Parasite Communities in Sunfish (Centrarchidae) from the Olentangy River

Parasites are common in freshwater fishes, and sunfish (Family Centrarchidae) in particular have been found to have diverse parasite communities in North America. We have been studying parasite communities that are found in sunfish (Family Centrarchidae) in three different localities (Delaware Run, River Run Park, and William Street Bridge) along the Olentangy River in Delaware, Ohio. The presence of multiple species of sunfish in the Delaware Run and nearby Olentangy River has given us an opportunity to compare parasites among them. A total of 212 fish were collected August 2022 through April 2023 and examined for parasites. We found a total of seven species of parasites overall, with bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) having a larger abundance of parasites than green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus). Other species such as rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), orange-spotted sunfish (Lepomis humilis), northern sunfish (Lepomis peltastes), white crappie (Pomoxis annularis), black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), and redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) were also investigated and found to have fewer parasites. Metacercariae (flukes) and Spinitectus sp. (nematodes) were the most common parasites recovered. Preliminary results indicate that the parasite community was more diverse in the most rural collection site (River Run Park) than the more urban collection sites (Delaware Run and William Street Bridge). This calls for the need to investigate factors that are affecting parasites in the urban portion of the river.