Parasites from Gizzard Shad, Dorosoma cepedianum, in Lake Charleston, Illinois

Eighty gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) from Lake Charleston, Charleston, Illinois were examined for parasites. Eight fish were parasitized. Three fish contained the acanthocephalan Tanaorhamphus longirostris, three fish harbored cestodes of the genus Glaridacris and two fish had the nematode Camallanus oxycephalus. The latter is here reported for the first time from gizzard shad. Twenty fish were infected with the fungus Saprolegnia sp. The numbers of helminth parasites harbored by shad are less than reported for other forage fish. However, the incident of parasitism reported in this study is greater than that reported by previous workers.