Ectoparasitic species of the genus Trichodina (Ciliophora: Peritrichida) parasitising British freshwater fish.

Abstract

Seven species of the genus Trichodina Ehrenberg, 1838 were identified during a sampling programme of twenty freshwater fish species from approximately sixty sites in Scotland, England and Wales. Species found include: Trichodina acuta Lom, 1961 from Cyprinus carpio L., Carassius auratus L., Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), Salmo trutta L. and Phoxinus phoxinus L.; Trichodina domerguei Wallengren, 1897 from Gasterosteus aculeatus L.; Trichodina tenuidens Faure-Fremiet, 1944 from Gasterosteus aculeatus; Trichodina pediculus Ehrenberg, 1838 from Gasterosteus aculeatus; Trichodina modesta Lom, 1970 from Abramis brama L.; Trichodina nigra Lom, 1960 from Cyprinus carpio, Salmo trutta and Oncorhynchus mykiss; and Trichodina intermedia Lom, 1960 from Phoxinus. Morphological variation within and between host populations and host specificity of the Trichodina species recovered are described.