Parasites Of North American Freshwater Fishes

"A remarkable accomplishment.... [This volume] has been and will continue to be a major force advancing freshwater fish parasitology."—Ernest H. Williams Jr., from the ForewordThis thoroughly revised and updated edition of a classic reference work is the definitive guide to the identification of the parasites of freshwater fishes of North America. The book provides information on public health concerns about fish parasites, the methods used to examine fish for parasites, and those parasites found only in very selective organs or tissues. It lists the known species of each genus, along with reference citations that enable readers to find literature pertinent to species identification, life cycles, and in some cases, control. In the heart of the book, each chapter opens with a description of a phylum and its relevant families and genera, followed by a species list for those genera. Drawings illustrate a representative of each genus, and are supplemented by photographic examples.Many new parasites of North American freshwater fishes have been discovered since the publication of the first edition thirty years ago. For this new edition, the author has added new species accounts and revised the taxonomy, expanded descriptions and discussion of the most important fish parasites, provided a glossary to aid nonspecialists, and updated the reference list through 1992. The volume features twice as many illustrations as the first edition, including the addition of 33 color photographs.

Described in 1986 as "a living legend," Glenn Hoffman was one of the world's foremost authorities on the parasites of fishes. This books narrates his life and 65-year professional career as a scientist, researcher, ambassador, colleague, and family man. Born in 1918 to "hard working Iowa farm folks," Dr. Hoffman grew up trapping and fishing for fun and profit. At the University of Iowa, he majored in zoology and worked for the Iowa State Conservation Department. From 1942 through 1946, he served in the U.S. Army as a lab technician, bacteriologist, and parasitologist in France, England, Germany, and Belgium. He returned to Iowa to earn his PhD in 1950, and taught at the University of North Dakota 19501957. From 1958 to 1975 he worked at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services Eastern Fish Disease Laboratory in Leestown, WV, and then at the U.S. Fish Culture Station in Stuttgart, Arkansas, until his retirement in 1985. He was the author of four major books and more than 100 articles on the causes, spread, and cures of parasite-related diseases in fish, including Parasites of North American Freshwater Fishes (1967, 2nd ed. 1999), called "the bible of American fish parasitology." His work and his generosity in collaboration developed an international following, and he made many trips abroad to share his expertise and receive the honors earned from his wide-ranging research and publication work. Personal, insightful, and reflective, this autobiography gives a glimpse inside the mind of a American scientist of the first rank.

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.

Many different kinds of animals have adopted a parasitic life style on the skin and gills of marine and freshwater fishes, including protozoans, flatworms, leeches, a range of crustaceans and even some vertebrates (lampreys). There is a parasitic barnacle, described first in the 19th century by Charles Darwin, fish lice that change sex and bivalve molluscs parasitic only when young. This book explores for the first time in one volume, the remarkable biology of these little known and frequently bizarre animals. The following closely interwoven themes are considered for each group of parasites: how they find their hosts, how they attach, feed and reproduce, the damage they inflict and how the host’s immune system retaliates. Based on the British fauna, but extending where appropriate to examples from North America, Australia and elsewhere, the book is essential reading, not just for the professional parasitologist, but also for anyone interested in fishes and in this neglected field of British natural history. With the enquiring naturalist in mind, terms and concepts are explained as they arise, backed up by a glossary, and the text is liberally illustrated. An introductory chapter on fish biology sets the scene and common fish names are used throughout, as well as scientific names.