Originally Posted By: sprkplug
I'm hoping someone can help me with a question regarding the Clinostomum parasite. When I stocked HBG in march of 2009, I also put in 25 male BG, of a considerably larger size, that I transferred over from another pond. There were no visible signs of parasite infestation in the native BG, or the smaller HBG. During my limited ice fishing forays this winter, I caught 3 native BG that were absolutely covered with yellow grubs. I'm aware of the bird, snail, fish, lifecycle of Clinostomum, so I know how they got in the pond, and my fish, I just don't understand why only the BG were so infested? There's approx. 500 HBG, compared to 25 native BG in that pond. I've only caught 8 Hybrids total since the initial stocking that had any visible parasites. And even then there were just a couple grubs per fish. Nothing like the native BG, their fins, tails, and gills were full, worst cases I have ever seen. My question is this: When the cercaria leaves the snail to find a fish host, what determines a suitable candidate? Is it the first fish that comes along, or are there factors at work that may tend to make certain fish more susceptible?


Perhaps Green sunfish are less susceptible, so therefore the green sunfish in your hybrids makes them less susceptible?

From the literature I have read it's more likely the first fish the ceraria make contact with and they have a limited time to do so.

If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.