Metazoan parasites of Mugil curema (Osteichthyes: Mugilidae) from the coastal Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

From May to August 2011, 55 specimens of white mullet Mugil curema Valenciennes, 1836 (Osteichthyes: Mugilidae) collected from coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro (21-23° S, 41-45° W), were necropsied to study their communities of metazoan parasites. Two species of metazoan parasites were collected: Floridosentis mugilis Machado, 1951 (Acantocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae) and Metamicrocotyla macracantha Alexander, 1954 (Monogenea: Microcotylidae). The majority of the fishes (n = 41; 74.5%) were parasitized by at least one metazoan species. Three hundred twenty-four specimens, with an average of 5.8 ± 7.6 per host, were collected. Floridosentis mugilis constituted the majority of specimens collected (n = 319), was the dominant species, with highest prevalence, abundance, intensity and mean intensity. The parasites species showed a typical over-dispersed pattern of distribution. The abundance of the species F. mugilis and total parasites collected showed negative correlation with host total length. The metazoan parasites community of M. curema showed dominance of endoparasites, no correlation between parasite abundance and the lack of relationship between the sex of host and parasite rates. Mugil curema showed low parasite species richness when compared with studies on the parasitic fauna of mugilids of the Brazilian coast.