Abstract
Male Asterias vulgaris in Port Daniel Bay, Baie des Chaleurs, Québec Canada, were found to be infected with the ciliate Orchitophrya stellarum (Cépède). No females were infected. The parasite causes an 85% decrease in the size of the gonad in infected males, and probably accounts for the low ratio of males to females (0.52) and differences in the size distributions of males and females compared to those in an uninfected population. The castration of the males almost certainly reduces fertilization success.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 172-177 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Invertebrate Pathology |
Volume | 63 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 1994 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Asterias vulgaris
- Asteroidea
- Ciliate
- Orchitophrya stellarum
- castration
- gonadal index
- population structure
- protozoan epizootic
- sex ratio
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics