DAO 58:63-69(2004)  -  doi: 10.3354/dao058063

Histopathological effects of trypanorhynch metacestodes in the digestive gland of a novel host, Carcinus maenas (Decapoda)

R. H. Gurney1,*, B. F. Nowak2, I. Dykova3, A. M. Kuris4

1CSIRO Marine Research Laboratories, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
2School of Aquaculture, Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania 7250, Australia
3Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brani$ovká 31, 370 05 >eské Bude˜jovice, Czech Republic
4Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology and Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
*Email:

ABSTRACT: The green crab Carcinus maenas was introduced to Australian temperate waters in the late 1800s, has since become established, and is now considered to be a pest. We undertook an extensive parasite survey to find potential natural enemies of C. maenas and found it to be infected in Australia by 2 species of larval trypanorhynch tapeworm, Trimacracanthus aetobatidis and Dollfusiella martini. We describe the gross pathology and histopathology of the parasites¹ new host (C. maenas) and note that the plerocercoid larvae are located in the lumen of the digestive gland tubules. The presence of D. martini in C. maenas with low population numbers suggests that either D. martini has an impact (direct or indirect) on the survival of C. maenas, or that the parasite may be an indicator of high predation pressure. If the former were true, this would contribute to the control of this introduced pest species.


KEY WORDS: Trypanorhynch · Carcinus maenas · Biological control · Crustacean pathology


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Published in DAO Vol. 58, No. 1. Publication date: January 28, 2004
Print ISSN: 0177-5103; Online ISSN: 1616-1580
Copyright © 2004 Inter-Research.