Helminth fauna of invasive American mink (neovison vison) in Lithuania

Abstract

The American mink (Neovison vison) is an invasive semiaquatic species introduced to Europe from North America in 19th century. It has been introduced for the purpose of fur farming. Due to massive and continual individual escapes, farm damages also caused by hurricanes and fires, deliberate or accidents releases, feral mink was successfully acclimatized in the wild of many parts of Europe. Free American minks are found in Lithuania since 1950. The study of parasitism related to American mink invasion in new regions is important due to possibility of introduction of new parasites to endemic host and transfer of endemic parasites to new host. The aim of our research was to explore helminth fauna of invasive American mink in Lithuania. Helminth fauna was compared with results from another European countries. In Lithuania helminth fauna consists of trematoda: Isthmiophora melis and Strigea strigis mesocercaria, and nematoda: Eucoleus aerophilus, Aonchotheca putorii, Crenosoma schachmatovae and Molineus patens.