Temporal dynamics of parasite populations and communities of blue sea catfish Ariopsis guatemalensis (Günther, 1864), in a eutrophic coastal lagoon from Mexican Pacific

Abstract

ABSTRACT The temporal dynamics of parasite populations and communities of blue sea catfish Ariopsis guatemalensis from a tropical eutrophic coastal lagoon was studied during an annual cycle. A total of 620 adult fishes were collected between January and December 2019. Eleven taxa of parasites were identified, three of monoxenous (single-host life cycle), and eight of heteroxenous (multi-host life cycle) parasites. The infection levels of two monoxenous (Neotetraonchus vegrandis and Ergasilus sp.) and five heteroxenous (Austrodiplostomum sp. Pseudoacanthostomum panamense, Pseudoleptorhynchoides lamothei, Contracaecum sp. and Hysterothylacium perezi) parasite species varied between sampling months and/or climatic seasons. The infection dynamics of these group of parasites were influenced by environmental changes generated by the dry/rainy cycle, which can affect the availability of intermediate host populations, and the feeding and reproductive behaviour of the host. Although the species composition of the parasite communities remains quite stable over time, its structure registers important changes mainly during the rainy season. Some host traits such as the feeding and reproductive behaviour, body size, physical condition, and sex of the host, as well as the temporal replacement of numerically dominant parasite species, were the main factors responsible for variations in the parasite community structure.