A total of 196 yellow perch, Perca flavescens (Percidae), from 3 locations (100 from Strawberry Light in September 2015, 73 from Clinton River Cutoff in November 2017, and 23 from New Baltimore in November 2017) in Lake St. Clair, Michigan, U.S.A., were examined for the digenetic trematode Phyllodistomum superbumStafford, 1904 (Gorgoderidae Looss, 1901). The prevalence, mean intensity, and mean abundance of P. superbum in yellow perch were highest at Strawberry Light (30%, 1.5, and 0.45, respectively) and lowest at Clinton River Cutoff (7%, 1.2, and 0.08, respectively). The maximum intensity of P. superbum varied from 2 to 5 worms per infected fish. Individuals of P. superbum infected the urinary bladder and ureters of perch. Lake St. Clair is a new locality record for P. superbum.

One-hundred age-0 walleye Sander vitreus and 100 age-0 yellow perch Perca flavescens collected in September 2015 from Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, Michigan, U.S.A., were examined for parasites. Five parasite species (Allacanthochasmus sp., Ichthyocotylurus sp., Bothriocephalus cuspidatus, Camallanus oxycephalus, Ergasilus luciopercarum) infected walleye. Ergasilus luciopercarum had the highest prevalence (97%), mean intensity (9.0), and mean abundance (8.7). Ichthyocotylurus sp. and B. cuspidatus each had a prevalence of 73%. Twelve parasite species (Myxobolus neurophilus, Allacanthochasmus sp., Diplostomum sp., Ichthyocotylurus sp., Neascus sp., Crepidostomum sp., B. cuspidatus, Proteocephalus sp., Dichelyne cotylophora, Eustrongylides tubifex, Philometra cylindracea, Ergasilus luciopercarum) occurred in yellow perch. Ichthyocotylurus sp. had the highest prevalence (72%), mean intensity (7.9), and mean abundance (5.7). Proteocephalus sp. had the next highest prevalence (40%). Walleye and yellow perch are new host records for metacercariae of Allacanthochasmus. Saginaw Bay is a new locality record for M. neurophilus in yellow perch and for C. oxycephalus in walleye. This study is the first survey of the parasites of age-0 walleye and age-0 yellow perch in the Great Lakes.

A total of 55 adult white bass, Morone chrysops (Rafinesque, 1820) (Moronidae), collected in May and June 2014 from Anchor Bay, Lake St. Clair, Michigan, U. S. A., were examined for intestinal helminths. Of those found, 2 trematode species (Allacanthochasmus artus and Allacanthochasmus varius) were of interest due to their high prevalences and intensities. Allacanthochasmus artus infected all white bass with a mean intensity +/- SD of 203.5 +/- 243.9, and A. varius infected 53 white bass with a mean intensity +/- SD of 263.9 +/- 202.1 and mean abundance +/- SD of 262.8 +/- 198.1. Individuals of A. artus and A. varius were primarily found in the anterior and posterior intestine, respectively. Fifty-three white bass were concurrently infected with A. artus and A. varius. Allacanthochasmus artus and A. varius are reported for the first time from white bass in Lake St. Clair, and their mean intensities are the highest reported to date in this fish host from the Great Lakes.

A total of 35 adult Eastern gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor LeConte, 1825, was collected in May 2015 from 1 pond in the Kellogg Biological Station Lux Arbor Reserve in the lower Peninsula of southwestern Michigan, U. S. A., and examined for helminths. Three helminth species (1 Monogenea, Polystoma nearcticum; 1 Digenea, Clinostomum sp.; and 1 Nematoda, Cosmocercoides variabilis) were found in adult treefrogs. Polystoma nearcticum is reported for the first time in Michigan and had the highest prevalence (54%), with a mean intensity of 2.4. Cosmocercoides variabilis had the highest mean intensity (52.6) and the second highest prevalence (40%). Clinostomum sp. infected only 1 frog. Twenty-nine tadpoles of gray treefrogs were collected in June 2015 from the same pond that adults were collected from and examined for helminths. One branchial form of P. nearcticum was found on the gill of 1 tadpole. The nematode Gyrinicola batrachiensis infected 55% of the tadpoles with a mean intensity of 2.8. This study is the first survey of the parasites of Eastern gray treefrogs in Michigan.

