Comparison of historic and novel data reveals higher contemporary diversity of trematode metacercariae in freshwater fish
Olena Kudlai, Rasa Binkienė, Vytautas Rakauskas, Nathan Jay Baker
TL;DR
This study finds that the diversity of trematode metacercariae in freshwater fish in Lithuania is much higher now than previously recorded, suggesting an underestimation of helminth diversity.
Contribution
The study more than doubles the previously reported trematode diversity in Lithuanian freshwater fish using integrated morphological and molecular methods.
Findings
Metacercariae from 51 species were identified, more than double the previously reported 25 species.
New families like Echinochasmidae and Echinostomatidae were detected, while Clinostomidae were absent.
Species from North America and Asia were found, indicating potential invasion risks and underestimated diversity.
Abstract
Trematode metacercariae are the most abundant and frequently encountered helminths in freshwater fish. Yet, accurate species identification remains challenging, potentially leading to an underestimation of trematode diversity. Using data from parasitological examinations of 1,030 fish (47 species) collected from diverse freshwater habitats in Lithuania (2022–2024), we assessed the contemporary diversity of trematode metacercariae, host associations, microhabitat preferences, and changes in diversity patterns and transmission dynamics. Through integrated morphological and molecular techniques, we identified metacercariae belonging to 51 species from eight families, more than doubling previously reported diversity (25 species). While trematode family composition remained largely unchanged – the Diplostomidae and Strigeidae remained the most diverse families – notable differences were…
Genes, proteins, chemicals, diseases, species, mutations and cell lines named across the full text — each resolved to its canonical identifier and authoritative record.
Click any figure to enlarge with its caption.
Figure 1
Figure 10
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 14
Figure 15
Figure 15
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 9Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsParasite Biology and Host Interactions · Parasites and Host Interactions · Helminth infection and control