The role of season, habitat, host age, and sex on gill parasites of Lepomis gibbosus (L.)

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Abstract
One thousand and forty pumpkinseeds (Lepomis gibbosus (L.)) were collected from May 1970 through October 1972 from the Bay of Quinte, Ontario. Also, 1018 specimens of the same host were collected during the same sampling period from West Lake, Prince Edward County, Ontario.Data were collected on three groups of gill parasites, Monogenea (seven species), Copepoda (three species), and glochidia (one species). The data, treated synecologically, were analysed using a two-factor ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range test. The roles of season, habitat, host age, and sex on parasite load were analysed. Host sex was found to have no effect on the three groups of parasites. The abundance of parasites increased with host age (P < 0.001). A marked seasonal effect was noted for all three groups of parasites (P < 0.001), all three being most abundant during the summer period. A eutrophic habitat, West Lake, was found significantly more favourable (P < 0.001) for all three parasitic groups.
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