Parasites of native Cichlidae populations and invasive Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) in tributary of Amazonas River (Brazil)

Abstract

This study provides the first investigation on acquisition of parasites in invasive O. niloticus by parasite species of native Cichlidae from the Igarapé Fortaleza basin, Northern Brazil. There were examined 576 specimens of 16 species of native cichlids and invasive O. niloticus collected in the main channel and the floodplain area of this tributary of Amazon River. The invasive O. niloticus was poorly parasitized having only Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Trichodina centrostrigeata, Paratrichodina africana, Trichodina nobilis (Protozoa) and Cichlidogyrus tilapiae (Monogenoidea), and this host has not acquired any parasite species common to the native ichthyofauna region. In contrast, species of native cichlids showed rich fauna of parasites with predominance of Monogenoidea species, larvae and adults of Nematoda, Digenea, Cestoidea and Acanthocephala, besides four species of Protozoa and four Crustacea. However, only T. nobilis was acquired by native fish, the Aequidens tetramerus, which is a new host for this exotic Trichodinidae. In O. niloticus, well established in the region, the small number of helminth species may be associated with its rusticity, good adaptation in the new environment and also the presence of native parasites with relative specificity, but without ability to complete its life cycle in this invasive host of this ecosystem.Keywords: Colonization, biological invasion, fish parasites. ResumoEste estudo é a primeira investigação da aquisição de parasitos na invasora O. niloticus por espécies de parasitos Cichlidae nativos da bacia Igarapé Fortaleza, Norte do Brasil. Foram examinados 576 espécimes pertencentes a 16 espécies de ciclídeos nativos e à invasora O. niloticus coletados no canal principal e área da planície de inundação deste tributário do Rio Amazonas. A invasora O. niloticus foi pobremente parasitada, pois teve somente Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Trichodina centrostrigeata, Paratrichodina africana e Trichodina nobilis (Protozoa) e Cichlidogyrus tilapiae (Monogenoidea) e não adquiriu qualquer espécie comum à ictiofauna nativa da região. Em contraste, as espécies de ciclídeos nativos apresentaram uma rica fauna de parasitos com predominância de espécies de helmintos Monogenoidea, larvas e adultos de Nematoda, Digenea, Cestoidea e Acanthocephala, além de quatro espécies de Protozoa e quatro Crustacea. Porém, somente T. nobilis foi encontrado em peixe nativo, Aequidens tetramerus, que é um novo hospedeiro para esse Trichodinidae exótico. Em O. niloticus, já bem estabelecida na região, o reduzido número de espécies de helmintos pode estar associado à sua rusticidade, boa adaptação ao novo ambiente e também à presença de parasitos nativos com relativa especificidade, mas sem habilidade em completar seu ciclo de vida nesse hospedeiro invasor desse ecossistema.Palavras-chave: Colonização, invasão biológica, parasitos de peixes.

Are similar the parasite communities structure ofTrachelyopterus coriaceus and Trachelyopterus galeatus (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae) in the Amazon basin?

“…Gorytocephalus spectabilis only parasitized T. coriaceus, and at low infection levels, which were similar to those reported for Aquidens tetramerus Heckel, 1840; Heros efasciatus Heckel, 1840; Chaetobranchus flavescens Heckel, 1840; and Satanoperca jurupari Heckel, 1840 -all these hosts were also from the ecosystem of this study (BITTENCOURT et al, 2014b;TAVARES-DIAS et al, 2014). Although congeneric host species have similar biological and behavioral characteristics and are therefore potential hosts for parasitic fauna that is also similar, closely related species may also exhibit divergent characteristics that allow them to coexist, such as in relation to some trophic traits (GUIDELLI et al, 2009).…”

“…In these two hosts in the Amazon region, the dominant species were T. tetramerii and Trichodina nobilis, followed by I. multifiliis. These protozoans are typical of lentic-eutrophized environments like the hydrographic basin of this study , 2014BITTENCOURT et al, 2014b). In addition, in T. coriaceus and T. galeatus, the greatest richness of parasites was in species of helminths, with predominance of endoparasites of relatively high prevalence and low abundance, but only two endoparasites were found in larval stage (Contracaecum sp.…”

“…It is well known that the diet of the fish can be deduced from trophically transmitted parasites and because most endoparasites are associated with a specific ecological niche and diet, high diversity in host parasite fauna is often a result of a diverse host diet. Hence, a diverse parasitic communities of trophically transmitted parasites may indicate that the host population consumed a diversity of prey in habitat (WILSON & HUBSCHMAN, 1985;MORAVEC, 2007;TARASCHEWSKI, 2008;MOREIRA et al, 2009;MORAVEC, 2009;NEVES et al, 2013;TAVARES-DIAS et al, 2013;BITTENCOURT et al, 2014b;TAVARES-DIAS et al, 2014).…”

First study on communities of parasites in Triportheus rotundatus, a Characidae fish from the Amazon River system (Brazil)

“…Characteristics of the habitat may facilitate the transmission and establishment of fish parasites (MOREIRA et al, 2009;COSTA-PEREIRA et al, 2014;BITTENCOURT et al, 2014;OLIVEIRA et al, 2016). The abundance and diversity of the invertebrate fauna are also key components in the formation of a parasite community in fish populations (MOREIRA et al, 2009;MORLEY, 2012;TAVARES-DIAS et al, 2015).…”

“…Consequently, this increases the possibility of the fish finding different infective stages of the parasite species in the environment. (BITTENCOURT et al, 2014). However, as there are few reports on the occurrence of E. paranensis in fish, little is known about its biology and life cycle.…”