Lernaea cyprinacea (Crustacea: Copepoda: ) Anchorworms from Two Larval Aquatic Insects (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae, Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) in Northeastern Oklahoma

Chris T. McAllister Science and Mathematics Division, Eastern Oklahoma State College, 2805 NE Lincoln Road, Idabel, Oklahoma 74745

Charles R. Bursey Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University–Shenango Campus, 147 Shenango Avenue, Sharon, Pennsylvania 16146-1537

Samuel D. Martin Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tulsa, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104

Anchorworms (Copepoda) are del- Oklahoma for geographic distribution stud- eterious parasites in both fish culture and ies; specimens were subsequently examined in natural populations nearly worldwide for . These sites could be best (Lester and Hayward 2006). One species, described as small, clear upland streams cyprinacea Linnaeus, exhibits little with rocky or gravelly bottoms. Specimens host specificity and has been reported pre- were placed in vials containing 70% ethanol, viously from a variety of freshwater fishes, returned to the laboratory, and examined in frogs, frog tadpoles and adult and larval a Petri dish with a stereomicroscope. The salamanders (Stunkard and Cable 1931; specimens were processed according to Yashouv 1959; Shields and Tidd 1963; Tidd methods provided by Williamson (1991) for and Shields 1963; Welborn and Lindsey copepods. Photomicrographs of attached 1970; Whitaker and Schlueter 1975; Aliff et parasites were taken using a DSLR camera al. 1977; Hoffman 1999; Green et al. 2002; fitted with a macro lens on extension tubes Kupferberg et al. 2009). However, we are and a teleconverter. Individual photos are unaware of any infestation in larval aquatic a focus stack of nine images using Zerene insects. Herein, we report the first infesta- Stacker 1.02 (Zerene Stacker 2009-2010). tion of L. cyprinacea in two orders of larval Voucher specimens of attached parasites aquatic insects from Oklahoma. and their hosts were deposited in the in- Between September and October 2009, vertebrate collection of Henderson State and again between March and September University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, USA. 2010, 256 larval aquatic insects, including Five specimens of L. cyprinacea (without 198 ephemeropterans belonging to four egg sacs) were recovered from the integu- families (148 Amelitidae and Baetidae [Baetis ment of four aquatic insects. Hosts included sp.], and 50 Heptageniidae and Leptophlebi- two Baetis sp. with one anchorworm and an- idae) and 58 trichopterans (Hydropsychidae other with two anchorworms collected on 18 [Hydropsyche sp.]) were collected by hand or June 2010 and 2 September 2010 from 3.2 km dipnet from 14 sites in seven counties (Adair, W Colcord, Delaware County (36.1576°N, Cherokee, Delaware, Mayes, Muskogee, 94.4337°W, 324 m elevation), one Baetis sp. Ottawa, and Sequoyah) of northeastern with one anchorworm from Council Hollow, Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 91: pp 37-40 (2011) 38 C. T. MCALLISTER, C. R. BURSEY, AND S. D. MARTIN Ottawa County (36.4380°N, 94.4374°W, 169 Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mary- m elevation) and a single Hydropsyche sp. land, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North with one anchorworm collected on 10 June Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, 2010 from a tributary of Rock Creek, Adair New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, County (35.5778°N, 94.4716°W, 231 m el- South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, evation). Prevalence was three of 41 (7.3%) Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Baetis sp. and one of 12 (8.3%) Hydropsyche Wyoming (Hoffman 1999). sp., and overall prevalence between all has become widely larval ephemeropterans and trichopterans distributed throughout the world presum- was four of 256 (1.6%). Interestingly, these ably through the introduction of various hosts did not appear to be injured, either at cyprinid fish into new localities. Kupferberg or near the parasite attachment site. et al. (2009) considered L. cyprinacea to be The type host and locality of L. cyprinacea particularly sensitive to temperature and is the common or European carp, Cyprinus postulated that the outbreak in R. boylii was carpio from Europe (Linnaeus 1758). This associated with unseasonally warm and dry anchorworm has been previously reported conditions in northern California; they pre- from Oklahoma by Hoffman (1999). Other dicted increased prevalence of L. cyprinacea reported North American hosts include at as a consequence of climate change. Because least 53 species of fishes (see complete list L. cyprinacea exhibits little host specificity, it in Hoffman 1999) and amphibians (Recuero behooves researchers to carefully examine et al. 2010), including salamanders, adult all aquatic species for anchorworms and bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbianus), green frogs examine the nature of parasite attachment. (Lithobates clamitans), foothill yellow-legged To our knowledge, we report herein the first frogs (Rana boylii) and various tadpoles (see finding of a species of Lernaea on a larval Stunkard and Cable 1931; Baldauf 1961; invertebrate. Unfortunately, we were not Yashouv 1959; Tidd 1962, 1970; Shields able to determine if the copepods were and Tidd 1963; Aliff and Shoemaker 1966; embedded in tissue and actually deriving Wellborn and Lindsey 1970; Aliff et al. 1977; nourishment from the larvae. However, in Hoffman 1999; Green et al. 2002; Alcalde fish and amphibians, the parasite embeds and Battistoni 2005; Kupferberg et al. 2009). in tissue and its enzymatic input produces The geographic range of L. cyprinacea in the a strong host inflammatory reaction and USA includes 29 of 50 (58%) states: Alabama, subsequent tissue thickening around the Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, attachment site. Additional study to include

Figure 1. Baetis sp. (Ephemeroptera) with attached , Lernaea cyprinacea (arrow).

Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 91: pp 37-40 (2011) ANCHORWORM FROM LARVAL AQUATIC INSECTS 39 histological sections is certainly warranted Linnaeus C. 1758. Systema naturae per regna tria to investigate more fully the infection in naturae secumdum classes, ordines, genera, spe- cies, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, additional invertebrate hosts. locis, Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae (Salvius). 824 p. Lester RG, Hayward CJ. 2006. Phylum Arthropoda. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In: Wood PTK, editor. Fish Diseases and Disorders Volume. 1. Protozoan and metazoan infections. We thank the Oklahoma Department of Wallingford, Oxon (UK): CAB International. p Wildlife Conservation for providing a Sci- 466–565. Recuero E, Cruzado–Cortes J, Durra–Oleo G, Zamudio entific Collecting Permit to S. D. Martin, and KR. 2010. Urban aquatic habitats and conservation Dr. Renn Tumlison (HSU) for expert curato- of highly endangered species: the case of Ambystoma rial assistance. This work was supported in mexicanum (Caudata, Ambystomatidae). Ann Zool Fennici 47:223–238. part by a student research grant from the Shields RJ, Tidd WM. 1963. The tadpole as a host for University of Tulsa and a grant from the larval Lernaea cyprinacea. J Parasitol 49:43. Nature Conservancy/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Stunkard HW, Cable RM. 1931. Notes on a species of Lernaea parasitic in the larvae of Rana clamitans. J Service to S. D. Martin. Parasitol 18:92–97. Tidd WM. 1962. Experimental infestations of frog tadpoles by Lernaea cyprinacea. J Parasitol 48:870. Tidd WM. 1965. Experimental transfer of larvae of REFERENCES Lernaea cyprinacea L. from goldfish to the leopard Alcalde L, Battistoni P. 2005. Hyla pulchella cardobae frog. J Parasitol 56:572–574. (Cardoba treefrog). Parasitism. Herpetol Rev Tidd WM, Shields RJ. 1963. Tissue damage inflicted by 36:302. Lernaea cyprinacea Linnaeus, a copepod parasitic on Aliff JV, Shoemaker JP. 1966. The occurrence of Lernaea tadpoles. J Parasitol 49:693–696. cyprinacea L. (Copepoda: Lernaeidae) on West Vir- Wellborn TL Jr, Lindsey RD. 1970. Occurrence of anchor ginia tadpoles. Proc WV Acad Sci 37:96–97. parasites (Lernaea cyprinacea L.) on adult bullfrogs Aliff JV, Smith D, Lucas H. 1977. Some metazoan (Rana catesbeiana Shaw). Transactions of the Ameri- parasites from fishes in middle Georgia. Trans Amer can Microscopical Society 99:443–444. Micros Soc 96:145–148. Whitaker JO Jr, Schlueter RA. 1975. Occurrence of the Baldauf R J. 1961. Another case of parasitic copepods parasite, Lernaea cyprinacea, on fishes on amphibians. J Parasitol 47:195. from the White River at Petersburg, Indiana. Am Green DE, Converse KA, Schrader AK. 2002. Epizo- Midl Nat 93:446–450. otiology of sixty-four amphibian morbidity and Williamson CE. 1999. Copepoda. In: Thorp JH and Cov- mortality events in the USA, 1996-2001. Ann. N.Y. ich AP, editors. Ecology and classification of North Acad. Sci. 969:323–339. American freshwater invertebrates. San Diego (CA): Hoffman GL. 1999. Parasites of North American Academic Press, Inc. p 787–822. freshwater fishes. Second edition. Ithaca (NY): Yashouv A. 1959. On the biology of Lernaea in fish Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University ponds. Bamidgeh 11:80–89. Press. 539 p. Zerene Stacker. 2009-2010. (Version 1.02). Richland Kupferberg SJ, Catenazzi A, Lunde K, Lind AJ, Palen (WA): Zerene Systems, LLC. WJ. 2009. Parasitic copepod (Lernaea cyprinacea) outbreaks in foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana Received: April 13, 2011; Accepted November 16, 2011. boylii) linked to unusually warm summers and amphibian malformations in Northern California. Copeia 2009:529–537.

Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 91: pp 37-40 (2011) 40 C. T. MCALLISTER, C. R. BURSEY, AND S. D. MARTIN

Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 91: pp 37-40 (2011)