Guide To The Parasites Of Fishes Of Canada

This guide arranges information on trematode parasites of Canadian fishes by subclass (Aspidogastrea and Digenea), order, superfamily, family, subfamily, and genera. No descriptions are included for individual species because of the large number of taxa involved, but illustrations of members of each genus are provided. Data supplied in the guide include scientific name, synonyms, the position or organ in the fish where the parasite has been reported, hosts, distribution in Canadian waters, authors responsible for the published records of a particular parasite, and comments on the systematics, nomenclature, records, or other aspects of the biology of the parasite. Diagnoses are presented for all taxa down to generic level, and keys are included down to the species level.

Information on the parasites of Canadian fishes published between the years 1978 and 1993, inclusive, is assembled as Parasite-Host and Host-Parasite lists. The 925 named species of parasites are reported on 292 species of Canadian fishes. The Parasite-Host list is organized on a taxonomic basis and identifies for each species its habitat (freshwater, marine, or brackish), site of occurence in its host(s), species host(s), known geographic distribution within Canadian waters, and the published source for each host and localty record. The Host-Parasite list is organized according to the taxonomy of the hosts and is accompanied by data on the known Canadian distribution of the parasites. For both the Parasite-Host and Host-Parasite lists, a "Remarks" section containing explanatory comments concerning systematics, nomenclature, and notes on other specific items is included as warranted. In addition to listing the cited references, as supplentary list of references is included to cover other Canadian literature on fish parasites.