The structure of the monogenean community on the gills of Pimelodus maculatus in Río de la Plata (Argentina)

Two new species of dactylogyrids (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) infecting the gill filaments of fishes in the southern Peruvian Amazon

Two new dactylogyrid species were found infecting the gill filaments of two freshwater fishes collected in the Amazon River basin around Madre de Dios, Peru, namely, Demidospermus wilveri n. sp. from Loricaria sp. (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), and Notozothecium agusti n. sp. from Brycon amazonicus (Spix & Agassiz) (Characiformes: Bryconidae). Demidospermus wilveri n. sp. is characterized by having the following combination of characteristics: (1) a male copulatory organ (MCO) with 1½ rings and a spoon-shaped distal end, (2) an accessory piece with expanded distal end, (3) dorsal and ventral bars with broadly V-shaped and expanded ends, and (4) hooks similar in size. Notozothecium agusti n. sp. differs from its ten congeners by the following combination of characteristics: (1) a coiled MCO with 1½ rings and a sinuous accessory piece with kidney-shaped distal end, (2) an rod-shaped and straight dorsal bar, (3) and anchors with robust superficial roots. Demidospermus wilveri n. sp. represents the thirty-second species in the genus, the eighth from Peru and the fifth parasitising a loricariid catfish from the Peruvian Amazon. Notozothecium agusti n. sp. is the second species of the genus described in Peru and the first species infecting a bryconid host.

Freshwater fishes of the Río de la Plata: current assemblage structure

Abstract Few studies have addressed the composition of fish assemblages of the freshwater Río de la Plata (RdlP) and have only been limited to species lists gathered over the last two centuries. As such inventories have never been reviewed or validated by fish sampling, the richness and structure of RdlP fish assemblage are poorly known. Hence, we conducted an exhaustive literature review and a fieldwork in six coastal points of Argentina to update the species composition and determine the hierarchical structure of the fish assemblage. From the 206 species registered in the literature, 48 were not confirmed, 13 were absent, five were taken as synonymized species, 29 were supported by literature and 107 were confirmed; one was an established exotic species, and three were a non-established exotic species. The findings reported here suggest that the fish assemblage currently comprises 141 species, including four new records. Analysis of fieldwork data in number and weight of fish captured resulted in an assemblage hierarchical structure of five dominant, 22 frequent, and 45 rare species; 16 dominant, 11 frequent, and 45 rare taxa, respectively. These results could be used as baseline to monitor, manage, and preserve neotropical fish species in their southern distribution boundary.

Qualitative and quantitative study of parasites of Pimelodus maculatus and Rhamdia quelen from the Jacaré-Pepira River, state of São Paulo, Brazil

In the freshwater ecosystems of Brazil can be found high biodiversity of fish, about 5160 species. However, the Jacaré-Pepira River, located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, presents a diversity of fish still to be explored in ichthyological studies. Metazoan parasites of Pimelodus maculatus and Rhamdia quelen were qualitatively and quantitatively diagnosed. Ten species of parasites (Demidospermus sp., D. majusculus, D. bidiverticulatum, D. paravalenciennesi, Ameloblastella paranaensis, Scleroductus sp., Riggia sp., Austrodiplostomum compactum, Helobdella sp. and Neochinorhynchus pimelodi) were collected in P. maculatus and eight species of parasites (Aphanoblastella robustus, A. mastigatus, Phyllodistomum rhamdiae, Crocodilicola pseudostoma, Henneguya jundiai, Contracaecum sp., Rhabdochona sp. and Capillariidae gen. sp.) were collected in R. quelen. All parasites presented aggregate distribution. A significant correlation was observed in P. maculatus concerning the weight with the prevalence of ectoparasite D. majusculus; however, R. quelen showed a relation to the length and weight with the abundance of ectoparasite A. mastigatus and endoparasites. The parasitic community of P. maculatus and R. quelen was characterized by high diversity, high richness, and low uniformity.

Helminth fauna parasitizing Pimelodus pohli (Actinopterygii: Pimelodidae) from the upper São Francisco River, Brazil

The parasite fauna of catfish, Pimelodus pohli, from the São Francisco River Basin is presented. A total of 45 catfish from the upper São Francisco River (45°15′44″W 18°13′25″S), were examined from July 2009 to September 2011. Forty-three catfish (95.5%) were infected by at least one parasite species, with 885 parasite specimens being found, distributed across 17 species: Monogenea (Demidospermus uncusvalidus, Pavanelliella pavanellii, and Scleroductus sp.); Eucestoda (plerocercoids of Proteocephalidea); Digenea (metacercariae of Austrodiplostomum compactum, adults of Auriculostoma platense and Kalipharynx sp., and juvenile of Prosthenhystera obesa); Nematoda (larvae of Contracaecum sp., Hysterothylacium sp., Procamallanus pimelodus, Procamallanus sp., and unidentified of Cucullanidae, and adults of Cucullanus caballeroi, Philometra sp., and Procamallanus freitasi); and Acanthocephala (adults of Neoechinorhynchus pimelodi). Procamallanus freitasi and Scleroductus sp. were the taxa with the highest prevalence. Demidospermus uncusvalidus, P. freitasi, and Scleroductus sp. were the dominant species. The host's sex did not influence parasitic indexes; however, the total length of the catfish did appear to have some influence. The parasites, with except for P. obesa, were registered for the first time in P. pohli, as well as the occurrence of Kalipharynx sp. and C. caballeroi among pimelodid hosts from São Francisco River and South America.

