Journal Article

Host specificity and metamorphosis of the glochidium of the freshwater mussel Unio tumidiformis (Bivalvia: Unionidae)

Collares-Pereira, M.J., Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal). Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Araujo, R., Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid (Spain), Reis, J., Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal). Centro de Biologia Ambiental

2014

Overview

The glochidium larvae of freshwater mussels of the family Unionidae need to find suitable hosts to attach themselves and metamorphose into free-living juveniles. The specificity of the host-parasite relationship was investigated for the Iberian Unio tumidiformis by means of experimental infections and also by analyzing naturally infected fish. The process of encapsulation of glochidia was studied using scanning electron microscopy. Unio tumidiformis has proven to be an unusual host-specific unionid mussel, apparently parasitizing only fish of the genus Squalius. Successful encapsulation or complete metamorphosis was observed in five fish taxa: S. aradensis, S. caroliterti, S. pyrenaicus, S. torgalensis and S. alburnoides complex (only for the nuclear hybrids with at least one copy of the S. pyrenaicus genome). Complete metamorphose was achieved in 6 to 14 days at mean temperatures ranging from 21.8 to 26.1 deg C. The current study provides support for cell migration being the main force of cyst formation and shows the influence of potential host's genome in response to the infection process to determine the success of the metamorphosis.

• Publisher: Parazitologický ústav, Akademie ved Ceské republiky
• Subject: ANIMAL DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES / ANIMAL TISSUES / Animals / BIVALVIA / Bivalvia - growth & development / Bivalvia - physiology / Bivalvia - ultrastructure / BIVALVO / BONY FISHES / CICLO VITAL / COQUILLAGES ET CRUSTACES / COURS D'EAU / CURSOS DE AGUA / CYCLE DE DEVELOPPEMENT / CYPRINIDAE / CYSTS / DURACION / DURATION / DUREE / Epithelium - physiology / ESPAGNE / ESPANA / ETAPAS DEL DESARROLLO ANIMAL / EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION / FEMALES / FEMELLE / Fishes - parasitology / FORMAS JUVENILES / FRESHWATER FISHES / FRESHWATER MOLLUSCS / HEMBRA / HOST PARASITE RELATIONS / Host-Parasite Interactions - physiology / INFECCION EXPERIMENTAL / INFECTION EXPERIMENTALE / JUVENILE / JUVENILES / KYSTE / Larva - growth & development / Larva - physiology / Larva - ultrastructure / LARVAE / LARVAS / LARVE / LIFE CYCLE / MARISCOS / MEJILLON / METAMORFOSIS / METAMORPHOSE / METAMORPHOSIS / Metamorphosis, Biological - physiology / MOLLUSQUE D'EAU DOUCE / MOLUSCOS DE AGUA DULCE / MOULE / MUSSELS / PECES DE AGUA DULCE / PECES OSEOS / POISSON D'EAU DOUCE / POISSON OSSEUX / Portugal - epidemiology / QUISTES / RELACIONES HUESPED PARASITO / RELATION HOTE PARASITE / RIVERS / SHELLFISH / SPAIN / STADE DE DEVELOPPEMENT ANIMAL / TEJIDOS ANIMALES / TEMPERATURA / TEMPERATURE / TISSU ANIMAL / UNIONIDAE