollusks
Nemathelminthia. Plathelmintha
Nematoda - isolation & purification
Nematode larvae
Nematodes
Parasite hosts
Physiology. Development
Scallops
Seasons
Turtles
United States
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Description
Summary:Adductor muscles of calico scallops, Argopecten gibbus, collected off the southeastern coast of the United States from May 1982 to December 1984 were examined for the presence of larvae of the parasitic nematode, Sulcascaris sulcata. Infection intensity, prevalence, and larval length were all positively correlated (P < 0.001) with scallop shell height (age). Prevalence was generally highest in December and lowest in August as a result of yearly trends in the age structure of the scallop population. Prevalence was not influenced by latitude or depth over the ranges examined. The rate of infection of marine molluscs by S. sulcata is generally related to the degree and length of exposure to third-stage larvae, whose distribution is essentially that of the marine turtle definitive host. Thus, over the wide geographic area of the east coast of the U.S., overall rates of infection decrease with increasing latitude.
ISSN:0022-3395
1937-2345
DOI:10.2307/3282124