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Comparative Ecology of the Parasites of the Spot, Leiostomus Xanthurus

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Comparative Ecology of the Parasites of the Spot, Leiostomus Xanthurus W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1989 Comparative ecology of the parasites of the spot, Leiostomus xanthurus Lacepede, and the Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus Linnaeus (Sciaenidae), in the Cape Hatteras region Dennis A. Thoney College of William and Mary - Virginia Institute of Marine Science Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Thoney, Dennis A., "Comparative ecology of the parasites of the spot, Leiostomus xanthurus Lacepede, and the Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus Linnaeus (Sciaenidae), in the Cape Hatteras region" (1989). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539616876. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25773/v5-j3p5-0627 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS The most advanced technology has been used to photo­ graph and reproduce this manuscript from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. 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University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 3 00 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order number 8923062 Comparative ecology of the parasites of the spot, Leiostomus xanthurus Lacepede, and the Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus Linnaeus (Sciaenidae), in the Cape Hatteras Region Thoney, Dennis Allan, Ph.D. The College of William and Mary, 1989 Copyright (fi) 1990 by Thoney, Dennis Allan. All rights reserved. 300 N. ZeebRd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 -----·-----------------------~ COMPARATIVE ECOLOGY OF THE PARASITES OF THE SPOT, LEIOSTOHUS XANTHURUS LACEPEDE, AND THE ATLANTIC CROAKER, MICR0P060NIAS UNDULATUS LINNAEUS (SCIAENIDAE), IN THE CAPE HATTERAS REGION A DISSERTATION Presented to The Faculty of the School of Marine Science The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Dennis A. Thoney 1989 APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Dennis A. Thoney Approved, May 1989 Dr. Willi&m J. Hargis, Jr. Committee Chairman/Advisor fit. y * v , Dr. Eugene M. Burreson ir. John A.yMusick Dr. Evon Ruzecki Dr. Mafk W . Luckenbach V V \ . ___ Dr. Robin M. Overstreet Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs, Mississippi i i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT..................................................................................................... x GENERAL INTRODUCTION......................................................................... 1 CHAPTER I - Population Dynamics and Community Analysis of the Parasite Fauna of Juvenile Leiostomus xanthurus and Micropoaonias undulatus (Sciaenidae) in Two Estuaries Along the Middle Atlantic Coast of the U. S. A........................................................................................ 4 Introduction ................................................................................. 4 Materials and Methods .............................................................. 6 Results........................................ 9 Discussion ...................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER II - Community Ecology and Abundance of the Parasites of Adult Leiostomus xanthurus and Micropoaonias undulatus (Sciaenidae) Collected in the Cape Hatteras Region ........................................................... 52 Introduction ................................................................................. 52 Materials and Methods .............................................................. 55 Results............................................................................................ 58 Discussion ...................................................................................... 94 GENERAL SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.................................................... 106 LITERATURE CITED................................................................................. 109 VITA........................................................................................................... 115 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank Jess Hawkins, Mac Currin, and John Miller for collecting fish in Pamlico Sound and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA) for allowing me to participate in their ground fish surveys. I also thank Robin M. Overstreet and Tom Mattis for assistance in identification of digenean and cestode parasites. Constructive comments of the manuscript by Drs. William J. Hargis, Jr., Eugene M. Burreson, and Robin M. Overstreet are also greatly appreciated. iv LIST OF TABLES Table Page Chapter I 1. Abundances (mean number per host) of parasites found in juvenile Leiostomus xanthurus and Micropoaonias undul atus ...................................................................................... 10 2. Abundance of parasites (mean number per host) from Leiostomus xanthurus from Chesapeake Bay (numbers of hosts examined in parentheses). ........................................... 13 3. Abundance of parasites (mean number per host) from Leiostomus xanthurus from Pamlico Sound (numbers of hosts examined 1t. in parentheses) ............................................................................. 4. Abundance of parasites (mean number per host) from Micropoaonius undulatus from Chesapeake Bay (numbers of hosts examined in parentheses) .......................................... 17 5. Abundance of parasites (mean number per host) from Micropoqonius undulatus from Pamlico Sound (numbers of hosts examined in parentheses) ............................................ 19 6. Diversity parameters of parasite infracommunities of Leiostomus xanthurus from Chesapeake Bay by length (S, species richness; H, diversity; E, species evenness). 29 7. Diversity parameters of parasite infracommunities of Leiostomus xanthurus from Pamlico Sound by length (S, species richness; H. diversity; E, species evenness). 30 8. Diversity parameters of parasite infracommunities of Micropoqonias undulatus from Chesapeake Bay by length (S, species richness; H. diversity; E, species evenness). 31 9. Diversity parameters of parasite infracommunities of Micropoqonias undulatus from Pamlico Sound by length (S, species richness; H. diversity; E, species evenness). 32 10. Percent occurrence of prey in the gastrointestinal tract of Leiostomus xanthurus from Chesapeake Bay and Pamlico .n S o u n d . ............................................................................................... 40 11. Percent occurrence of prey in the gastrointestinal tract of Micropoqonias undulatus from Chesapeake Bay and Pamlico Sound ............................................................................................... Chapter II 1. Population parameters of parasites from Leiostomus xanthurus fin = ■•***••*•**•*•***••*•• 2. Population parameters of parasites from Micropoqonias undulatus (n = 156) • ••••••....................................... 3. Parasite intensity regressed against standard length of Leiostomus xanthurus ............................................................... 66 4. Parasite intensity regressed against standard length of Micropoqonias undulatus ........................................................... 68 5. Mean abundance of parasites from Leiostomus xanthurus in each area followed by range in parentheses and then frequency (values with same letter are not significantly different). ...............................................................................
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