HELMINTH FAUNA OF BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES (RISSA TRIDACTYLA, LARIDAE, CHARADRIIFORMES) IN THE NORTHERN PART OF KARA SEA

The results of original studies on the helminth fauna of the Black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla L.) (10 ad. and 10 juv.) in the northern part of Kara Sea (Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago and Wiese Island) carried out in 2019-2020 are presented. Eight species of helminthes (1 trematode, 4 cestodes and 3 nematodes) have been registered. For the first time in seabirds in the high latitudes of the Arctic, the trematode, Diplostomum sp. and the nematode, Paracuaria adunca have been recorded. Adult birds have been established to be infected mainly with cestodes of the family Dilepididae while nestlings mainly with cestodes of the family Tetrabothriidae. The presence of 5 common species in the helminth fauna of kittiwakes in the northern part of Kara Sea and in the northern part of Novaya Zemlya (Severnyi Island) has been noted due to the similarity of the feeding range of the birds in these areas. Possible causes for the features revealed in the infection of kittiwakes (food preferences, distribution of the foci of invasion and the influence of abiotic factors) are analyzed.