Sokolov S.G., Protasova E.N., Reshetnikov A.N., Shedko M.B.
Uspekhi sovremennoi biologii 2012; 132(5): 477-492
Original and literature data on the species composition of parasites in introduced rotan from water bodies of European Russia are reviewed. Thity-five species of parasites, 10 forms on the level of genus, and 14 forms identified on the family and higher levels were recorded. A description of the Isthmiophora melis metacercaria is presented. The validity of Isthmiophora beaveri and the functional role of rota in some parasite systems are discussed. In many cases, rotan became a full-value host or an eliminator of parasites. These phenomena are considered as possible mechanisms of the indirect infl uence of rotan on populations of some species of East-European hydrobionts and freshwater ecosystems as a whole.
