Occurrence of Digenea in fishes other than Notothenioidei in the Weddell Sea and the whole Antarctica

In total, 60 fish specimens belonging to four families, Zoarcidae (19 specimens of three species), Liparididae (14 specimens of two species), Macrouridae (23 specimens of one species) and Rajidae (four specimens of two species), caught in the Weddell Sea were examined. A zoarcid, Lycodichthys dearborni, and both Rajidae, Bathyraja maccaini and Bathyraja sp., were not infected. Macrourus whitsoni was the most strongly infected (six digenean species found, prevalence 91.3%, mean abundance 10.13). Two zoarcids, Ophthalmolycus amberensis and O. bothriocephalus, were infected with Macvicaria longibursata; the former also with Aphanurus sp., Paraliparis antarcticus and P. trilobodon were infected with Steringophorus liparidis and Neolebouria terranovaensis, and Derogenes johnstoni, respectively. The check list of Digenea recorded in Antarctica in non- notothenioid fishes is given. Infected fishes belong to six families, Zoarcidae (7 digenean species found), Macrouridae (8), Muraenolepididae (9), Liparididae (5), Bathylagidae (one) and Rajidae (one). In total, 29 digenean species were found, of which 12 are common for Notothenioidei and other fishes, whereas 17 species are specific for non-notothenioid definitive hosts. Digenea belong to four higher taxa, Opecoelidae (10 species), Lepocreadiidae (10), Fellodistomidae (one) and Hemiuroidea (8).