A total of 1,270 cyprinids consisting of emerald shiners, Notropis atherinoides Rafinesque, 1818; spottail shiners, Notropis hudsonius (Clinton, 1824); mimic shiners, Notropis volucellus (Cope, 1865); and sand shiners, Notropis stramineus (Cope, 1865) (Cyprinidae) collected in 20092013 from Saginaw Bay and Port Sanilac, Lake Huron, and Lake St. Clair, Michigan, U.S.A., were examined for the nonnative Asian fish tapeworm, Bothriocephalus acheilognathi. The prevalences, mean intensities, and mean abundances of this cestode in the cyprinid species varied from 0 to 28%, 0.0 to 5.8, and 0.00 to 1.11, respectively. The infection values of B. acheilognathi were higher in Notropis spp. from Saginaw Bay than in Lake St. Clair. The proportions of infected and uninfected emerald shiners increased significantly from 2009 through 2011 and 2013 in Saginaw Bay. Emerald and mimic shiners are new host records for B. acheilognathi. Saginaw Bay and Port Sanilac, Lake Huron, and Lake St. Clair are new locality records for B. acheilognathi. The distribution of B. acheilognathi now extends north into Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron since its original detection in the Detroit River. Further, since Saginaw Bay and Lake St. Clair are important sources of wild-caught baitfish for the retail baitfish industry, this range extension of the Asian fish tapeworm raises fish management concerns for its spread into other waters of the state through bait bucket transfers.

Echinococcus multilocularis can cause serious disease and even death in humans. Despite its human health implications, nearly 20 years have elapsed since the last surveys for E. multilocularis have been conducted in the United States. Between April 2009 and December 2012, 302 coyotes (Canis latrans), gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoar-genteus), and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Michigan were examined for E. multilocularis. The cestode was identified in 1 coyote (0.4%, n = 223 coyotes) from the southwest portion of the state, representing the first report of E. multilocularis in this species in Michigan. Prevalence was lower than expected based on previous results in red foxes and coyotes in Michigan and nearby states.

Trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus Walbaum) provide a useful model in which to study fish-parasite communities because they have restricted trophic categories, they represent a single widely distributed taxon in North America, and numerous compound community surveys exist for comparison at the local and biogeographical scales. Forty-two species are reported from trout-perch, with 19 species known from Dauphin Lake, Manitoba, Canada. The most prevalent parasites species increased with host age, relating to increased food intake and (or) shifts in dietary preference towards larger food items. Randomization methods developed here demonstrate observed richness, and diversity patterns are nonrandom for local infracommunities and regional component communities. High mean overlaps, combined with high number of shared parasites and diversity estimates, indicate a predictable system. Schooling, maximum size, and age restricted the trout-perch diets to macroinvertebrates, resulting in extensive dietary sharing, which produced their homogenous infracommunities. Inshore–offshore diurnal movements combined with limited trophic categories revealed predictable component communities at the biogeographical scale. Eight parasites were predictable at the local scale and six at the regional scale (comprising two strictly host-specific species and four ecological species). Ecological predictability was determined by repeated predator–prey patterns, preferred host habitat, and niche sympatry. Trout-perch parasite communities, at both the local and regional scales, were determined by stable infracommunity processes and fish community complexity, which influence the component communities at the local scale.

