Polgar G, Burreson E M, Stefani F, Kamrani E
Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo, Istituto di Zoologia, University of Rome La Sapienza, V.le dell'Università, 32, 00195 Rome, Italy.
J Parasitol. 2009 Aug;95(4):1021-5. doi: 10.1645/GE-1718.1.
A host-parasite relationship was observed, for the first time, between a piscicolid leech and a species of amphibious goby (Scartelaos tenuis) from an intertidal mud flat in southern Iran. Morphological and molecular investigations assign the leech to Zeylanicobdella arugamensis. Of the 3 endemic and sympatric mudskipper species living in the Persian Gulf (S. tenuis, Boleophthalmus dussumieri, and Periophthalmus waltoni), leeches were only found on S. tenuis (prevalence and mean intensity = 71.4% and 2.3 +/- 2.5, respectively), which is also the most-aquatic mudskipper species. Scartelaos tenuis is not the largest species, but more leeches (> or =4 leeches/host) were found on larger specimens (>12 cm standard length [SL]). Nonetheless, in aquaria, leeches also attached on P. waltoni. This suggests either an ecological partitioning of host-parasite complexes, determined by host habitat selection, or leech limited-resistance to air exposure, or both.
首次在伊朗南部潮间带泥滩的一种蛭形水蛭与一种两栖虾虎鱼（细须斜口虾虎鱼）之间观察到宿主 - 寄生虫关系。形态学和分子研究将这种水蛭归为泽氏蛭。在生活于波斯湾的3种地方性同域弹涂鱼（细须斜口虾虎鱼、杜氏弹涂鱼和周氏弹涂鱼）中，仅在细须斜口虾虎鱼身上发现了水蛭（患病率和平均感染强度分别为71.4%和2.3±2.5），细须斜口虾虎鱼也是最水生的弹涂鱼种类。细须斜口虾虎鱼不是最大的种类，但在较大的标本（标准长度[SL]>12厘米）上发现了更多的水蛭（≥4条水蛭/宿主）。然而，在水族箱中，水蛭也附着在周氏弹涂鱼身上。这表明要么是由宿主栖息地选择决定的宿主 - 寄生虫复合体的生态划分，要么是水蛭对空气暴露的抵抗力有限，或者两者兼而有之。
