Ecological aspects of Diplectanum piscinarius (Platyhelminthes, Monogenea) parasite of gills of Plagioscion squamosissimus (Osteichthyes, Sciaenidae) in the Upper Paraná River floodplain, Brazil - DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v27i3.1279

Abstract

Thirty-nine specimens of Plagioscion squamosissimus Heckel, 1840 were collected through nets of different mesh sizes in the Upper Paraná River floodplain. The occurrence of Diplectanum piscinarius Kritsky and Thatcher, 1984 was registered and it presented mean abundance of 31, mean intensity of 31.8 and prevalence of 97%. This paper also brings an ecological analysis of some aspects of the host-parasite relationship between D. piscinarius and P. squamosissimus. There were not significant differences between the prevalence and intensity of parasitism of males and females. There were not correlations between abundance and prevalence and the standard length of the hosts; and between relative condition factor (Kn) and abundance. From the results it is possible to assume that there are few physiological and behavioral differences between male and female hosts. Physiological changes probably do not occur during the development of the hosts and parasites do not seem to be very pathogenic