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Updated: Oct 10, 2026

Basic Methods for the Study of Reproductive Ecology of Fish in Aquaria
Published on: July 20, 2017
Acquisition of parasites correlated with social rank and behavioural changes in a fish species
P Bartoli1, S Morand, J J Riutort
1Laboratoire de Biologie Marine et d'Ecologie du Benthos, EP CNRS 75, Faculté des Sciences de Luminy, Case 901. 13288, Marseille Cedex 9, France.
Abstract:
A survey of parasites was conducted on 258 Symphodus ocellatus (Teleostei: Labridae) collected in Corsica National Park (west Mediterranean). In addition, the total length, sex and social status were recorded for each individual fish. Three species of trematodes were found in the digestive tract. One of the parasites, Genitocotyle mediterranea, was only present, with one exception, in males of large size, and principally in the individuals that had the highest status and that were involved in nest construction. Two hypotheses are suggested to explain this particular distribution of a parasite: the immunocompetence handicap and the changing trophic behaviour as the fish grows.
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