First record of Rhipidocotyle santanaensis (Digenea) parasitizing Acestrorhynchus lacustris from Batalha River, Brazil.

N H O Pedro,R K Azevedo,L S Pelegrini,V D Abdallah

doi:10.1590/1519-6984.02515

Abstract

This paper describes the occurrence of digenetic Rhipidocotyle santanaensis Lunaschi, 2004 in Brazil. This parasite was found in the liver, heart, gonads, intestine, pyloric caeca, stomach, swim bladder and cavity of Acestrorhynchus lacustris (Lütken, 1875) from the Batalha River, São Paulo State, with higher incidence in gonads and digestive tract. The parasite specimens found in this study showed morphological characteristics very similar to specimens from Argentina, with differences only in relation to the ejaculatory duct and seminal vesicle. However, Brazilian specimens presented great morphometrical differences between specimens described in Argentina, with much higher measures. This is the first record of this metazoan parasite species in Brazil and in this host fish.

Highlights

Parasites can be effective tools for comparative studies in ecology and biogeography
Five genera were previously known from freshwater fishes of South America: Rhipidocotyle (Diesing, 1858), Prosorhynchus (Odhner, 1905), Prosorhynchoides (Dollfus, 1929), Bellumcorpus (Kohn, 1962) and Glandulorhynchus (Thatcher, 1999) (Lunaschi, 2004)
We provide new information about morphometrical and morphological characteristics of adult specimens of R. santanaensis in this freshwater fish from São Paulo State, Brazil

Summary

Introduction

Parasites can be effective tools for comparative studies in ecology and biogeography. Because they are host-dependent regarding the essential features of survival (nutrient acquisition and reside on or within the host’s body for long periods of time), its distribution is invariably linked to the presence of that particular host on the environment. Bucephalidae Poche, 1907 is a major family of Digenea, with a wide host and geographic distribution (Derbel et al, 2011). These digeneans are characterized by the presence of a rhynchus, when the oral sucker is absent (Travassos et al, 1969). Five genera were previously known from freshwater fishes of South America: Rhipidocotyle (Diesing, 1858), Prosorhynchus (Odhner, 1905), Prosorhynchoides (Dollfus, 1929), Bellumcorpus (Kohn, 1962) and Glandulorhynchus (Thatcher, 1999) (Lunaschi, 2004)

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