Trematode (Digenea: Bucephalidae) infection in the burrowing clam Tridacna crocea from the Great Barrier Reef

Abstract

Larval trematode (Family Bucephalidae) infection of Tridacna crocea (Lamarck 1819) was investigated to determine pathological effects on the host. Of 108 T. crocea gonads examined, 13 (12%) were found to be parasitised. The bucephalid caused castration in heavily infected clams, gonadal tissue being completely replaced by sporocysts. The parasite was also found in the kidney, digestive gland and ctenidia. This is the first record of a bucephalid trematode in a member of the Tridacnidae. The parasite is of potential importance to tridacnid shellfisheries currently being developed.