Parasite community of Pagrus pagrus(Sparidae) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: evidence of temporal stability

Abstract

One hundred specimens of Pagrus pagrus were necropsied for parasitological study between January and February 2012. These data were compared with data from 90 specimens that had been examined in the year 2000. The fish were collected from Cabo Frio (21-23 ° S, 41-45 ° W), in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the current study a total of 19 parasite species were collected. Sixteen of these were collected in the samples of both 2012 and 2000, thus totaling 25 parasite species in the two studies. All the results were similar to those of the previous study with regard to: dominance of anisakid nematode larvae; correlation between abundance of parasites and host body size; absence of correlations between the size of parasite infrapopulations and host sex; and scarcity of interspecific associations. The only difference between the studies was in the abundance values for Anisakidae, which could be correlated with the seasonal factor of the collection period, which was concentrated in the summer. This is also the period of the South Atlantic Central Water (SACW) phenomenon, during which there is greater host reproductive activity. Therefore, significant stability of the metazoan community structure of P. pagrus was shown.Keywords: Pagrus pagrus, parasites, community structure, marine fish, temporal stability. ResumoCem exemplares de Pagrus pagrus foram necropsiados entre janeiro e fevereiro de 2012 para estudos parasitológicos. Esses dados foram comparados com dados de 90 espécimes examinados no ano 2000. Os peixes foram coletados em Cabo Frio (21-23 ° S, 41-45 ° W), no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. No presente estudo, foram coletados um total de 19 espécies de parasitos, 16 delas foram coletadas em comum nas amostras de 2012 e 2000, dando um total de 25 espécies de parasitos. Todos os resultados foram semelhantes aos do estudo anterior em: dominância das larvas de anisaquídeos; correlação entre a abundância de parasitos e comprimento total do corpo dos hospedeiros; ausência de correlações entre o tamanho das infrapopulações parasitárias e sexo do hospedeiro e a escassez de associações interespecíficas. A única diferença entre os estudos reside nos valores da abundância de nematóides anisaquídeos, o que poderia ser correlacionado com o fator sazonal do período de coleta que foi concentrada no verão, período que coincide com o fenômeno da Água Central do Atlântico Sul (ACAS), no qual o hospedeiro apresenta maior atividade reprodutiva. Portanto, uma significativa estabilidade da estrutura da comunidade de parasitos de P. pagrus foi evidenciada.Palavras-chave: Pagrus pagrus, parasitas, estrutura da comunidade, peixe marinho, estabilidade temporal.

Pseudorhabdosynochus sulamericanus(Monogenea, Diplectanidae), a parasite of deep-sea groupers (Serranidae) occurs transatlantically on three congeneric hosts (Hyporthodusspp.), one from the Mediterranean Sea and two from the western Atlantic

“…Three cases concern sparid fish (Sparidae); two are polyopisthocotylean species for which specimens from both sides of the Atlantic have been comparatively studied (Santos, Souto-Padrón & Lanfredi, 1996). The third case is a diplectanid, Lamellodiscus baeri Oliver, 1974, from Pagrus pagrus in the Mediterranean; since no morphological data are available for its mention in South America (Soares, Vieira & Luque, 2014), we consider that this needs verification. Finally, two cases are diplectanids from groupers: P. beverleyburtonae , which, based on comparative morphological studies, seems be present on both sides of the Atlantic on the same fish, the Dusky grouper (see above); the other is P. sulamericanus , the subject of our study.…”

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

“…The species richness and diversity of marine fish parasite communities can vary widely among host species (Poulin & Rohde, ; Rodhe, ). Very few of the studies on parasite community structure in marine fish analyze temporal or spatial variations in these communities in response to seasonal and local variations in biotic and abiotic environmental factors (Balboa & George‐Nascimento, ; Garcias, Mendoza, & George‐Nascimento, ; Henriquez & Gonzalez, ; Iannacone, Moron, & Guizado, ; Sellers, Ruiz, Leung, & Torchin, ; Soares, Vieira, & Luque, ; Vidal‐Martinez & Poulin, ).…”

“…In the tropics, structural changes in marine fish parasite communities have been linked principally to host traits such as age, body size, feeding behavior, host density, and vagility. All are factors which can promote high exposure to, and colonization rates of, new parasite species, and these factors have been associated with higher species richness in parasite communities (Luque, Mouillot, & Poulin, ; Santos‐Bustos et al, ; Sasal, Morand, & Guegan, ; Soares et al, ; Villalba‐Vasquez et al, ). However, the influence of abiotic environmental factors such as local fluctuations in surface temperature, salinity, or dissolved oxygen concentrations have received only limited attention in parasitological studies (Henriquez & Gonzalez, ; Santos‐Bustos et al, ; Soares et al, ; Villalba‐Vasquez et al, ).…”

“…All are factors which can promote high exposure to, and colonization rates of, new parasite species, and these factors have been associated with higher species richness in parasite communities (Luque, Mouillot, & Poulin, ; Santos‐Bustos et al, ; Sasal, Morand, & Guegan, ; Soares et al, ; Villalba‐Vasquez et al, ). However, the influence of abiotic environmental factors such as local fluctuations in surface temperature, salinity, or dissolved oxygen concentrations have received only limited attention in parasitological studies (Henriquez & Gonzalez, ; Santos‐Bustos et al, ; Soares et al, ; Villalba‐Vasquez et al, ). Large‐scale climate fluctuations such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO: sea temperature warming phase) and La Niña (cooling phase) are known to affect many ecological processes, including transmission of many metazoan parasites (Alvitres, Chaname, Fupuy, Chambergo, & Cortez, ; Oliva, Barrios, Thatje, & Laudien, ).…”

Seasonal variability of the composition and structure of parasite communities of red porgy, Pagrus pagrus (Perciformes: Sparidae) off Brazil

“…Studies related with the population and community ecology of fi sh parasites are carry out in order to determine their natural modifi cations, including both biotic and abiotic factors of the host-parasite system that affect its dynamics (Díaz & George-Nascimento, 2002). Processes such as variations in temperature and other abiotic factors, the abundance of intermediate hosts, changes in abundance, reproductive behaviour and diet of defi nitive hosts and factors related to host immunity have been suggested to infl uence the seasonal variation in communities of parasites of marine fi sh in tropical regions (Carvalho & Luque, 2011;Soares et al, 2014).…”