World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Animal Science and Veterinary

D-Index
34
Citations
4854
World Ranking
1848
National Ranking
18

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
34
Citations
4974
World Ranking
7583
National Ranking
90

Overview

Nico J. Smit is a researcher affiliated with North-West University in South Africa. Their work focuses predominantly on Environmental Science, with particular expertise in Ecology, Parasitology, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Nature and Landscape Conservation, and Aquatic Science. Their research has contributed extensively to the understanding of parasite biology, host interactions, and aquatic ecosystem health.

Their research topics include:

  • Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
  • Parasites and Host Interactions
  • Fish Biology and Ecology Studies
  • Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
  • Helminth infection and control
  • Ichthyology and Marine Biology
  • Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior

Nico J. Smit has authored and contributed to a number of scientific papers published in several notable journals. Recent papers include:

  • "Bridging the gap: aquatic parasites in the One Health concept," 2021, published in Trends in Parasitology
  • "The role of fish helminth parasites in monitoring metal pollution in aquatic ecosystems: a case study in the world's most productive platinum mining region," 2020, published in Parasitology Research
  • "A diversity and functional approach to evaluate the macroinvertebrate responses to multiple stressors in a small subtropical austral river," 2021, published in Ecological Indicators
  • "High parasite diversity in a neglected host: larval trematodes of Bithynia tentaculata in Central Europe," 2020, published in Journal of Helminthology
  • "Bioaccumulation and trophic transfer of total mercury through the aquatic food webs of an African sub-tropical wetland system," 2023, published in The Science of The Total Environment

Their frequent co-authors include:

  • Victor Wepener
  • Kerry A. Hadfield
  • Bernd Sures
  • Marliese Truter
  • Johannes H. Erasmus

Nico J. Smit's publications regularly appear in these journals, which indicate their focus and preferred venues for disseminating research:

  • International Journal for Parasitology Parasites and Wildlife
  • Parasitology
  • Trends in Parasitology
  • Systematic Parasitology
  • Folia Parasitologica

Best Publications

  • Global diversity of fish parasitic isopod crustaceans of the family Cymothoidae

    Nico J. Smit;Niel L. Bruce;Kerry A. Hadfield

  • The curious life-style of the parasitic stages of Gnathiid isopods.

    N.J. Smit;A.J. Davies

  • Bioaccumulation and human health risk assessment of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides in an apex aquatic predator from a premier conservation area.

    Ruan Gerber;Nico J. Smit;Johan H.J. Van Vuren;Shouta M.M. Nakayama

  • A histology-based fish health assessment of four commercially and ecologically important species from the Okavango Delta panhandle, Botswana.

    J C van Dyk;M J Marchand;N J Smit;G M Pieterse

  • The life cycle of haemogregarina bigemina (Adeleina: Haemogregarinidae) in South African hosts.

    Angela J. Davies;Nico J. Smit

  • The butterfly effect: parasite diversity, environment, and emerging disease in aquatic wildlife.

    Robert D. Adlard;Terrence L. Miller;Nico J. Smit

  • Life cycle of the temporary fish parasite, Gnathia africana (Crustacea: Isopoda: Gnathiidae)

    Nico J. Smit;Linda Basson;Jo G. Van As

  • Gnathia pantherina sp. n. (Crustacea: Isopoda: Gnathiidae), a temporary ectoparasite of some elasmobranch species from southern Africa.

    Nico J. Smit;Linda Basson

  • Haemogregarina bigemina (Protozoa: Apicomplexa: Adeleorina) - past, present and future

    Angela J. Davies;Nico J. Smit;Polly M. Hayes;Alan M. Seddon

  • Review of the fish-parasitic genus Cymothoa Fabricius, 1793 (Isopoda, Cymothoidae, Crustacea) from the southwestern Indian Ocean, including a new species from South Africa

    Kerry A Hadfield;Niel L Bruce;Nico J Smit

  • A histology-based fish health assessment of the tigerfish, **Hydrocynus vittatus** from a DDT-affected area

    K.J. McHugh;N.J. Smit;J.H.J. Van Vuren;J.C. Van Dyk

  • A Guide to the Parasites of African Freshwater Fishes

    Tomáš Scholz;Maarten Pieterjan Vanhove;Nico Smit;Zuzana Jayasundera

  • Bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants and their trophic transfer through the food web: Human health risks to the rural communities reliant on fish from South Africa's largest floodplain.

