Diversity of parasites in Curimata incompta (Curimatidae), a host from Amazon river system in Brazil

Abstract

This paper is the first study on host-parasite relationship in wild Curimata incompta Vari, 1984 (Curimatidae) from Amazon river system, Northern Brazil. In 40 specimens examined from December 2012 to November 2013, 615,818 parasites were collected, such as Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Piscinoodinium pilullare, Urocleidoides sp., Posthodiplostomum sp., Gorytocephalus elongorchis and Braga patagonica. The parasites' component community had a low Brillouin diversity (0.16 ± 0.15), a low species richness (3.1 ± 0.7), a low evenness (0.09 ± 0.09) and a high dominance of Berger-Parker (0.96 ± 0.06). I. multifiliis was the dominant parasite species and it showed the highest prevalence and intensity in the host population. There was an aggregate dispersion of parasites, but the low parasitism did not affect the body condition of the host. The occurrence of parasites in C. incompta was due to their life habits and food behavior. This study, besides expanding the geographical distribution of G. elongorchis in Brazil, records the first occurrence of these six parasites in C. incompta.

Parasites component community in wild population ofPterophyllum scalareSchultze, 1823 andMesonauta acoraCastelnau, 1855, cichlids from the Brazilian Amazon

“…Mesonauta acora and P. scalare presented overdispersion of ectoparasites and endoparasites. This same dispersion pattern has also been reported for other hosts from the Amazon River system (Tavares‐Dias et al., , ; Neves et al., ).…”

“…Gussevia spiralocirra was found only in P. scalare , while S. joanae occurred only in M. acora ; both hosts had a high prevalence of these monogenoideans but were low intensity and abundance. This high prevalence of monogenoideans is due to the direct monogenoidean cycle, which is facilitated by the lentic and eutrophisized environment in the Igarapé Fortaleza basin, which suffers from a high influence of urbanization (Tavares‐Dias et al., ; Neves et al., ).…”

“…In P. scalare and M. acora , the high prevalence and intensity of metacercariae of Posthodiplostomum sp. indicate that the abundance of mollusks (the first intermediate host) and the presence of piscivorous birds (probable definitive hosts) are the causes of these infections in fish, which are the secondary intermediate hosts of these digeneans (Ritossa et al., ; Neves et al., ). These, results corroborate that host behavior is of great importance in the level of infection by this species of digeneans that is common in fish species from the eastern Amazon (Neves et al., , ; Bittencourt et al., ; Tavares‐Dias et al., ).…”

“…The Igarapé Fortaleza basin is located in the state of Amapá, eastern Amazon region (northern Brazil) and an important tributary to the Amazon River, which in turn is the main force forming the floodplain of this tributary influenced by the high rainfall levels of the Amazon region and the daily variations in the tides of the Amazon River (Takyama et al, ; Tavares‐Dias et al., ). The floodplain is periodically covered by floodwaters rich in nutrients due to the rapid decomposition of grasses and animal remains or the humus layers of the forest, thus leading to high growth rates for the vegetation and invertebrate biomass (insects, zooplanktonic crustaceans and mollusks), which are then consumed by the fish (Gama and Halboth, ; Neves et al., ).…”

“…Parasite communities in fish reflect interactions with the aquatic environment, as well as with their hosts and invertebrate communities in natural and artificial ecosystems. Since all these components may be involved in the life cycle of parasites, parasite assemblages may be environmental indicators, undergoing increases or decreases in their diversity, richness, abundance and prevalence as a function of a variety of environmental and non‐environmental factors (Dogiel, ; Rakauskas and Blazevicius, ; Neves et al., , ; Tavares‐Dias et al., ;. Therefore, knowledge of parasites can aid in comprehending host‐parasite relationships with the environment (Rakauskas and Blazevicius, ; Tavares‐Dias et al., , ; Neves et al., ), thus acting as an important tool for biodiversity evaluations.…”