Records of new localities and hosts for crustacean parasites in fish from the eastern Amazon in northern Brazil

Foreign stingers: South American freshwater river stingrays Potamotrygon spp. established in Indonesia

The pet trade is known to be one of the most important pathways of aquatic non-native species introduction and Indonesia is a significant trade partner. Popular ornamental South American river stingrays (Potamotrygon spp.) were introduced to Indonesia in the 1980s and the culture was established. Here we present a detailed Indonesian market and aquaculture survey, the volume of trade between January 2020 and June 2022, and the list of customer countries with the total amount of imported stingrays. Climate similarities between the native range of P. motoro and P. jabuti and Indonesia were analysed. A significant number of areas of Indonesian islands were identified as suitable for the establishment of this species. This was confirmed by the first record of probably established populations in the Brantas River (Java). In total 13 individuals including newborns were captured. The culture of potamotrygonid stingrays is unregulated in Indonesia, and the risk of the establishment of this predator and its potential spread is alarming for wildlife. Moreover, the first case of envenomation caused by Potamotrygon spp. in the wild outside of South America was recorded. The current condition is predicted as the 'tip of the iceberg' and continuous monitoring and mitigation of risks are strongly recommended.

First report of Livoneca guianensis (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) in Leporinus fasciatus (Pisces: Anostomidae) in Brazil

This study aimed to report the first record of the occurrence of the parasite Livoneca guianensis in Leporinus fasciatus in Brazil. In September 2019, during surveys of the parasites in 12 specimens of L. fasciatus from the lower Jari River basin, in Amapá State, Brazil, one specimen of L. guianensis was found in the tongue of one host. The prevalence of L. guianensis was 8.3%, and it was observed that this parasite has a geographic distribution restricted to South America, parasitizing fish species from Guyana and Brazil. This study contributed to the first report on the occurrence of L. guianensis for L. fasciatus in Brazil. In addition, increased the knowledge on the geographic distribution of this parasite with morphometric data, which are scarce for this Cymothoidae.

Isopods Cymothoidae ectoparasites of fish from the Amazon

Most freshwater species of Cymothoidae are distributed in South America. They have mainly been recorded in the eastern and western regions of the Amazon River basin. However, in this ecosystem, the biodiversity of this group may be greater if the entire Amazon basin is considered. In this regard, the aim of the present study was to provide an updated list of isopod species of the family Cymothoidae that are found in fish in the Brazilian Amazon region and to report on new fish host occurrences and expanded geographical distributions for cymothoid isopods that parasitize fish in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon region. The parasites found in fish specimens were collected, fixed and identified later. We found eight species of Cymothoidae parasitizing different host fish species in the southwestern Amazon region. However, we found 14 species of Cymothoidae throughout the Brazilian Amazon region. Three additional species are thus reported here, which increases the number of species of Cymothoidae in this region to 17. These additional species are also new records for Brazil. Therefore, this study has contribute to expand the knowledge about the distribution and diversity of Cymothoidae in the Amazon basin.

New records of hosts for Excorallana longicornis and Nerocila acuminata (Crustacea: Isopoda) in brackish fish from the coast of the State of Amapá (Brazil), with an update on the geographic distribution of Nerocila acuminata

Fish are parasitized by several species of crustaceans, including Cymothoidae and Corallanidae. The aim of this study was to investigate the crustacean parasite fauna in Anableps anableps, Amphiarius rugispinis, Bagre bagre, Cathorops spixii, Cynoscion acoupa, Centropomus undecimalis, Macrodon ancylodon, Mugil curema, Megalops atlanticus, Pseudachenipterus nodosus, Plagioscion squamosissimus, Platystacus cotylephorus, Sciades passany, Sciades herzbergii, and Hypostomus ventrimaculata from the coast of the State of Amapá, eastern Amazon. In addition, an update on the geographic distribution of Nerocila acuminata in Brazilian Amazon is present. A total of 204 fish were examined and prevalence was 16.17%. A total of 185 Excorallana longicornis and Nerocila acuminata were collected and E. longicornis was the most frequent parasite species. The community of parasitic crustaceans in fish species from the coast of the State of Amapá consisted of two species of isopods, E. longicornis and N. acuminata, which are new records for nine host species here studied. Lastly, this is the first record of Nerocila acuminata for Brazil, besides the first report of E. longicornis for M. curema, C. acoupa, H. vetrimaculata, A. anableps, A. rugispinis, C. spixii and S. herzbergii; as well as N. acuminata for A. anableps, P. nodosus, A. rugispinis, C. spixii and M. atlanticus.

First report of Artystone trysibia (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) in Caquetaia spectabilis (Cichliformes: Cichlidae)

Abstract The present study provides the first record of an isopod parasite (Artystone trysibia) on Caquetaia spectabilis, a cichlid from the eastern Amazon collected in the State of Amapá, northern Brazil. In May 2018, specimens of C. spectabilis were collected in the lower Jari River, and 33.3% were parasitized by A. trysibia on the tegument tissue between pelvic fins. No hemorrhage or injury signals were observed in the tegument of the host. This study also expanded the distribution of A. trysibia to the eastern Amazon.

Low levels of crustacean parasite infestation in fish species from the Matapi River in the state of Amapá, Brazil

Abstract This first study investigated the crustacean parasite fauna in 66 species of fish from the Matapi River basin, state of Amapá (Brazil). Fish were collected every two months between March 2012 and August 2013, encompassing dry and rainy seasons. Among the 66 species examined (corresponding to 722 fish specimens) only 11 species were parasitized. The infestation prevalence was 2.2%, and a total of 48 specimens of parasites were distributed between three different parasite groups. These included Argulus elongatus, Dolops reperta and Argulus multicolor (Branchiura), Ergasilus xinguensis and Gamidactylus sp. (Copepoda), and Isopoda (Braga patagonica), but branchiuran species were predominant. This was the first report of these parasite species for Leporinus fasciatus, Astyanax bimaculatus, Curimata incompta, Pygocentrus nattereri, Crenicichla cincta, Crenicichla johanna, Geophagus camopiensis, Pterophyllum scalare, Plagioscion squamosissimus, Hypostomus plecostomus and Propimelodus eigenmanni. Lastly, this study expands the range of occurrence of these six parasite species to the Matapi River basin in eastern Amazon.