Occurrence of Braga cigarra(Cymothoidae) parasitizing Galeocharax knerii (Characidae) from affluents of Jurumirim reservoir, Brazil

Abstract

The occurrence of the cymothoidae Braga cigarra is reported parasitizing the oral cavity of freshwater fish Galeocharax knerii from Veados, Paranapanema and Taquari Rivers, affluent of the Jurumirim Reservoir, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil is reported. The isopod species were identified based on the multilaminar pleopods, narrow pleon and short pleotelson in females. The overall prevalences of isopods were 31.7%, 7.7% and 5.7%, respectively, in the Paranapanema, Veados and Taquari Rivers. This note contributes to the knowledge of the geographical distribution and fauna of parasite crustaceans known to date in these important ecosystems.Keywords: Freshwater rivers, crustacean parasite, teleost fish, Braga cigarra, Galeocharax knerii. ResumoFoi registrada a ocorrência do cymothoidae Braga cigarra parasitando a cavidade bucal do peixe de água doce Galeocharax knerii capturado nos rios Veados, Paranapanema e Taquari, afluentes da represa de Jurumirim, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. As espécies de isópodas foram identificadas com base nos pleópodos multilaminares, abdômen estreito e pleotelson curto nas fêmeas. As prevalências totais de isópodos foram 31,7%, 7,7% e 5,7%, respectivamente, nos rios Paranapanema, Veados e Taquari. Essa nota contribui com o conhecimento da distribuição geográfica e da fauna de crustáceos parasitas conhecidas até a presente data nesses importantes ecossistemas aquáticos.Palavras-chave: Rios de água doce, crustáceo parasita, peixe teleósteo, Braga cigarra, Galeocharax knerii.

<b><i>Braga nasuta</i> (Cymothoidae): an ectoparasite of the Giant Amazonian fish <i>Arapaima gigas</i> (Osteoglossidae) fingerlings cultured in the Amazon region in Northern Brazil

“…Brandão et al (2013) observed Braga cigarra from the buccal cavity of Galeocharax knerii captured from the Rivers Veados at 7.7% prevalence, Paranapanema at 31.7% prevalence and Taquari at 5.7% prevalence in Southeast Brazil. In fact, it is difficult to estimate the real prevalence of the parasites in fish due to fishery procedures that use net, leading the fish to escape from the capture, possibly allowing detachment of the parasite, which will search for a new host (Brandão et al, 2013). This event can also explain the low parasitic indices of B. nasuta found in cultured pirarucu in this study.…”

Low levels of crustacean parasite infestation in fish species from the Matapi River in the state of Amapá, Brazil

“…However, among fish living in lotic environments, it is more difficult to estimate the prevalence of parasite crustaceans in the tegument when hosts are caught using fishing nets because these fish make strong movements and attempt to resist. Moreover, with time, the hosts' stress increases and their metabolism tends to decrease, which could stimulate these ectoparasites in the tegument of the fish to explore new habitats for their survival (BRANDÃO et al, 2013). Another factor that needs to be considered is the strong influence of diary tides from the Amazon River on the velocity of the Matapi River (CUNHA et al, 2011;SILVA et al, 2016), given that these parasites need to swim to find adequate hosts, while others depend on the flow of water and swimming speed (FONTANA et al, 2012;MIKHEEV et al, 2015).…”

Riggia cryptocularis (Crustacea: Cymothoidae) parasitizing three fish species in a hydroelectric dam

“…Isopods such as R. cyptocularis feature among the parasites that cause fish mortality in Brazil, with about 40 species associated with 123 fish species (Luque et al 2013;Kostadinova 2008;Alsarakini and Wadeh 2014). Several species of these parasites are associated with saltwater fish such as Ceratothoa banksii with Latris lineata (Andrews et al 2013) and Nerocila phaeopleura with Liza parsia (Bharadhirajan et al 2014), similarly, in freshwater, Braga cichlae is associated with Acestrorhynchus microlepis, Cichla ocellaris, and Galeocharax kneri (Brandão et al 2012). Riggia species have been reported on Ancistrus sp., Curimata platana, Cyphocharax gilbert, Leporellus vittatus, Leporinus copelandii, Leporinus octofasciatus, Leporinus striatus, Odontostilbe sp.…”