    C M Volschenk;R Gerber;M T Mkhonto;Y Ikenaka

  • Metal accumulation in riverine macroinvertebrates from a platinum mining region

    J.H. Erasmus;W. Malherbe;S. Zimmermann;S. Zimmermann;A.W. Lorenz

  • Gorgocephalidae (Digenea: Lepocreadioidea) in the Indo-West Pacific: new species, life-cycle data and perspectives on species delineation over geographic range

    Daniel C Huston;Daniel C Huston;Scott C Cutmore;Terrence L Miller;Pierre Sasal

  • Alien freshwater fauna in South Africa

    Olaf L. F. Weyl;Bruce R. Ellender;Bruce R. Ellender;Ryan J. Wassermann;Ryan J. Wassermann;Marliese Truter;Marliese Truter

  • Spatial and temporal variation of invertebrate community structure in flood-controlled tropical floodplain wetlands

    Trevor Dube;Lizan DeNecker;Johan H.J. van Vuren;Victor Wepener

  • Gnathia aureamaculosa, a likely definitive host of Haemogregarina balistapi and potential vector for Haemogregarina bigemina between fishes of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

    Lynda M. Curtis;Alexandra S. Grutter;Nico J. Smit;Angela J. Davies;Angela J. Davies

  • Bridging the gap: aquatic parasites in the One Health concept

    Christian Selbach;Kim N. Mouritsen;Robert Poulin;Bernd Sures

  • Morphological and molecular characterization of a marine fish trypanosome from South Africa, including its development in a leech vector

    Polly M Hayes;Polly M Hayes;Scott P Lawton;Nico J Smit;Wendy C Gibson

  • Redescription of the monotypic genus Cinusa Schioedte and Meinert, 1884 (Isopoda, Cymothoidae), a buccal-cavity isopod from South Africa

    Kerry A. Hadfield;Niel L. Bruce;Nico J. Smit

  • A redescription of Haemogregarina fitzsimonsi Dias, 1953 and some comments on Haemogregarina parvula Dias, 1953 (Adeleorina: Haemogregarinidae) from southern African tortoises (Cryptodira: Testudinidae), with new host data and distribution records

    Courtney A. Cook;Nico J. Smit;Angela J. Davies

  • Biodiversity of frog haemoparasites from sub-tropical northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

    Edward Charles Netherlands;Courtney A Cook;Donnavan J D Kruger;Louis H du Preez

  • A redescription of the adult male and praniza of Gnathia africana Barnard, 1914 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Gnathiidae) from southern Africa

    Nico J. Smit;Jo G. Van As;Linda Basson

  • Double blow: Alien crayfish infected with invasive temnocephalan in South African waters

    Louis Du Preez;Nico Smit

  • Alien freshwater fish parasites from South Africa: Diversity, distribution, status and the way forward.

    Nico J. Smit;Wynand Malherbe;Kerry A. Hadfield;Kerry A. Hadfield

  • Review of the fish parasitic genus Ceratothoa Dana, 1852 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cymothoidae) from South Africa, including the description of two new species.

    Kerry A. Hadfield;Niel L. Bruce;Nico J. Smit

Frequent Co-Authors

Victor Wepener
Victor Wepener North-West University
Alexandra S. Grutter
Alexandra S. Grutter University of Queensland
Louis H. Du Preez
Louis H. Du Preez North-West University
Luc Brendonck
Luc Brendonck KU Leuven
Bernd Sures
Bernd Sures University of Duisburg-Essen
Olaf L. F. Weyl
Olaf L. F. Weyl South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity
Lieven Bervoets
Lieven Bervoets University of Antwerp
Maarten P.M. Vanhove
Maarten P.M. Vanhove Hasselt University
Milan Gelnar
Milan Gelnar Masaryk University
Tomáš Scholz
Tomáš Scholz Czech Academy of Sciences

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