Abstract
This study was the first investigation on the parasites of Triportheus rotundatus, a Characiformes fish from the Amazon, in Brazil. All the fish collected (100%) in a tributary from the Amazon River system were infected by one or more parasite species. The mean species richness of parasites was 4.9 ± 0.9, the Brillouin index was 0.39 ± 0.16, the evenness was 0.24 ± 0.09 and the Berger-Parker dominance was 0.81 ± 0.13. A total of 1316 metazoan parasites were collected, including Anacanthorus pithophallus, Anacanthorus furculus, Ancistrohaptor sp. (Dactylogyridae), Genarchella genarchella (Derogenidae), Posthodiplostomum sp. (Diplostomidae), Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus (Camallanidae), Echinorhynchus paranensis (Echinorhynchidae) and Ergasilus sp. (Ergasilidae), but monogenoideans were the dominant parasites. These parasites presented an aggregate dispersion pattern, except for P. (S.) inopinatus, which showed a random dispersion pattern. The body conditions of the hosts were not affected by the parasitism levels. This first report of these parasites for T. rotundatus indicates that the presence of ectoparasites and endoparasites was due to hosts behavior and availability of infective stages in the environment, and this was discussed.
Highlights
The Amazon basin is a center of diversity for most groups of Neotropical fish, that is to say, it is an area of high species richness, due to its large extension of floodplains, which are important habitats
Triportheus rotundatus is a benthopelagic fish with an omnivorous diet, fed on fruits, seeds and insects that float on the water surface, besides microcrustaceans (PEREIRA et al, 2011; FROESE & PAULY, 2016; SUÇUARANA et al, 2016)
Monogenoideans were the dominant parasite species, and these parasites were not possible to count by species, the predominance was de A. furculus and A. pithophallus
Summary
The Amazon basin is a center of diversity for most groups of Neotropical fish, that is to say, it is an area of high species richness, due to its large extension of floodplains, which are important habitatsCommunities of parasites in Triportheus rotundatus this basin has diverse tributaries draining its water levels, which vary enormously during the year (ALBERT & REIS, 2011), including the Igarapé Fortaleza hydrographic basin.In the Amazon River system, in the region of the state of Amapá (Northern Brazil), there is the Igarapé Fortaleza hydrographic basin, an important tributary of this river. The Igarapé Fortaleza basin, located at the estuarine coastal sector, is characterized for having a river system with extensive floodplains, which is drained by fresh water and connected to a main watercourse, influenced by high rainfalls and tides (every 12 hours) from the Amazonas River (TAVARES-DIAS et al, 2013). This tributary of the Amazon River system harbors more than 80 species of freshwater fish (GAMA & HALBOTH, 2004), including Characiformes species of the genus Triportheus Cope, 1872, which are popularly known as freshwater sardines and represents an important resource for artisanal fishing and subsistence of human population in the region. Studies on the biology of T. rotundatus are reduced, mostly those regarding its parasitic fauna
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