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

Abstract

Between April and December 2000, seventy-nine specimens of Centropomus undecimalis from Angra dos Reis, coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro (23 o 01'S, 44 o 19'W), Brazil, were necropsied to study their infracommunities of metazoan parasites. Nine species of metazoan parasites were collected: 1 digenean, 1 monogenean, 1 acantocephalan, 1 nematode, 4 copepods, and 1 isopod, and 96.2% of the fishes were parasitized by one or more metazoan, with mean of 85.3 ± 122.9 parasite/fish. The digenean Acanthocollaritrema umbilicatum Travassos, Freitas & Bührnheim represented the majority of the parasites specimens collected, totaling, 94.7%. This species was the most abundant, prevalent, and dominant, showing positive correlation with the host's total body length and parasite abundance. The copepod species Acantholochus unisagittatus Tavares & Luque presented differences in abundance in relation to sex of host. The mean diversity in the infracommunities of C. undecimalis was H = 0.095 ± 0.116, with no correlation with the host's total body length but correlated with the host's sex. No pair of parasite species showed positive or negative association or covariation. The dominance of digenean A. umbilicatum in the later juvenile common snook parasite community could be related with the predatory food habits of common snook and an apparent feeding transition period which might occasion great exposure to infective forms.Key words: parasite ecology, community structure, marine fish, Centropomidae, Centropomus undecimalis, Brazil. total dos hospedeiros e com diferenças em relação ao sexo dos hospedeiros. Nenhum par de espécies demonstrou associação e covariação positiva ou negativa. A dominância do digenético A. umbilicatum na comunidade parasitária dos robalos jovens pode estar relacionada ao hábito predador e ao aparente período de transição alimentar, que pode levar a uma grande exposição às formas infectantes. RESUMOPalavras-chave: ecologia parasitária, estrutura comunitária, peixes marinhos, Centropomidae, Centropomus undecimalis, Brasil.

<b>Host-parasite interaction between crustaceans of six fish species from the Brazilian Amazon

“…In spite of the fact that high testosterone levels have been implied in the immunosuppression of males which favors parasitism when compared with that of females (Poulin, 1996), studies have not confirmed this information. Thereby, Tavares, and Luque (2004) argued that differences in parasitic infestation levels between fish sex might be related especially with ecological and behavioral differences between males and females.…”

Seasonal variation in metazoan parasites of Trichiurus lepturus (Perciformes: Trichiuridae) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Larger fish provide more internal and external space for the establishment of parasites and have high rates of infection because they feed on a larger number of infected prey and provide a large contact area for the establishment of parasites (Poulin, 2000;Muñoz et al, 2005). However, one must be careful to avoid generalisations regarding the influence of host size on qualitative and quantitative composition of parasite fauna, as the parasitism may not necessarily increase with the size of the fish through a process of accumulation and longer exposure time, but may be related to changes in food items in different age groups of the host population and the population dynamics of intermediate hosts (Saad-Fares and Combes, 1992;Tavares and Luque, 2004).…”

Checklist of Acanthocephala associated with the fishes of Brazil

“…These worms were recorded from one hundred and nineteen marine, brackish and freshwater fish species. 1616 Proboscis long, frequently with basal hooks larger than others .. Machado et al (1994Machado et al ( , 1995Machado et al ( , 1996, Andrade et al (2001) Kohn and Macedo (1984), Noronha et al (1986), Vicente et al (1989), Luque et al (1996a, b), Alves and Luque (1999, 2000, 2001a Family Rhadinorhynchidae Travassos, 1923 Gorgorhynchus trachinotus Noronha, Vicente, Pinto & Fábio, 1986- Abdallah et al (2002), Mogrovejo and Santos (2002), Alves et al (2003Alves et al ( , 2005, Alves and Luque (2006) Luque et al (1995Luque et al ( , 1996aLuque et al ( , b, 2003, Takemoto et al (1996), Luque and Poulin (2004), Alves et al (2005) Order Luque and Chaves (1999), Alves and Luque (1999, 2000, 2001a, Knoff et al (2001), Abdallah et al (2002), Luque et al (2002), Alves et al (2002aAlves et al ( , b, 2003, Sabas and Luque (2003), Tavares and Luque (2004b) Cezar and Amato (1998), Luque and Chaves (1999), Alves and Luque (2000, 2001a, b, 2006,…”