Digenean parasites of deep-sea teleosts: A progress report
In: International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife. Australian Society for Parasitology. e-ISSN 2213-2244, more
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| Keywords |
Deep sea
Digenea [WoRMS]; Teleostei [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
Teleosts, Abyss, Bathyal, Diversity |
| Abstract |
The developments in the study of digeneans of deep-sea fish in the 21st Century are documented and discussed. Most recent work has been on the bathyal fauna (i.e. 1,000m-2,999 m depth), with virtually nothing on the abyssal fauna (i.e. deeper than 3,000 m). The one study on hydrothermal vent digeneans has indicated that these regions probably harbour a distinctive fauna. The demarcation of the deep-sea fauna is blurred at the poles, where the cold-adapted fauna appears similar to the shallower bathyal fauna. The abyssal fauna, however, appears distinct, possibly due to adaptations to variable or ultra-high pressures. The digenean fauna of bathypelagic fishes is depauperate. Recent phylogenetic studies reinforce the view that the typical deep-sea fauna has radiated in the deep-sea. Encroachment into the deep from shallow water is relatively rare. Overall, the digenean fauna in the deep-sea is distinctly less diverse that the equivalent fauna in shallow waters. A major conclusion is that our understanding of the deep-sea digenean fauna is poor, and that much further work over a much wider area is needed. |
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