In total, 105 toads (71 American toads, Anaxyrus americanus americanus Holbrook, 1836; 31 Fowler's toads, Anaxyrus fowleri (Hinckley, 1882); and 3 A. a. americanus x A. fowleri hybrids) were collected in 2011 and 20,12 from the lower Silver Creek area and Lake Michigan shoreline (LMS) in western lower Michigan and examined for helminths. Five helminth species (1 Digenea, Gorgoderina sp.; 1 Cestoda, Mesocestoides sp.; and 3 Nematoda,-Cosmocercoides variabilis, Oswaldocruzia pipiens, and Rhabdias americanus) were found in American toads. Mesocestoides sp. and R. americanus were the most common helminths of American toads. Four helminth species (1 Digenea, Haematoloechus sp.; 1 Cestoda, Mesocestoides sp.; and 2 Nematoda, C. variabilis and O. pipiens) infected Fowler's toad, with Mesocestoides sp. being most common. Anaxyrus a. americanus x A. fowleri hybrids were infected with Mesocestoides sp., R. americanus, and C. variabilis. The prevalences and intensities of helminth species found in both toad species and the mean numbers of helminth species in infected toads and in all examined toads were always higher in American toads than in Fowler's toads. Although C. variabilis and R. americanus infected American toads and C. variabilis and O. pipiens infected Fowler's toads on the LMS, it is believed that they were not infected there. The occurrence of these nematodes in toads on the LMS reflects infections that occurred in their breeding ponds and other moist areas. This is the first survey on the helminths of Fowler's toads from Michigan and from a shoreline dune area for both toad species.

ABSTRACT: Ninety (64%) of 140 spoonhead sculpin, Cottus ricei (Nelson, 1876), collected in April, September, October, and November 2011 from 1 location near the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore of Lake Superior, Wisconsin were infected with Echinorhynchus salmonis (Muller, 1784) Petrochenko 1956. The overall mean intensity and mean abundance of E. salmonis in sculpins were 2.0 and 1.3, respectively. The proportions of infected sculpins and abundances of E. salmonis were significantly higher in each month of September, October, and November than in April 2011. Significant Spearman's rank correlation coefficients occurred between the intensities and abundances of E. salmonis and sculpin total length and wet weight. A total of 183 individuals of E. salmonis (98 females and 85 males) was counted in the infected sculpins. Of the female E. salmonis found, only 10 were gravid, and these occurred in sculpins in September, October, and November. Cottus ricei is a new host record for E. salmonis. Five undigested amphipods, Diporeia spp., were found infected with E. salmonis in the stomachs of sculpins. Echinorhynchus salmonis and other acanthocephalan species are common intestinal helminths of sculpin species (Cottus spp. and Myoxocephalus thompsonii) in the Great Lakes.

Six helminth species (1 digenetic trematode, Conspicuum icteridorunz; 2 cestodes, Choanotaenia sp., and 1 tentatively identified as Paricterotaenia sp.; 3 nematodes, Capillaria ovopunctatum, Chandlerella quiscali, Porrocaecum ensicaudatum) were found in 35 common grackles, Quiscalus quiscula, Linnaeus, 1758, examined from a fish hatchery near London, Ohio, U.S.A., in late May through July 2009 and 2010. Porrocaecum ensicaudatum had the highest prevalence (77%) followed by C. ovopunctatum (66%). Chandlerella quiscali had the highest mean intensity (8.0) followed by C. ovopunctatum (6.4), which also had the highest mean abundance (4.2). Gravid worms of all helminth species were found except for Choanotaenia sp. The mean helminth species richness for all examined birds was 2.5 +/- 11.0. This survey herein is consistent with previous parasitological studies conducted on the helminths of common grackles. Although 74% of the examined common grackles had fish bones in their gizzards, helminths known to utilize fish as intermediate hosts at this hatchery were not found.

