Abstract
This study investigated the parasites fauna of four freshwater ornamental fish species in aquarium shops of Macapá, Amapá State, in addition to survey the commercialized fish species and sanitary conditions of aquarium shops. Different native and non-native ornamental fish species were found in aquarium shops, mainly Poecilidae. We examined 30 specimens of Xiphophorus maculatus, 30 Danio rerio, 30 Paracheirodon axelrodi, and 30 Corydoras ephippifer for parasites. Of the 120 fish examined, 22.5% were parasitized by one or more species and a total of 438 parasites were collected and identified. Parasites such as: Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Monogenea, undermined Digenea metacercariae, Acanthostomum sp. metacercariae, Camallanus spp., Bothriocephalus acheilognathi and Echinorhynchus sp. infected the hosts examined. Endoparasites in the larval stage showed the greatest diversity and Camallanus spp. was found in all hosts species examined. Paracheirodon axelrodi (43.3%) was the most parasitized host, while C. ephippifer (6.7%) was the least parasitized. Despite the low ectoparasites level, six species of endoparasites was observed, demonstrating that prophylactic and quarantine procedures were not fully adequate. Therefore, failures in prophylactic procedures on any link in the production industry of ornamental fish may cause parasite transmission to ornamental fish captured in different environments and localities.
Highlights
IntroductionOrnamental fish keeping is one of the most popular hobbies around the world and has resulted in a turnover of US$ 100 billion in 2015, and continues to grow annually (ABIDI et al, 2011; FARIA et al, 2016)
We examined 30 specimens of Xiphophorus maculatus, 30 Danio rerio, 30 Paracheirodon axelrodi, and 30 Corydoras ephippifer for parasites
Singapore is the largest exporter of ornamental fish followed by the Spain and Japan, while Brazil ranks eighth in exports with US $ 13.5 million (FARIA et al, 2016)
Summary
Ornamental fish keeping is one of the most popular hobbies around the world and has resulted in a turnover of US$ 100 billion in 2015, and continues to grow annually (ABIDI et al, 2011; FARIA et al, 2016). In Brazil, ornamental fish keeping is a very important sector and this endeavor generated an income of US$ 16.7 billion in 2014 (FARIA et al, 2016). Ornamental fish are a significant source of income for many riverine communities from the Amazon basin and aquaculture ventures elsewhere in Brazil. 75/79 75 local trade and export of ornamental fish by Brazilian aquaculture ventures has been inhibited by poor quality and the lack of a regular production process. The ornamental fish industry in Brazil has great potential for growth and development, one of the weakest links is a complete lack of understanding of the different diseases that affect ornamental fish farming
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