A parasitological survey of the American lobster Homarus americanus from the Northumberland Strait, southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Abstract

A parasitological survey was conducted on 233 lobsters from the Northumberland Strait. Routine macroscopic and histological examinations revealed that 93% were infected by one or more parasites. Parasites detected included a Spiruroidean nematode believed to belong to the genus Ascarophis, an unidentified flagellate, the annelid Histriobdella homari, and the sporozoan Porospora gigantea. The latter organism was by far the most common. Highest parasite frequencies occurred in lobsters whose carapace measurements exceeded 50 mm.