Community ecology of the metazoan parasites of Banded Croaker, Paralonchurus brasiliensis (Osteichthyes: Sciaenidae), from the coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil- DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v25i2.2009

Abstract

Ninety-three specimens of banded croaker, Paralonchurus brasiliensis (Steindachner, 1875), collected from Pedra de Guaratiba (23º01’S, 43º38’W), coastal zone, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between September 2001 and March 2002, were necropsied to study their infracommunities of metazoan parasites. Fifteen species of metazoan parasites were collected. Paralonchurus brasiliensis is a new host record for 13 parasite species. The majority of fishes were parasitized by one or more metazoan. Larvae of Contracaecum sp. proved to be the dominant species, with highest prevalence and abundance values. The parasite species of P. brasiliensis showed the typical aggregated distribution pattern. Prevalence and abundance of Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) pereirai was positively correlated with the host total length. Abundance of Contracaecum sp. was positively correlated with the host total length. The abundances of a pair of adult endoparasites (Aponurus laguncula - Procamallanus (S.) pereirai) showed negative covariation and one pair of larvae stages of endoparasites (Nybelinia sp. – Contracaecum sp.) showed positive covariations between their abundances. Paralonchurus brasiliensis showed a metazoan parasite community composed by generalist species, little ordered and with scarce quantitative evidences of interspecific associations. These patterns agree with those detected in preceding studies about the parasite communities of Neotropical sciaenid fishes.