This study aimed to evaluate the community structure of metazoan parasites of Trichiurus lepturus from Ubatuba, Brazil. Fifty fish were collected in February 2008. Our statistical approach consisted in evidencing the most interesting infrapopulations, in order to try to understand the relationship between the variables regulating them. This analysis was based on a Poisson generalized linear model (GLM) developed with selection of variables using the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) and AIC weight. Larvae of Anisakidae and Lecithochirium microstomum seems to play an important role on this hostparasite system and their abundances were influenced by the ontogenetic shift in feeding of the hosts. Changes in characteristics of hosts included a negative relationship between increased abundance of anisakids' larvae and reduction in host weight. Gender biases were statistically consistent, but further long-term research is required to confirm them. Finally, we show the challenges that may be addressed in future research.

O estudo do exame clínico-nutricional é parte do Inquérito Nutricional, realizado no "Diagnóstico em Saúde do Polonoroeste-MT em 1983". No intuito de reconhecer a situação nutricional da população da região em estudo, o grupo do Inquérito Nutricional procedeu ao estudo do Consumo Alimentar das famílias, ao estudo dos dados antropométricos e de sinais clínico-nutricionais de crianças na faixa etária de 3 a 72 meses. Foram examinadas 585 crianças da amostra como proposta por SANCHES & CARVALHEIRO7 adaptado por MEIRELLES e SANCHES. O exame clínico-nutricional foi realizado segundo a metodologia recomendada por JELLIFFE4. Foram encontrados sinais clínicos sugestivos de carência nutricional em 6,6% das crianças; sinais de anemia em 9,7% e de bócio em 2,7%. Não foi possível definir com precisão outros quadros carenciais.

Five specimens of Arapaima gigas caught in the Araguaia River (State of Mato Grosso, Brazil) were investigated for helminths in 2004. Numerous adult specimens of the rhapidascarid nematode Goezia spinulosa were found in stomach ulcers in all the specimens of A. gigas and were surrounded by thickening of the mucosa. The gastric glands of all the fish were necrotic and there was a severe and diffuse inflammatory reaction composed of eosinophils (which were predominant), lymphocytes and rare macrophages in the mucosa, submucosa and muscle layer. This is the first report of tissue lesion occurrences in this host, in the presence of G. spinulosa, and it confirms the high pathogenicity of this parasite species.Keywords: Pathology, neotropical fish, Araguaia River, Brazil. ResumoCinco espécimens de Arapaima gigas capturados no Rio Araguaia (Estado do Mato Grosso, Brasil) foram investigados para diagnóstico de infecção por helmintos em 2004. Numerosos espécimes adultos do nematóide rafidascarídeo Goezia spinulosa foram encontrados em úlceras do estômago circundadas por um espessamento da mucosa em todos os exemplares de A. gigas. As glândulas gástricas de todos encontravam-se necróticas e havia um acentuado e difuso infiltrado inflamatório composto por eosinófilos, que eram predominantes, linfócitos e raros macrófagos na mucosa, submucosa e camada muscular. As lesões teciduais na presença de nematóide G. spinulosa são relatadas pela primeira vez nesse hospedeiro e confirmam a alta patogenicidade dessa espécie de parasito.Palavras-chave: Patologia, peixe neotropical, Rio Araguaia, Brasil.

RESUMO (96.9%). Highest values of mean intensity and mean abundance were detected for C. brasiliense and N. senticosum (61 and 46.9, respectively). All these species are recorded by the first time in the Araguaia River basin.

During a survey conducted in the Cuiabá and Paraguay Rivers in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland, in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, we found branchiurans associated with Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum, Pseudoplatystoma corruscans, Salminus brasiliensis and Zungaro zungaro. These branchiurans correspond to Argulus chiropteroideus sp. n., Argulus multicolor, Argulus nattereri, Argulus pestifer, Dolops carvalhoi and Dolops longicauda. Besides the description of the new species, in this study we also provide important morphological notes for diagnosis of the other species. Specimens of Argulus chiropteroideus sp. n. were collected from skin of P. reticulatum and P. corruscans. They differ from A. multicolor and Argulus chicomendesi, in the shape of the postantennal spines, which is medially convex and has two lateral and one anterior stout tips in the new species, and for having three claviform, digitate spines on the base of the second maxillae (absent in A. multicolor; three conical, short spines in A. chicomendesi). A. chiropteroideus sp. n. do not have an anterior and a posterior spine on first two segments of first antenna, as well as no flagellum on the dorsal surface of the first two pairs of legs, structures present in A. multicolor and A. chicomendesi. The new species also differ from A. multicolor and A. chicomendesi, in the shape and number of sclerites that compound the support rods of the suction cup.