Does cestode infection affect reproduction of the endangered golden venus chub, Hemigrammocypris neglectus?

The effects of larval cestode (Neogryporhynchus cheilancristrotus) infection on the reproduction of golden venus chub Hemigrammocypris neglectus and their population growth were estimated by analysis of the relationships between the abundance of cestodes and the breeding behavior of male chubs, as well as the fecundity of female chubs. N. cheilancristrotus causes a prominent abdominal distention in H. neglectus because of a hypertrophied hepatopancreas. Cestode infection displayed no negative relationship to chasing behavior by males of females or to the number of prenatal eggs in females. Thus, we conclude that cestode infection has little effect on the population growth of the host fish through reproductive behavior/fecundity, despite the prominent pathological change in the hepatopancreas.