Wirbellose Meerestiere als Parasiten, Kommensalen oder Symbionten in oder an Scyphomedusen

Abstract

Observations on invertebrates living in or on Scyphomedusae are compiled from literature. 51 species of 28 genera are listed as hosts for different taxa (Actiniariae, Turbellaria, Trematoda, Cestoda, Nematoda, Crustacea, Echinodermata and Cephalopoda). The relation of these invertebrates to their hosts is discussed and characterized as parasitism, commensalism or symbiosis. Trematodes and cestodes may be regarded as true parasites, with medusae as intermediate hosts and fishes as final hosts. The feeding on detritus from the mouth-frills may be interpreted as a cleaning symbiosis. The accociations of the recently discovered deepsea medusa Deepstaria enigmatica with the giant isopod Anuropus sp. and the rhizostome Catostylus ouwensi with the parasitic Ouwensia catostyli (the taxonomic position of which is still unclear) are described and discussed in detail. © 1976 Biologischen Anstalt Helgoland.