New data on species of Demidospermus (Dactylogyridae: Monogenea) parasitizing fishes from the reservoir of the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Station, Parana State, Brazil, with new synonymies

Eight known species of Demidospermus (Dactylogyridae, Monogenea) were collected from siluriform fishes from reservoir of the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Station, Paraná, Brazil. Four of them are recorded for the first time in Brazil, enlarging their geographical distribution: Demidospermus armostus, Demidospermus anus, Demidospermus bidiverticulatum and Demidospermus valenciennesi. Demidospermus labrosi is synonymized with Demidospermus cornicinus and Demidospermus mandi with Demidospermus leptosynophallus and reported from two new hosts. Demidospermus paravalenciennesi and Demidospermus uncusvalidus were also collected.

Linking species abundance distributions and body size in monogenean communities

Parasite communities are characterised by one or a few numerically dominant species and many rare species. Although this pattern is well recognised, its underlying causes remain unknown. In this study, we tested whether variation in abundance among species within parasite communities can be explained by interspecific variation in body size. We used data on nine fish species (families Serranidae and Lethrinidae) from New Caledonia, each harbouring strictly host-specific diplectanid monogenean species with very uneven abundances. On each fish species, the most abundant monogenean species accounted for between one half and two thirds of all individuals recovered from the community, and its abundance was between 2 and 114 times greater than that of the second-most abundant species. However, there was no convincing evidence that the ratio of abundance values between the two most abundant species in a community co-varied with the ratio in their body sizes; thus, size differences cannot explain these differences in abundances between common species. It is surprising to note that in two of the three communities with enough species for an analysis to be performed, body size tended to correlate positively with abundance among all species of diplectanid monogeneans. Thus, although body size variation on its own cannot account for the pronounced differences in abundance among monogenean species within the same community, body size remains an important determinant of abundance as it relates to life-history traits underpinning reproductive rates and population growth in these unsaturated communities.

Population dynamics of Philureter trigoniopsis (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalinae) from urinary organs of Galaxias maculatus (Osmeriformes: Galaxiidae) in a cold temperate Andean Patagonian lake (Argentina)

Philureter trigoniopsis parasitizes the ureters and urinary bladder of Galaxias maculatus in Patagonian Andean lakes. To investigate factors associated with variation in the prevalence and intensity of this monogenean, fish were sampled periodically over 2 yr in Lake Gutiérrez. Prevalence and mean intensity are higher in smaller fishes than in larger ones. A seasonal pattern was observed, with peak recruitment and peak mean intensity occurring in early spring (September), followed by lows in late summer (January-February). Galaxias maculatus length classes are spatially segregated due to seasonal migrations, so the annual infection cycle is characterized by higher prevalence and intensity from late winter to early summer in the smaller fish from the deep zone of the lake.

Infracommunity level aggregation in the monogenean communities of crucian carp (Carassius carassius)

Aggregation is one of the distinctive features in parasite-host relationships, which has generally been studied at the level of host communities. Parasite aggregation at the infracommunity level may nevertheless be important for intraspecific interactions such as parasite mating success and opportunities for cross-fertilization. In the present paper, we studied the infracommunity aggregation of 3 highly abundantDactylogyrus(Monogenea) species occurring on the gills of crucian carp (Carassius carassius). In line with the previous work on monogenean communities, we observed no competition between the species. At the species level, parasites were distributed unevenly on the gills showing aggregation in the majority of infracommunities. However, aggregation decreased with increasing parasite abundance, which supports the hypothesis that less aggregation may be needed to ensure successful mating when the distance to a potential mate decreases with increasing number of conspecifics. Lack of interspecific interactions, species specific site selection and the importance of study scale for aggregation patterns in dactylogyrids are discussed.

Fish population size, and not density, as the determining factor of parasite infection: a case study

The diversity and abundance of parasites vary widely among populations of the same host species. These infection parameters are, to some extent, determined by characteristics of the host population or of its habitat. Recent studies have supported predictions derived from epidemiological models regarding the influence of host population density: parasite abundance and parasite species richness are expected to increase with increasing host population density, at least for directly transmitted parasites. Here, we test this prediction using a natural system in which populations of the crucian carp, Carassius carassius (L.), occur alone, with no other fish species, in a series of 9 isolated ponds in Finland. The ectoparasite communities in these fish populations consist of only 4 species of monogeneans (Dactylogyrus formosus, D. wegeneri, D. intermedius and Gyrodactylus carassii); the total and relative abundance of these 4 species varies among ponds, with one or two of the species missing from certain ponds. Across ponds, only one factor, total fish population size, explained a significant portion of the variance in both the mean number of monogenean species per fish and the mean total abundance of monogenean individual per fish. In contrast, fish population density did not influence either monogenean abundance or species richness, and neither did any of the other variables investigated (mean fish length per pond, number of fish examined per pond, distance to the nearest lake, and several water quality measures). In our system, proximity among fish individuals (i.e. host population density) may not be relevant to the proliferation of monogeneans; instead, the overall availability of host individuals in the host population appeared to be the main constraint limiting parasite population growth.