Research Paper

Parasite communities and genetic structure of non-native pumpkinseed, Lepomis gibbosus, in different Black Sea drainages of Ukraine

¹ Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Květná 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic
² Institute of Marine Biology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 37 Pushkinska St., 65048 Odessa, Ukraine
³ Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, B. Khmelnytskoho St., 15, 01054 Kyiv, Ukraine

^* Corresponding author: yuriy.kvach@gmail.com

Received: 23 March 2022
Accepted: 27 October 2022

Abstract

In recent years, pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus (Actinopterygii: Centrarchidae) have spread intensively to many parts of Europe, including Ukraine. In this study, we (1) assess intra-population genetic variability in five widely-spaced Ukrainian pumpkinseed populations and compare their population genetic structure with other European populations and (2) provide a comprehensive survey of pumpkinseed parasites across the region. Discriminant analysis of principal components and F_ST analyses based on microsatellites indicated that all five populations formed discrete clusters. Within Europe, Ukrainian populations were most closely associated with populations from the River Danube, suggesting that the Danube is the main source of all Ukrainian pumpkinseed populations. The parasite fauna comprised 15 taxa, most of which (92%) were native to North America (monogenea Onchocleidus similis and O. dispar; myxozoan Myxobolus dechtiari). Parasites acquired in the species' new range occurred accidentally, with only Trichodina ciliates found relatively frequently and the eye flukes Diplostomum pseudospathaceum and Tylodelphys clavata occurring at higher prevalence. Absence of specific monogeneans in pumpkinseed from estuaries (Khadzhibey and Sukhyi Lymans) indicates low tolerance of Onchocleidus species to salinity.