Ecologia da comunidade de metazoários parasitos da anchova Pomatomus saltator (Linnaeus) (Osteichthyes, Pomatomidae) do litoral do estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Abstract

Ecologia da comunidade de metazoários parasitos da anchova Pomatomus saltatar (Linnaeus) (Osteichthyes, Pomatomidae) do litoral do estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil 1 José Luis Luque 2 Nilton Domingos Chaves 2 ABSTRACT. Community ecology of metazoan parasites of bluefish Pomatomus saltator (Linnaeus) (Osteichthycs, Pomatomidac) from the littoral ofState ofRio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fifiy-five specimens ofbluefish, POl11atol11us saltator (Linnaeus, 1766), collected at Cabo Frio (23°S, 42°W), State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between March 1995 and November 1995, were necropsied to study their infracommunities of metazoan parasites. Sixteen species ofmetazoan parasites were collected. Ali fish were parasitized by one 01' more metazoan. The digeneans were the majority ofthe parasite specimens collected, with 44.2%, followed by the helminth larva I stages (cestodes, acanthocephalans, and nematodes) with 40.6%. The Simpson index for ali parasite species was 0.097, indicating lack of dominance by any species in the parasite community. Microcotyle pOl11a/ol11i Goto, 1899 showed the higher frequency of dominance and mean relative dominance. The parasite species of P. salta/oI' showed the typical overdispersed paltern of distribution. The majority of parasite species showed positive correlation between the host's total body length and prevalence 01' parasite abundance. Two species, Brachyphallus parvlls (Manter, 1947) and Phoca-/lema sp. have differences in their prevalences and abundances in relation to sex ofthe hosts. The mean diversity in the infracommunities of P. salta/oI' was H'=1.243±0.521, with correlalion with the host's totallength and without difference between male and female fish. The components ofthe parasite community ofP. sai/a/oI' showed overall positive association. AlI pairs confonned by ectoparasites and adult endoparasites species showed signiticant positive association OI' covariation between their abundances. Five pairs of endoparasites larval species showed positive association OI' covariation, and two pairs, showed negative association and covariation. The parasite community of P. salta/oI' was dominated by species with high prevalence values, lhat composed a high numbel' of associations, thus. is considered closer to the interactive type. KEY WORDS. Pomatomidae, POl11a/OI11I1S sai/a/oI', parasitic ecoJogy, community structure, marine fish, bluefish, Brazil A anchova, Pomafomus salfafor (Linnaeus, 1766) é uma espécie pelágica, de hábitos alimentares carnívoros e que possui ampla distribuição geográfica. Sendo freqüente no litoral do sudeste brasileiro, esta espécie é considerada de grande importância comercial (FIGUEIREDO & MENEZES 1980).

Community ecology of metazoan parasites of the later juvenile common snook Centropomus undecimalis (Osteichthyes: Centropomidae) from the coastal zone of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Sasal et al (1999) observed that large fish are supposed to eat more and, therefore, ingest more intermediate hosts. This is a pattern previously found in other marine fishes from Rio de Janeiro Knoff et al, 1997;Luque & Chaves, 1999;Tavares et al, 2001). According to Polyanski (1961), quantitative and qualitative changes in parasitism are expected with fish growth.…”

“…The dominance of digenean endoparasites has been described for several parasite communities of marine fishes from the coastal zone of southeastern Brazil Takemoto et al, 1996;Knoff et al, 1997;Luque & Chaves, 1999;Silva et al, 2000;). Feeding habits and broad diet spectrum of demersal fishes, which bring them in contact with several potential intermediate hosts of marine acanthocephalan, digenean, and nematodes, might increase the presence of endoparasites in these fishes ).…”

Community ecology of the metazoan parasites of white croaker, Micropogonias furnieri (Osteichthyes: Sciaenidae), from the coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…This is a pattern anteriorly found in other marine fishes from Rio de Janeiro , Knoff et al 1997, Luque & Chaves 1999. The digeneans Lecithochirium microstomum Chandler and Pachycreadium gastrocotylum (Manter) were exceptions, with the highest values of prevalence and abundance in the intermediate length class, when the fish inhabiting 25-30 m deep-waters.…”

Metazoan parasite communities of Leporinus macrocephalus (Characiformes: Anostomidae) in cultivation systems in the western Amazon, Brazil

“…The significant positive correlation of parasite abundance with total host length was expected since fish length is positively correlated with age, and thus larger specimens had more contact time with the infecting forms and, consequently, a greater accumulation of parasites (Luque and Chaves 1999). However, the parasitism does not necessarily increase in larger fish as a function of mechanical accumulation over a longer exposure time.…”

“…However, the parasitism does not necessarily increase in larger fish as a function of mechanical accumulation over a longer exposure time. For example, in Monogenoidea the positive correlation of parasite abundance with fish weight and length is likely facilitated by larger gills in larger fish, which provides more space for parasite attachment (Luque and Chaves 1999;Azevedo et al 2007).…”