Ectoparasitic crustaceans on mullet, Mugil curema (Osteichthyes: Mugilidae) in the coastal waters of Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil

Abstract

White mullet is a commercial fish species abundant in the coastal waters of Brazil. This study investigated the occurrence of crustacean ectoparasites on white mullet, Mugil curema captured from the littoral waters of Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. From 2006 to 2007, 31 individuals of M. curema were captured and encountered ectoparasites were observed, identified and counted. M. curema was parasitized by ectoparasitic crustaceans, caligid copepods, Caligus bonito and Caligus sp.; ergasilid copepods, Ergasilus versicolor and E. lizae; and isopod Cymothoa spinipalpa. Of the caligids detected, 66.66% were C. bonito and 33.33% Caligus sp. C. bonito occurred on males of M. curema during the drought season and Caligus sp. occurred on females during the rainy season. The prevalence of both caligid species was 3.23%. Of the ergasilids detected, E. versicolor (91.67%) occurred during the drought and rainy seasons, whereas E. lizae (8.33%) occurred during the rainy season. Prevalence of E. versicolor was 35.48% and E. lizae was 3.23%. C. spinipalpa was detected during the drought and rainy seasons with a prevalence of 16.13%. The preferred site of fixation by the parasites was the branchial chambers.

A Fauna De Ergasilídeos Em Serrasalmideos Amazônicos: Perspectivas Atuais E Revisão Literária

“…A ocorrência de ergasilídeos amazônicos já é descrita nas diversas famílias de peixes da região (SANTOS et al, 2007;ARAÚJO et al, 2009;TAKEMOTO et al, 2009;EIRAS et al, 2010;CAVALCANTI et al, 2011), demonstrando haver um número significativo de infestação ectoparasitária na ictiofauna local. Entre as diversas famílias hospedeiras de copépodes parasitos está a família Serrasalmidae, caracterizada por ser um grupo de peixes amazônicos reconhecidos morfologicamente por apresentarem corpo alto, comprimido lateralmente e uma série de espinhos na região ventral (GERY, 1977).…”