PARASITES OF FISHES OF THE WOODS HOPE REGION. 
By EDWIN DINTON, Ph. I)., 
Professor of Biology , Washington and Jefferson College. 
INTRODUCTION. 
It is a matter of much importance that our knowledge of parasites which infest 
fishes be greatly extended, and it is of almost equal importance that the parasites of 
invertebrates be studied, since many, if not most, of the parasites of fishes pass 
a portion of their lives in invertebrate hosts which serve as food for fishes. It is 
thus evident that the parasites of invertebrates, the food of fishes, and the parasites 
of fishes are quite closely interrelated subjects. 
The more our knowledge of the life-histories of fish parasites is increased the 
speedier will be the diagnoses and the more effective will be the remedies which may 
be made and applied in all cases of epidemic diseases among fishes which are due to 
parasites. Naturally such cases can be handled best in ponds and lakes and the 
smaller streams. But with a thorough knowledge of the interrelations of marine 
life, it is not unreasonable to think that even in the sea something may be done to 
turn the scale in favor of those fishes which are useful as food. 
Certain economical questions relating to parasitism have been discussed by the 
author in an article in the Fish Commission Bulletin for 1893 entitled “Some 
observations concerning fish parasites,” and in the Fish Commission Bulletin for 
1897 in an article entitled “An economical consideration of fish parasites.” 
This paper contains: (1) An annotated list of the parasites of Woods Hole fishes 
which have been described by the author in various papers published in the Reports 
and Bulletins of the United States Fish Commission and the Proceedings of the 
United States National Museum. 
(2) A preliminary notice of collections made in the summers of 1899 and 1900 at 
Woods Hole, Massachusetts. 
(3) Notes on Nematodes which have been collected in successive years, for the most 
part in the waters of southern New England. 
(•1) Notes on the food of the fishes which were examined for entozoa. 
The authority for the names of fishes is Jordan & Evermann’s Fishes of North and 
Middle America (Bulletin IT, U. S. National Museum). 
The author’s papers are referred to by number. See page 121 for the list and 
numbers. 
Notes on the food of the fishes which have been examined have been introduced 
with greater fullness than has been done in previous papers. The arrangement of 
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