In total, 158 bloaters Coregonus hoyi collected in September and October 2011 from 4 Lake Michigan, U.S.A., ports were examined for parasites. The ports included Waukegan (WK), Illinois; Port Washington (PW) and Sturgeon Bay (SB), Wisconsin; and Saugatuck (SG), Michigan. Parasites found in bloaters by port were cestodes Cyathocephalus truncatus (WK, PW, and SB) and Eubothrium salvelini (WK, PW, SB, and SG); the nematode Cystidicola farionis (WK, PW, SB, and SG); acanthocephalans Acanthocephalus dirus (WK and PW), Echinorhynchus salmonis (WK, PW, and SB), and Neoechinorhynchus tumidus (SB); and the copepod Salmincola corpulentus (WK and PW). Gravid individuals of all parasite species were found except for E. salvelini and A. dirus. Cystidicola farionis had the highest prevalence at each port, and the highest mean intensity and mean abundance at PW. The numbers of C. farionis at PW were significantly higher than those at WK and SB. Echinorhynchus salvelini had the highest mean intensities and mean abundances at WK, SB, and SG. The values for parasite species richness in bloaters were similar among ports. The total numbers of parasites were similar between WK and PW, but they were higher at these ports than at SB. The parasite faunas of bloaters were characterized by autogenic helminth species.

Thirty American robins (Turdus migratorius, Turdidae) and 10 house sparrows (Passer domesticus, Passeridae) were collected in June and July 2010 and 2011 from SW suburban Chicago, Illinois, and examined for helminths. In total, 9 helminth species (1 digenetic trematode: Lutztrema monenteron; 2 cestodes: Choanotaenia sp. and Paricterotaenia sp.; 5 nematodes: Chandlerella quiscali, Porrocaecum ensicaudatum, Splendidofilaria sp., Syngamus trachea, and Synhimantus nasuta; and 1 acanthocephalan: Plagiorhynchus cylindraceus) occurred in 30 American robins. Both Choanotaenia sp. and P. cylindraceus had the highest prevalence (40%). Lutztrema monenteron had the highest mean intensity (37), followed by Syngamus trachea (8.7), which also had the highest mean abundance (3.2). Juvenile American robins were parasitized by 7 of the 9 species, indicating that the majority of parasites found have a focus of infection in the suburban environment. Three helminth species (1 trematode: Urogonimus sp.; 1 cestode: Paricterotaenia sp.; and 1 nematode: Splendidofilaria sp.) occurred in 10 house sparrows. Urogonimus sp. and Paricterotaenia sp. each had a prevalence of 20%. Urogonimus sp. had the highest mean intensity (18.5) and mean abundance (3.7) in house sparrows. Gravid individuals of all helminth species were found. The survey reported herein is consistent with previous hehminthological studies conducted on the hell-ninths of American robins and house sparrows, except for the occurrence of Paricterotaenia sp. and Chandlerella quiscali in robins.

Abstract In total, 288 slimy sculpins, Cottus cognatus, were collected in September 2003 from 6 Lake Michigan, U.S.A., ports, along with 220 ninespine sticklebacks, Pungitius pungitius, from 3 ports. The ports included Waukegan, Illinois; Port Washington (PW) and Sturgeon Bay (SB), Wisconsin; and Manistique (MS), Frankfort (FF), Ludington (LD), and Saugatuck, Michigan. Echinorhynchus salmonis infected sculpins from 6 ports, Acanthocephalus dirus infected sculpins from 4 ports, and Neoechinorhynchus pungitius infected sculpins from 3 ports. Echinorhynchus salmonis infected significantly more sculpins at PW and at FF than at MS and LD. There were several significant differences in the intensities and abundances of E. salmonis among ports. Acanthocephalus dirus significantly infected more sculpins and had significantly higher abundances at FF than at PW, MS, and LD. Echinorhynchus salmonis, A. dirus, and N. pungitius infected sticklebacks from SB, MS, and FF. Neoechinorhynchus pungitius significantly infected more sculpins and more sticklebacks, and it had significantly higher abundances at MS than at FF. Neoechinorhynchus pungitius was the most common acanthocephalan in C. cognatus and P. pungitius at MS. These acanthocephalan species infecting C. cognatus and P. pungitius corresponded in their occurrence to those organisms that serve as their intermediate hosts found in the stomachs of both fish species. Potential changes in the diet of C. cognatus played a role in significant differences found for E. salmonis and N. pungitius at MS. One of these acanthocephalan species was always the most numerous helminth species found in the digestive tracts of P. pungitius and C. cognatus from these Lake Michigan ports.

