Variation in host preference within Gyrodactylus salaris (Monogenea): an experimental approach.

Host-based identification is not supported by morphometrics in natural populations of Gyrodactylus salaris and G. thymalli (Platyhelminthes, Monogenea).

Gyrodactylus salaris is a serious pest of wild pre-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Norway. The closely related G. thymalli, originally described from grayling (Thymallus thymallus), is assumed harmless to both grayling and salmon. The 2 species are difficult to distinguish using traditional, morphometric methods or molecular approaches. The aim of this study was to explore whether there ...

Comparative Genomics of Flatworms (Platyhelminthes) Reveals Shared Genomic Features of Ecto- and Endoparastic Neodermata

The ectoparasitic Monogenea comprise a major part of the obligate parasitic flatworm diversity. Although genomic adaptations to parasitism have been studied in the endoparasitic tapeworms (Cestoda) and flukes (Trematoda), no representative of the Monogenea has been investigated yet. We present the high-quality draft genome of Gyrodactylus salaris, an economically important monogenean ectoparasi...

Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus (L.)), an adequate host to Gyrodactylus salaris (Monogenea)

Phenotypic plasticity of taxonomic and diagnostic structures in gyrodactylosis-causing flatworms (Monogenea, Platyhelminthes).

The present study addresses the effect of varying temperature and host species on the size and shape of the opisthaptoral hard-parts in isogenic strains of Gyrodactylus salaris and G. thymalli. Variation in shape was examined using geometric morphometrics. Since the opisthaptoral hard-parts of Gyrodactylus have few specific landmarks, their shape information mostly being represented by outlines...

Predicting the Potential for Natural Recovery of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.) Populations following the Introduction of Gyrodactylus salaris Malmberg, 1957 (Monogenea)

Gyrodactylus salaris (Monogenea, Platyhelminthes) is a notifiable freshwater pathogen responsible for causing catastrophic damage to wild Atlantic salmon stocks, most notably in Norway. In some strains of Baltic salmon (e.g., from the river Neva) however, the impact is greatly reduced due to some form of innate resistance that regulates parasite numbers, resulting in fewer host mortalities. Gyr...