The Presence of Helminths in a Southern Hemisphere Lamprey (Geotria australis Gray), With a Discussion of the Significance of Feeding Mechanisms in Lampreys in Relation to the Acquisition of Parasites

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Abstract
This paper reports for the first time the presence of helminths in the gut and coelomic cavity of Southern Hemisphere lampreys. Moreover, the records of Pelichnobothrium and Hepatoxylon in the lamprey Geotria australis are also the first records of these helminth genera in any species of lamprey. A consideration of the literature on the parasites and feeding mechanisms of lampreys provides good evidence that those parasites which are found in adult lampreys but typically utilize arthropod intermediate hosts are obtained via the food ingested by the lamprey's host fish.