Hosts are commonly infected with a suite of parasites, and interactions among these parasites can affect the size, structure, and behavior of host–parasite communities. As an important step to understanding the significance of co-circulating parasites, we describe prevalence of co-circulating hemoparasites in two important avian amplification hosts for West Nile virus (WNV), the American robin (Turdus migratorius) and house sparrow (Passer domesticus), during the 2010–2011 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Rates of nematode microfilariemia were 1.5% of the robins (n=70) and 4.2% of the house sparrows (n=72) collected during the day and 11.1% of the roosting robins (n=63) and 0% of the house sparrows (n=11) collected at night. Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences of the 18S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes from these parasites resolved two clades of filarioid nematodes. Microscopy revealed that 18.0% of American robins (n=133) and 16.9% of house sparrows (n=83) hosted trypanosomes in the blood. Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide sequences from the 18s rRNA gene revealed that the trypanosomes fall within previously described avian trypanosome clades. These results document hemoparasites in the blood of WNV hosts in a center of endemic WNV transmission, suggesting a potential for direct or indirect interactions with the virus.

In total, 160 Blanchard's cricket frogs, Acris blanchardi, were collected from several southern Michigan locations (Grand Rapids Gravel Pit, Ives Gravel Pit, Ypsilanti wetland, unknown locations) and the St. Marys Fish Hatchery, Ohio, in 2001 through 2007 and examined for parasites. Acris blanchardi harbored the following helminths in parentheses from the following locations: Grand Rapids Gravel Pit (plerocercoid of Ophiotaenia sp., gravid Cosmocercoides sp.), Ives Gravel Pit (unidentified metacercaria, larval Spiroxys sp.), Ypsilanti wetland (larval Clinostomum sp., gravid Rhabdias ranae), and the St. Marys Fish Hatchery (larval Eustrongylides sp.). The reason few helminth species were found, and in general the reason their occurrences were infrequent and intensities low in Michigan and Ohio frogs, is that most frogs examined were young of the year and that this species has a short life span and a terrestrial diet. Frogs from the gravel pits commonly harbored the protozoan symbionts Nyctotherus cordiformis and Opalina sp.

In total, 9 helminth species (6 digenetic trematodes: Cathaemasia reticulata, Crassiphiala bulboglossa, Philophthalmus Uvulifer ambloplitis, Uvulifer semicircumcisus, unidentified strigeid trematode; 3 nematodes: Aviculariella alcyona, Contracaecum sp., Monopetalonema alcedinis) were found in 11 Megaceryle alcyon specimens examined from a fish hatchery near London, Ohio, in 2008 and 2009. Crassiphiala bulboglossa and U. ambloplitis each had a prevalence of 100%. Crassiphiala bulboglossa has the highest mean intensity and mean abundance. Uvulifer ambloplitis had the next highest mean intensity and mean abundance, followed by U. semicircumcisus. Of the nematodes, A. alcyona had the highest prevalence, mean intensity, and mean abundance. Gravid worms of all helminth species were found, except for Contracaecum sp. The mean helminth species richness for the birds was 4.8. Kingfishers become infected with C. reticulata, C. bulboglossa, P. gralli, U. ambloplitis, U. semicircumcisus, unidentified strigeid trematode (?), and Contracaecum sp. when they eat infected aquatic organisms. At least 23 studies performed in North America have reported on some aspect of the helminth species found in the present study infecting kingfishers from North America.

