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In 2006, the Big Thicket Assocation, in concert with the National Park Service, established an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) in the Big Thicket National Preserve in southeastern Texas. The goal of the ATBI, known as the Thicket of Diversity (ToD), is to document and describe all the species of organisms occurring in the Preserve and surrounding areas historically part of the Big Thicket. Taxonomic Working Groups (TWiGs) were established, and work began in 2007. I established a TWiG for the parasites of the fishes and aquatic herpetiles in 2006 and have been working on this survey and inventory since that time. This website is designed and deployed to report and disseminate the results of my work within the overall ATBI effort, particularly for the parasites of fishes, which have been the primary focus of work.
The parasites of fishes and aquatic herpetiles are diverse, including representatives of no fewer than 12 phyla of protists and animals. Major groups include:
Phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms).
Phylum Nematoda (roundworms).
Phylum Acanthocephala (thorny-headed worms).
Phylum Annelida (segmented worms).
Phylum Arthropoda (crustaceans, insects, arachnids, etc.).
Phylum Cnidaria (jellyfishes, corals, anemones).
Protistan groups, including amoebae, ciliates, flagellates, and coccidians.
The most recent monographic treatment is that of Hoffman (1998), who updated his classical monograph on the parasites of fishes, including all the major groups, with keys and lists of species. Since then, numerous species of parasites from fishes in North America have been discovered and described, and it is readily apparent that the biota of parasites infesting fishes in North America is far from completely known.
The overarching goal of my TWiG is to document and describe the fauna of parasites occurring in the fishes found within the freshwaters of the historical Big Thicket. This fauna is completely unknown, as there has never been a survey of fish parasites conducted in the Preserve or immediately surrounding areas. Thus, this work will represent the first intensive and comprehensive survey of fish parasites in the region.
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