Neocaridina davidi garnélák (Bouvier, 1904) Scutariella férgességének magyarországi előfordulása

Abstract

Background: Freshwater shrimps of different species and colors are becoming more and more popular among aquarists, which is why research about their diseases has been emphasized in recent years. These shrimps, that originate from Southeast Asia, can be immensely valuable depending on their color. In our study, we assessed the health status of a captive population of N. davidi in Hungary. Objectives: During the examination, we found many flatworms crawling on the body surface of the shrimps. The aim of our present study was to identify these worms at the species level, using morphological methods, and to contribute to the development of Hungarian aquaristics by collecting and translating foreign literature data on shrimp diseases. Materials and Methods: The 15 Neocaridina shrimp were placed into three aquaria. The flatworms were placed to slides covered by cover glass and examined in a live, or intact state, using a stereomicroscope and a light microscope. Species identification was carried out using morphological methods. Results and Discussion: All of the flatworms found on N. davidi shrimps were identified as Scutariella japonica (Matjašič, 1990). Although it was already suspected that this flatworm species has been introduced into Hungary, this is the first time that S. japonica actually has been identified here. The worms can be observed on the outer body surface and gill cavity of different animals. Although the literature is currently divided whether these organisms are symbionts or parasites, their presence in large numbers on shrimp can cause host stress, oxygen deficiency symptoms, moulting problems and even death. Therefore, in addition to the many pathogens that can cause disease in shrimps, it is important to consider also the risk represented by this worm as well.