Parasitic fauna of eight species of ornamental freshwater fish species from the middle Negro River in the Brazilian Amazon Region

Abstract

Twenty-seven specimens of cardinal tetra Paracheirodon axelrodi, 33 rosy tetra Hyphessobrycon copelandi (Characidae), 28 marbled hatchetfish Carnegiella strigata, 26 blackwing hatchetfish Carnegiella martae (Gasteropelecidae), 27 bodó Ancistrus hoplogenys (Loricariidae), 31 brown pencilfish Nannostomus eques, 38 oneline pencilfish Nannostomus unifasciatus (Lebiasinidae) and 13 angelfish Pterophyllum scalare (Cichlidae) were collected from the middle Negro River, State of Amazonas, Brazil, for parasitological studies. Out of the total of 223 fish examined, 143 (64.1%) were parasitized by at least one parasite species. The highest prevalence rate was for Monogenea (36.7%), followed by Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ciliophora) (20.6%), Trichodina spp. (Ciliophora) (4.0%), Piscinoodinium pillulare (Dinoflagellida) (1.3%), Tetrahymena sp. (Ciliophora) (0.89%), and Procamallanus sp. (Nematoda) (0.4%). All eight fish species had Monogenea (Gyrodactylidae and Dactylogyridae) in the gills, but the highest prevalence occurred in P. scalare and the lowest in P. axelrodi and C. strigata. However, the highest mean intensity of Monogenea was found in P. scalare and A. hoplogenys. The protozoan I. multifiliis occurred in the six ornamental fish species examined, but C. strigata and C. martae had higher prevalence and mean intensity. Trichodina spp. were found only in the gills of C. strigata, C. martae and N. eques, and with higher mean intensity in C. strigata. On the other hand, the protozoan P. pilullare was found only in the gills of C. martae. This is the first report of Tetrahymena sp. in Brazil, and it occurred in the gills of C. strigata.Keywords: Infection, Monogenea, parasites, prevalence, sanity. ResumoPara estudos parasitológicos, 27 espécimes de cardinal Paracheirodon axelrodi, 33 rosa-céu Hyphessobrycon copelandi (Characidae), 28 peixes borboleta Carnegiella strigata e 26 Carnegiella martae (Gasteropelecidae), 27 bodó ou cascudo Ancistrus hoplogenys (Loricariidae), 31 peixes-lápis Nannostomus eques e 38 Nannostomus unifasciatus (Lebiasinidae) e 13 acará-bandeira Pterophyllum scalare (Cichlidae) foram coletados no médio Rio Negro, estado do Amazonas, Brasil. Em um total de 223 peixes examinados, 143 (64,1%) estavam parasitados por pelo menos uma espécie de parasito. A maior taxa de prevalência foi de Monogenea (36,7%), seguida de Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ciliophora) (20,6%), Trichodina spp. (Ciliophora) (4,0%), Piscinoodinium pillulare (Dinoflagellida) (1,3%), Tetrahymena sp. (Ciliophora) (0,89%) e Procamallanus sp. (Nematoda) (0,4%). Todas as oito espécies de peixes mostraram Monogenea (Gyrodactylidae and Dactylogyridae) nas brânquias, mas a maior prevalência ocorreu em P. scalare e menor em P. axelrodi e C. strigata. Porém, maior intensidade média de Monogenea foi encontrada em P. scalare e A. hoplogenys. O protozoário I. multifiliis ocorreu nas seis espécies de peixes ornamentais examinadas, porém C. strigata e C. martae tiveram a maior prevalência e intensidade média. Trichodina spp. foram encontr...

Parasite diversity in Oxydoras niger (Osteichthyes: Doradidae) from the basin of Solimões River, Amazonas state, Brazil, and the relationship between monogenoidean and condition factor

“…They showed a positive correlation with Kn. This elevated mean intensity was similar to that related in cultured Piaractus mesopotamicus Holmberg, 1884 (Tavares- Dias et al, 2001b) and larger than that related in A. ocellatus in Guandu River, RJ (Azevedo et al, 2007) and ornamental fish from the Negro River, AM (Tavares- Dias et al, 2010). Our results confirm that monogenoideans are among the most common fish parasite that occurs in several environments.…”

“…Oxydoras niger showed low prevalence and intensity of infection by I. multifiliis and Chilodonella. However, elevated intensities of these protozoan parasites are common in cultured fish (Tavares Dias et al, 2001a;Martins et al, 2002;Tavares-Dias et al, 2010), where the inadequate handling of water can facilitate their reproduction.…”

Ichthyophthiriasis: emphases on the epizootiology

“…As a causative agent, I. multifiliis infects nearly all species of freshwater fish (Nigrelli et al 1976;Wurtsbaugh and Tapia 1988;Valtonen and Koskivaara 1994;Tavares-Dias et al 2010), such diversity its hosts show that ichthyophthiriasis is difficult to control from the point of ecological view, although its life cycle is direct. The nonspecific parasitism is somehow related to its systematic position among ciliated micro-organisms compared with flagellates and apicomplexans.…”

Parasites of ornamental fish commercialized in Macapá, Amapá State (Brazil)

“…However, the manifestation of these diseases occurs only when the parasites have favorable situations for their proliferation. These conditions tend to be: environmental stress, poor culture conditions, inadequate transportation, stocking density, and poor nutrition (PIAZZA et al, 2006;TAVARES-DIAS et al, 2009;GARCIA et al, 2009;TAVARES-DIAS et al, 2010;ABIDI et al, 2011;MARTINS et al, 2012;MOYSES et al, 2015). The inadequate sanitary management conditions cited above can cause economic losses and frustration among producers.…”