Nocturnal hatching in the monogenean skin parasiteEntobdella hippoglossifrom the halibut,Hippoglossus hippoglossus

Abstract

When eggs of the monogenean parasite Entobdella hippoglossi, from the skin of the halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), are incubated at 7 °C in alternating 12 h periods of dim blue light (intensity about 3 nW/cm2) and darkness, free-swimming larvae are recovered mostly at the end of the first 2 h of the period of darkness. Larvae do not emerge in significant numbers when the eggs are mechanically disturbed during the light or dark periods, or when the eggs are placed in shadow for periods of 5–25 min during the illumination period. The treatment of fully developed eggs with washings from halibut or from sole or with halibut skin mucus failed to produce hatching.The free-swimming life of the larvae at 7 °C is in excess of 24 h and within 4 h of hatching at 4 °C some larvae are able to attach themselves to halibut skin and shed their ciliated epidermal cells.The relationship between the hatching pattern of the eggs of the parasite and the behaviour of the halibut is discussed.