Factors linked to interannual variation in the metazoan parasite communities of black skipjack, Euthynnus lineatus (Pisces: Scombridae)

Abstract

Marine parasite communities can exhibit temporal and spatial changes in response to seasonal and local variations in several biotic and abiotic environmental factors. Limited attention has been given to the influence of abiotic factors, so their effects on parasite community structure remain unclear. A total of 496 specimens of Euthynnus lineatus were collected over a 7-year period (2012-2018) from Acapulco Bay, Mexico. Their parasite communities were analyzed to determine if they experience interannual variations due to local biotic and abiotic factors. Thirty-three metazoan parasite species were recovered and identified: four species of Monogenea (adults); 16 of Digenea (one larvae and 15 adults); two of Acanthocephala (adults); two of Cestoda (larvae); three of Nematoda (two larvae and one adult); and six of Crustacea (three Copepoda, and three Isopoda). Species richness was greatest among the digeneans, which represented 48% of the total species recovered, followed by the crustaceans (19% of total species). Species richness at the component community level (14-24 species) was similar to reported richness in other small tuna species. The component communities and infracommunities of E. lineatus exhibited a similar pattern: high species richness and diversity, and numerical dominance by a single species, mainly by one of the didymozoids Allopseudocolocyntotrema claviforme or Pseudocolocyntotrema yaito. Parasite community structure and species composition varied among sampling years. Variations were possibly caused by a combination of abiotic and biotic factors which generated notable changes in the infection levels of several component species during the study period. These communities may therefore be unpredictable in terms of structure and species composition, as has been suggested for other communities of marine parasites.

Metazoan parasite communities of the Pacific red snapper,Lutjanus peru(Perciformes: Lutjanidae): interannual variations in parasite communities

“…Species richness at the component level (13-19 species, table 3) was similar to that reported for other Lutjanus species: L. Lutjanus guttaus (19 species); Lutjanus campechanus (21 species); Lutjanus synagris (25 species); and Lutjanus griseus (20 species) (Argáez-García et al, 2010;Montoya-Mendoza et al, 2014Morales-Serna et al, 2017). However, the overall parasite fauna for L. peru was 25 species even though the highest species richness registered at the component level was 19 parasite species (April 2019, table 3).…”

“…Endoparasites represented 94% of the total individual parasites recovered in this host species. Fish species with carnivorous habits, such as L. peru , tend to be associated with higher parasite species numbers and total endoparasite loads, which they acquire by consuming infected prey (Luque et al , 2004; Miranda-Delgado et al , 2019; Santos-Bustos et al , 2020).…”

“…At least five parasite taxa (four endoparasites – Lecithochirium microstomum , Pseudomonilicaecum type, S. casum and a Tetraphyllidae cestode; and one ectoparasite – C. exigua ) exhibited significant interannual differences in infection levels (table 1). Endoparasites are trophically-transmitted, so variations in their infection levels can be explained by interannual changes in host diet and availability of prey harbouring infective stages (Garcias et al , 2001; Luque et al , 2004; Iannacone et al , 2010; Miranda-Delgado et al , 2019; Santos-Bustos et al , 2020).…”

Feeding habits of the fishes Euthynnus lineatus and Scomberomorus sierra (Perciformes: Scombridae) in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

“…Ruíz-Pérez, Cerdenares-Ladrón de Guevara, López-Herrera, & Altamirano-Ramírez (2016) indicated that E. lineatus feed mainly on crustaceans in the coast of Oaxaca. Miranda-Delgado et al (2019) found that the E. lineatus trophic spectrum included 14 prey items in the study area, among which were fish, crab, penneid larvae, mollusk larvae, isopods, ostracods, juvenile squid, amphipods, and polychaetes. Artunduaga (1972) reported that S. sierra is a carnivorous fish found at the upper levels of the food chain, whose existence depended mainly on planktivorous fish.…”

Ectoparasitic community of the gills of Pacific sierra Scomberomorus sierra Jordan & Starks, 1895 (Actinopteri: Scombridae) from northern Peru

“…Trophic biology studies show that epipelagic scombrids are widely known as opportunistic and generalist predators, which means that their diet is made up of many organisms from different levels of the food chain (Paxton, 1998;Olson et al, 2016). Internationally, the species of the Scombridae family have mainly been reviewed for systematic, zoogeographical purposes and some parasitological investigations; however, few studies have focused on the interaction between ecological factors and the parasite community of a specific host (Chero et al, 2016;Miranda-Delgado et al, 2019;Santos-Bustos et al, 2020.…”