A MODERN BASELINE FOR PALEOPATHOLOGY: DOCUMENTING A DIVERSE TRACE-PRODUCING PARASITE FAUNA IN LIVE-COLLECTED BIVALVES

One-hundred one (101) individuals of Protothaca staminea were live-collected from Argyle Lagoon (sand/mud substrate) and Argyle Creek (gravel/sand substrate), San Juan Island, Washington, US and examined for trace-producing parasite infestation. Eighty-six percent (86%) of individuals contained at least one parasite-induced trace. Trematode-induced pits and blisters were identified on 62% of individual clams. Spionid-induced mudblisters and u-shaped borings were identified on 50% and 29% of individuals, respectively. Trematode and spionid parasites were not selective between the left and right valve when infesting the host. Epifaunal clams from Argyle Creek were significantly smaller than their infaunal counterparts from Argyle Lagoon. Spionid mudblister-infested clams from Argyle Creek are significantly smaller than non-infested clams from the same environment. This could suggest that substrate-induced epifaunality and parasite-induced shell-weakening reduced the bivalves' defenses against durophagous predators. These results suggest that parasites may negatively affect the survival of infested bivalves. The frequent occurrence of trematode and spionid trace-producing parasites in modern bivalve populations suggests that these traces may be common in the fossil record, making the systems amenable to studies in deep time.