Prior studies of the population dynamics of larval trematodes infecting juvenile bluegills Lepomis macrochirus have suggested that there may be overwinter loss of the most heavily infected juvenile bluegills from the population. Our study objectives were to (1) describe population dynamics of the four most common larval trematodes-Cryptogonimus sp., Posthodiplostomum minimum, Diplostomum sp., and Neascus sp.- and the overall larval trematode burden for three year-classes of juvenile bluegills in Three Lakes II, Michigan; and (2) assess the potential for larval trematode infections as a cause of first-winter bluegill mortality based on changes in parasite overdispersion. We examined 393 juvenile bluegills for larval trematodes, and more than 99% of examined bluegills were infected with a parasite. Decreases in overdispersion of several larval trematode species in spring and summer 2003 may have been the result of larval trematode-induced host mortality. The results of this study suggest that heavy larval trematode infections may be negatively influencing bluegill survival, particularly during and after winter. Additionally, this study demonstrates that population dynamics of larval trematodes in Three Lakes II are similar to those of trematodes found in the southeastern USA but that the larval trematodes in the present study may have a more negative effect on bluegill survival due to more harsh winter conditions.

A total of 5 helminth species (3 Nematoda: Rhahdochona cotti, Freitascapillaria laticauda, Cystidicoloides ephenteridarum; 2 Trematoda: Phyllodistomum undulans, Crepidostomum sp.) infected sculpins, Coitus spp., from 3 Maryland creeks in November 2005 and May 2006. Gravid individuals of R. cotti and P. undulans occurred in blue-ridge sculpin, Cottus caerideomentuni, from Little Fishing Creek; gravid individuals of F. laticauda and R. cotti occurred in C. caeruleomentum and in Potomac sculpin, Coitus girardi, from Blue Lick Run, respectively; and gravid R. cotti occurred in mottled sculpin, Cottus bairdii, from Little Bear Creek. One immature female capillariid-like nematode occurred in C. girardi from Blue Lick Run. Rhabdochona cotti in C. caeruleomentum from Little Fishing Creek and in C. bairdii from Little Bear Creek had the highest prevalence, mean intensity, and mean abundance, followed by P. undulans in C. caeruleomentum from Little Fishing Creek. The mean parasite species richness values were low and ranged from 0.39 to 1.27 in the Coitus spp. This is the first report of parasites from C. girardi, and the second report of parasites from C. caeruleomentum in North America.

A new species of capillariid nematode, Freitascapillaria laticauda it. sp. (Capillariidae), is described from the intestine of the blue ridge sculpin, Cottus caeruleomention (Cottidae, Scorpaeniformes) from the Blue Lick Run, Maryland, United States. It differs from its congeners mainly in the body length (male 3.1-5.4 mm, female 7.0-11.1 mm), the length of the male esophagus (1.5-2.9 mm) and spicule (42-45 mu m), and the size of eggs (60-66 X 27-33 mu m). Previous records of Freitaseopillaria spp. were from characid, poecihid, and cyprinid fishes in Brazil, Neotropical Mexico, and China, respectively, so that F. laticauda n. sp. is the first species of this genus reported from Nearctic North America and front a scorpaeniform fish.

The only 2 published taxonomic accounts of Neoechinorhynchus tenellus are those of Van Cleave (1913) and Van Cleave (1919) from Esox lucuis Linnaeus and Sander vitrens (Mitchill) (=Stizostedion vitreus (Mitchill)). While Van Cleave's original description is adequate to identify N. tenellus, his description of proboscis armature, lemnisci, reproductive system in both sexes, and eggs was either not complete or in error. We studied the original type material and found their present state to be of little use for elucidating characters that were not already illustrated and described by Van Cleave. For that reason we studied newly collected, conspecific specimens to better document key morphological features of this species. Our description of the Michigan material from the same 2 fish species was compared with the original description and with Van Cleave's cotypes (designated syntypes). Our revised description includes the following: (1) trunk of males and females is widest in anterior third tapering gradually at both ends. (2) Lateral anterior hooks are markedly larger than and set more posterior to the other 4 hooks of the same circle. Middle hooks not in perfect circle but alternate. (3) Middle and posterior hooks with discoidal bases. (4) Lemnisci are subequal. (5) Eggs have distinct polar prolongation of fertilization membrane, which places the species in the subgenus Hebesoma Van Cleave, 1928. New observations address sexual dimorphism, the larger size of specimens from S. vitreus than front E. lucius, the apical organ, giant nuclei, sensory pits on the proboscis, and detail, of the reproductive system in both sexes.