First study on communities of parasites in Triportheus rotundatus, a Characidae fish from the Amazon River system (Brazil)

Abstract

This study was the first investigation on the parasites of Triportheus rotundatus, a Characiformes fish from the Amazon, in Brazil. All the fish collected (100%) in a tributary from the Amazon River system were infected by one or more parasite species. The mean species richness of parasites was 4.9 ± 0.9, the Brillouin index was 0.39 ± 0.16, the evenness was 0.24 ± 0.09 and the Berger-Parker dominance was 0.81 ± 0.13. A total of 1316 metazoan parasites were collected, including Anacanthorus pithophallus, Anacanthorus furculus, Ancistrohaptor sp. (Dactylogyridae), Genarchella genarchella (Derogenidae), Posthodiplostomum sp. (Diplostomidae), Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus (Camallanidae), Echinorhynchus paranensis (Echinorhynchidae) and Ergasilus sp. (Ergasilidae), but monogenoideans were the dominant parasites. These parasites presented an aggregate dispersion pattern, except for P. (S.) inopinatus, which showed a random dispersion pattern. The body conditions of the hosts were not affected by the parasitism levels. This first report of these parasites for T. rotundatus indicates that the presence of ectoparasites and endoparasites was due to hosts behavior and availability of infective stages in the environment, and this was discussed.Keywords: Amazon, diversity, endoparasites, freshwater fish, infracommunity. ResumoEste estudo foi a primeira investigação sobre os parasitos de Triportheus rotundatus, um Characiformes da Amazônia, no Brasil. Todos os peixes coletados (100%) em um afluente do sistema Rio Amazonas estavam infectados por uma ou mais espécies de parasitos. A riqueza média de espécies de parasitos foi 4,9 ± 0,9, índice de Brillouin 0.39 ± 0,16, equitabilidade 0,24 ± 0,09 e a dominância de Berger-Parker foi 0,81 ± 0,13. Um total de 1.316 parasitos metazoários foram coletados, incluindo Anacanthorus pithophallus, Anacanthorus furculus, Ancistrohaptor sp. (Dactylogyridae), Genarchella genarchella (Derogenidae), Posthodiplostomum sp. (Diplostomidae), Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus (Camallanidae), Echinorhynchus paranensis (Echinorhynchidae) e Ergasilus sp. (Ergasilidae), mas monogenoideas foram os parasitos dominantes. Estes parasitos apresentaram padrão de dispersão agregado, com exceção de P. (S.) inopinatus, que mostrou padrão de dispersão randômico. As condições corporais dos hospedeiros não foram afetadas pelos níveis de parasitismo. Este primeiro relato desses parasitos em T. rotundatus indica que a presença de ectoparasitos e endoparasitos foi devido ao comportamento dos hospedeiros e disponibilidade de estágios infectantes no ambiente, e isso foi discutido.Palavras-chave: Amazônia, diversidade, endoparasitos, peixes de água doce, infracomunidades.

Diversity of ectoparasites and endoparasites infecting Brachyplatystoma vaillantii (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae), a large migratory catfish from the Amazon

“…in our sample). This is a common pattern in communities of fish parasites with a relatively low species diversity, but with low abundance (Cardoso et al 2017;Oliveira et al 2017;Santos and Tavares-Dias 2017;Leite et al 2018).…”

“…In wild populations of fish, species richness of parasites is considered a reflection of the number of host species present in the environment and the local capacity for transmission and infection of intermediate and definitive hosts (Bellay et al 2013;Santos and Tavares-Dias 2017;Oliveira et al 2017;Cardoso et al 2017). Abundance and diversity of invertebrates that act as intermediate hosts to parasites are key components in the composition of endoparasite communities in wild fish populations (Luque et al 2013;Bellay et al 2013;Cardoso et al 2017;Santos and Tavares-Dias 2017;Oliveira et al 2017). The B. vaillantii of Igarapé Fortaleza examined in this study had low parasite species richness and diversity for ecto and endoparasites, probably due to the low availability of invertebrates that act as intermediate hosts for the endoparasites.…”

“…Studies on the diversity of fish parasites are important due to the role of parasites as indicators of environmental quality and ecosystem health, which are useful tools in the conservation and maintenance of local biodiversity (Cardoso et al 2017;Oliveira et al 2017;Leite et al 2018). Parasites can change the composition and structure of the host community due to alterations in the environment that influence the functioning and stability of the ecosystems (Vasconcelos and Tavares-Dias 2016;Santos and Tavares-Dias 2017;Cardoso et al 2017). Changes caused by parasites can lead to negative impacts on fishery production due to losses in quality and quantity of fish, reduction in body weight and injuries, which can result in the disposal of part of the catch (Cardoso et al 2017) and reduce the potential economic benefits that fisheries may generate.…”

Nematofauna of red piranha Pygocentrus nattereri (Kner, 1958) (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) from Amazonia, Brazil

“…Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus has been reported from different host fishes in different localities in Brazil (LUQUE et al, 2011), including the Amazon region (THATCHER, 2006;ANDRADE & MALTA, 2006;GONÇALVES et al, 2016;SANTOS & TAVARES-DIAS, 2017). This nematode species was reported parasitizing P. nattereri in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, by Pinto & Noronha (1976) and Vicentin et al (2013).…”

“…The Amazon basin is a center of diversity for most groups of Neotropical fish and it is an area of high species richness. Conservative estimates suggest there are about 3,000 fish species in this basin (ALBERT & REIS, 2011;JUNK, 2013;FROESE & PAULY, 2019;SANTOS & TAVARES-DIAS, 2017).…”