Acanthocephalus dirus explained
Acanthocephalus dirus is a species of parasitic worm in the Echinorhynchidae family. Instead of having its eggs expelled from the host in feces, the gravid female detaches itself from the host's digestive tract and sinks to the bottom, where her body is consumed by the species' intermediate host, Caecidotea intermedius, a species of isopod.[1] [2] Upon hatching, the larvae begin to alter their host's behavior. This will manifest in lighter pigmentation and an increased attraction to predators, such as A. dirus primary hosts.[3] [4]
Hosts
Acanthocephalus dirus is commonly found parasitizing the following species of fish:[5]
References
Further reading
- Oetinger . David F. . Nickol . Brent B. . April 1982 . Spectrophotometric Characterization of Integumental Pigments from Uninfected and Acanthocephalus dirus-Infected Asellus intermedius . . . 68 . 2 . 270–275 . 10.2307/3281186. 3281186.
- Web site: Mind Games: Acanthocephalan infection and behavioral modification . Dina Yangirova . OpenStax CNX . . 20 July 2014 .
- Seidenberg . Arthur J. . December 1973 . Ecology of the Acanthocephalan, Acanthocephalus dirus (Van Cleave, 1931), in Its Intermediate Host, Asellus intermedius Forbes (Crustacea: Isopoda) . . . 59 . 6 . 957–962 . 10.2307/3278624. 3278624.
Notes and References
- Web site: Acanthocephalus dirus . 16 February 2012 . Parasite of the Day . 20 July 2014 .
- Wahl . G. M. . Sparkes . T. C. . August 2012 . Egg dispersal in the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus dirus: field data. . . . 98 . 4 . 894–896 . 10.1645/GE-3078.1 . 22360588. 30511854 .
- Hechtel . Laura J. . Johnson . Cheryl L. . Juliano . Steven A. . April 1993 . Modification of Antipredator Behavior of Caecidotea Intermedius by Its Parasite Acanthocephalus Dirus . . . 74 . 3 . 710–713 . 10.2307/1940798. 1940798 . 20 July 2014.
- Sparkes . T. C. . Wright . V. M. . Renwick . D. T. . Weil . K. A. . Talkington . J. A. . Milhalyov . M. . September 2004 . Intra-specific host sharing in the manipulative parasite Acanthocephalus dirus: does conflict occur over host modification? . . . 129 . 3 . 335–340 . 10.1017/S0031182004005645 . 15471008 . 21052338 . 20 July 2014.
- Book: McDonald . T. E. . Margolis . L. . 1995 . Synopsis of the Parasites of Fishes of Canada: Supplement (1978-1993) . Ottawa, Ontario . . 115 . 0-660-15902-3 . 20 July 2014 .
