Helminth communities of four commercially important fish species from Chetumal Bay, Mexico

Abstract

The relative importance of ecology and evolution as factors determining species richness and composition of the helminth communities of fish is a matter of current debate. Theoretical studies use host-parasite lists, but these do not include studies on a temporal or spatial scale. Local environmental conditions and host biological characteristics are shown to influence helminth species richness and composition in four fish species (Eugerres plumieri, Hexanematichthys assimilis, Oligoplites saurus, and Scomberomorus maculatus) in Chetumal Bay, Mexico. With the exception of H. assimilis, the helminth communities had not been previously studied and possible associations between environmental and host biological characteristics as factors determining helminth species richness and composition using redundancy analysis (RDA) are described. Thirty-four helminth species are identified, with the highest number of species (19 total (mean = 6.3 +/- 2.1)) and the lowest (9 (4.0 +/- 1.0)) occurring in H. assimilis and S. maculatus, respectively. The larval nematodes Contracaecum sp. and Pseudoterranova sp. were not only the helminth species shared by all four host species but also were the most prevalent and abundant. Statistical associations between helminth community parameters and local ecological variables such as host habitat use, feeding habits, mobility, and time of residence in coastal lagoons are identified. Phylogeny is important because it clearly separates all four host species by their specialist parasites, although specific habitat and feeding habits also significantly influence the differentiation between the four fish species.

Anisakidae and Raphidascarididae larvae parasitizing Selene setapinnis (Mitchill, 1815) in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Santana-Piñeros et al (2012) found this type of larva in the intestine, mesentery, stomach and rectum of Symphurus plagiusa (Linnaeus, 1766) on the coast of Campeche, Mexico. Adult specimens of H. fortalezae were collected from the intestine of Oligoplites saurus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) and Scomberomorus maculatus (Mitchill, 1815) originating from the Bay of Chetumal, Mexico, by Aguirre-Macedo et al (2007).…”

Factors determining parasite community richness and species composition in black snook Centropomus nigrescens (Centropomidae) from coastal lagoons in Guerrero, Mexico

“…Host-related factors such as diet, body size, reproductive behavior, vagility, and migratory habits may influence parasite community structure and species composition (Sasal et al 1997;Bush et al 2003;VidalMartinez and Poulin 2003;Poulin 2003;Violante-González et al 2008;Tavares and Luque 2008). Factors linked to habitat environmental and biological aspects can also affect structure and species composition (Machado et al 1995;Salgado-Maldonado and Kennedy 1997;Vidal-Martinez and Poulin 2003;Aguirre-Macedo et al 2007;Mwita and Nkwengulila 2008;Tavares and Luque 2008).…”

“…Available data cover mainly brackish environments from southeastern Mexico (Salgado-Maldonado and Kennedy 1997;Vidal-Martinez and Poulin, 2003;Aguirre-Macedo et al 2007). Host-related factors such as diet, body size, reproductive behavior, vagility, and migratory habits may influence parasite community structure and species composition (Sasal et al 1997;Bush et al 2003;VidalMartinez and Poulin 2003;Poulin 2003;Violante-González et al 2008;Tavares and Luque 2008).…”

Helminth Parasite Communities of Two Scorpaena spp. (Scorpaenidae) From Reefs of Veracruz, Mexico

“…They may be infected with larval stages of parasites, and considering that hosts have similar food sources, the similarity of 61.5% of the parasite species composition between both communities, could be explained (Deardoff & Overstreet, 1981;Sasal et al, 1997;Aguirre-Macedo et al, 2007). On the other hand, the presence of parasite larvae suggests that both scorpaenid species are at an intermediate level in the marine food web, as smaller sizes are captured by predators, such as Dasyatis americana and some lutjanids (Randall, 1967).…”

“…Information related to parasitic helminths on these hosts is scarce (Cervigón et al, 1992 (Manter, 1947); B. scorpaenae in S. plumieri from Louisiana, USA (Corkum, 1967); Lecithochirium parvum and L. microcercus in S. plumieri from Puerto Rico (Dyer et al, 1985); H. nimia in S. plumieri from Puerto Rico (Siddiqi & Cable, 1960) and Brazil (Travassos et al, 1967;Roumbedakis et al, 2014); Pseudopecoelus scorpaenae in S. plumieri from Mexico (Pérez-Ponce de León et al, 2007). On the other hand, little is known about the community structure of helminth parasites in these hosts, as compared to other marine fish, such as carangids and lutjanids from the Southern Gulf of Mexico (Montoya-Mendoza et al, 2014, 2016, 2017a, or other commercially relevant species from the Caribbean region (Aguirre-Macedo et al, 2007). In this report we describe the helminth community of S. brasiliensis and S. plumieri, in terms of species richness and diversity.…”