Monogeneans, which are mainly fish ectoparasites, use various types of haptoral (posterior) attachment apparatus to secure their attachment onto their hosts. However, it remains unclear how strongly a monogenean can attach onto its host. In the present study, we aimed for the first time to (1) measure pull-off forces required to detach a pair of clamp-bearing monogeneans, Diplozoon paradoxum, from gills of Abramis brama and (2) determine the contribution of muscles to the clamp movements. A mean force of 6.1±2.7 mN (~246 times the animals' weight) was required to dislodge a paired D. paradoxum vertically from the gills. There were significant differences (P<0.05, Tukey test) between the widths of clamp openings in D. paradoxum treated in three different solutions: the widest clamp openings were observed in the monogeneans treated in 100 mmol l(-1) potassium chloride solution (58.26±13.44 μm), followed by those treated in 20 mmol l(-1) magnesium chloride solution (37.91±7.58 μm), and finally those treated in filtered lake water (20.16±8.63 μm). This suggests that the closing of the clamps is probably not due to the continuous contraction of extrinsic muscles but is caused by the elasticity of the clamp material and that muscle activity is required for clamp opening.
Keywords: Platyhelminthes; biomechanics; monogenean; muscle; pull-off force; resilin.