Spatial and temporal variations of the ectoparasites of seven reef fish species from Lizard Island and Heron Island, Australia

Spat~al and temporal variations in abundance of ectoparasites from 7 coral reef fish species [Hemigyrnnus melapterus (Labridae), Siganus doliatus (Siganidae), Scolopsis bilinea tus (Nemipteridae), Thalassoma lunare (Labridae), Scarus sordidus (Scaridae), Ctenochaetus stn'atus (Acanthuridae), and Acanthochromis polyacanthus (Pomacentridae)] at 2 locations, Lizard Island and Heron Island in the Great Barner Reef, were investigated. The study demonstrates that there is a significant species-specific parasite fauna wh~ch is conserved over space and time. Host identity explained most of the variation in parasite composition and abundance while host size explained a smaller proportion of the variation. For each species the parasite assemblage showed little variation among local, but physically varied, sites. Species-specific patterns of parasite abundance were similar between widely separated locations, although there were more categories of parasites at the northern locat~on, Lizard Island. Parasite numbers and species composition among fish species at Lizard Island d ~ d not vary anlong collection times except for S. doliatus, which had a 7-fold increase between May 1992 and January 1993, mainly due to dactylogyridean monogeneans. Parasite abundance was positively correlated with fish standard length for 3 fish species.