Acanthocephalan Diversity and Host Associations Revealed from a Large-Scale Biodiversity Survey

Abstract

Acanthocephalans constitute a relatively small phylum of dioecious helminths that infect invertebrate intermediate and vertebrate paratenic and definitive hosts. Like most parasites, acanthocephalans are usually overlooked in biodiversity studies, although they can have significant impacts on their host’s health and the structure of surrounding communities. In this study, we present morphological and molecular data from an extensive biodiversity survey of acanthocephalans infecting a range of marine animals in a coastal marine ecosystem in New Zealand. We recovered 13 acanthocephalan species infecting 32 of the 168 free-living animal species investigated, 1 of which is a new geographic record for New Zealand (Gorgorhynchoides queenslandensis), 9 of which constitute new host records, and at least 2 that are species new to science. The data presented here provide a baseline dataset to which future assessments of changes in diversity and distribution of acanthocephalans can be compared.