Date of Award
4-29-2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Biology, MS
First Advisor
Paul Sikkel
Committee Members
Jack O'Brien; Tanja McKay; Travis Marsico
Abstract
This study was conducted at shallow reef sites within Great Lameshur Bay, St. John, United States Virgin Islands during the late spring and summer of 2010 and 2011. Susceptibility to infestation by a gnathiid isopod (Gnathia marleyi: Crustacea: Isopoda) was examined among 16 species from 9 families and 3 orders of common Caribbean reef fishes. All species were susceptible to infestation by gnathiids; however, nocturnal species from the families Haemulidae and Lutjanidae had the highest infestations. In a follow up study, female gnathiids were reared to adulthood to test for differences in components of reproductive success (brood size, larval length) of female gnathiids that fed from different host fishes. Species from the families most susceptible to gnathiid infestation: Haemulidae and Lutjanidae, produced females that released zuphea larvae that were significantly longer in length than fish species from the families less susceptible to infestation. Our findings have important implications for the role of gnathiids in Caribbean reef food webs.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Coile, Ann Marie, "SUSCEPTIBILITY OF CARIBBEAN REEF FISHES TO PARASITISM BY GNATHIID ISOPODS" (2013). Student Theses and Dissertations. 793.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/793
