The occurrence of eight tetraphyllidean and tetrabothriid cercoids in the alimentary tract of 43 bony fish species (in both adult and larval stages) from three localities, at the South Shetland Islands, South Georgia and the Antarctic convergence line, is reported. Three forms of cercoids with monolocular bothridia (probably Phyllobothrium spp.), as well as a cercoid with undivided bothridia with hook-like projections (probably Dinobothrium sp.), are associated with the pelagic environment. Two forms of cercoids with bilocular bothridia (probably, mainly Pseudanthobothrium spp.), and one form with trilocular bothridia (probably Oncobothrium antarcticum Wojciechowska, 1990), are associated with the benthic zone of fiords and the open sea shelf. Massive infections of predatory fishes with these cercoids were found especially strong in cases of Parachaenichthys spp. (up to 16 thousand cercoids in one host specimen). Cercoids lacking bothridia (probably larval Tetrabothriidae) were found exclusively in a South Georgian fiord. This form is the only one occurring in fish larvae.
Investigations on the relations of the infection of Notothenia neglecta and immature N. rossii from Admiralty Bay with two common tetraphyllidean cercoids (with bi- and trilocular bothridia) to the fishes’ sex, size and seasonality were carried out. The infection of N. neglecta with both forms of cercoids was independent on host’s sex, but dependent on host size. The infection of N. rossii with the same cercoids was also dependent on host size but this relation was strongly marked only in the case of cercoids with trilocular bothridia, while statistically insignificant in the case of cercoids with bilocular bothridia. The level of the infection of N. neglecta with both forms of cercoids dependent weakly from season of the year. The greatest numbers of both cercoids occurred more frequently in the second half of the year (Antarctic winter and spring). The length of time that larvae stay in the alimentary tract of bony fishes is not known, thus the time of the main acquisition of the parasites cannot be determined.
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