title: The cestode community in northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) on St. Paul Island, Alaska.
abstract: The diversity and ecology of cestodes from the northern fur seals, Callorhinus ursinus (NFS), were examined using newly collected material from 756 humanely harvested subadult males between 2011 and 2014. NFSs were collected from five different haul-outs on St. Paul Island, Alaska. A total of 14,660 tapeworms were collected with a prevalence of 98.5% and intensity up to 107 cestodes per host (mean intensity 19.7 ± 16.5 SD). Three species of tapeworms were found: Adenocephalus pacificus (Diphyllobothriidea) was the most prevalent (prevalence 97.4%), followed by Diplogonoporus tetrapterus (49.7%), and 5 immature specimens of Anophryocephalus cf. ochotensis (Tetrabothriidea) (0.5%). Most of the cestodes found in the NFS were immature (69.7%). However, only 0.9% of cestodes were in larval (plerocercoid) stages. The species composition, prevalence and intensity of cestodes from these NFSs were not statistically different between the five separate haul-outs. Significant increases in the intensity of NFS infections were observed during the study period.
authors.affiliation: Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology NAS of Ukraine, vul. B. Khmelnyts'kogo, 15, Kiev 01601, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Tetiana A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Kuzmina
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Avenida Universidad 3000, Ciudad Universitaria, Distrito Federal CP 04510, México ; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská, 31, České Budějovice 37005, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jesús S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hernández-Orts
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0099, USA.
authors.forename: Eugene T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA.
authors.forename: Terry R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Spraker
authors.affiliation: Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology NAS of Ukraine, vul. B. Khmelnyts'kogo, 15, Kiev 01601, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Vadym V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Kornyushyn
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská, 31, České Budějovice 37005, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuchta
keywords: Adenocephalus pacificus (Diphyllobothrium pacificum); Anophryocephalus cf. ochotensis; Cestoda; Diphyllobothridea; Diplogonoporus tetrapterus; Otariidae, North Pacific; Tapeworms; Tetrabothriidea