Diversity of metazoan parasites of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) as indicators of pollution in a subtropical African river system

AbstractThe relationship between parasite species diversity and organic pollution in the upper Manyame catchment, Zimbabwe, was investigated between October 2006 and January 2007. The parasite assemblage comprised 13 species in total. Species richness in the unpolluted sites was high; in the moderately polluted sites, it was low, while in the polluted sites, only one parasite species was encountered. Component community diversity, as measured by the Shannon index (H′), decreased with increase in organic pollution. The distribution and occurrence of ectoparasites (Dolops ranarum, Lamproglena clariae, Chonopeltis sp. and Macrogyrodactylus sp.) and one endoparasite (Lytocestus sp.) were limited to the unpolluted sites, demonstrating their sensitivity to organic pollution. The prevalence of the nematodes Paracamallanus cyathopharynx, Procamallanus laevionchus and Contracaecum spp. larvae decreased along the pollution gradient, showing their high sensitivity to organic pollution. The platyhelminths Diplostomum sp. and Polyonchobothrium clarias were the most tolerant and occurred at both polluted and unpolluted sites. Proteocephalus sp. and Caryophyllaeus sp. were limited to the polluted sites, probably as a result of high abundance of oligochaetes and copepods, their intermediate hosts that thrive in sewage-enriched sediments, at the downstream sites. The observed results assume that the decrease in parasite diversity can be related to increased organic pollution. Some parasites requiring complex life histories were absent along with pollution-related disappearance of their vector hosts. Further studies should address the identification of parasite life stages that are more sensitive to pollutants.

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Communities of metazoan parasites of two fishes of the Proterorhinus genus (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae)

Helminthologia ◽

10.2478/s11687-009-0032-9 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 168-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Yuriy Kvach ◽

Mehmet Oğuz

Keyword(s):

Parasite Species ◽

The Black Sea ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

Great Tendency ◽

Component Community ◽

Metazoan Parasites ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Marine Parasite ◽

Nicolla Skrjabini

AbstractMetazoan parasite communities of two gobiids, Proterorhinus marmoratus and P. semilunaris, which are common small-sized fishes native for the Black Sea basin, were studied. The parasite component community of P. marmoratus is represented by 11 species (one monogenean, one cestode, five digeneans, two nematodes, and two acanthocephalans). P. semilunaris had 5 species (one monogenean, one cestode, one digenean, one nematode, and one acanthocephalan). Acanthocephaloides propinquus has a great tendency to join the infracommunity. The differences between the parasite component communities of two Proterorhinus gobies are explained by different quality of habitats and available intermediate hosts. The component community of parasites of P. marmoratus is formed by brackish-water and marine parasite species, and that of P. semilunaris consists of limnetic parasite species. The euryhaline G. proterorhini is the only parasite species found in both P. marmoratus and P. semilunaris. In both species of gobiids, the main abundant parasite species (A. propinquus in P. marmoratus and Nicolla skrjabini in P. semilunaris) infest the host by feeding on crustaceans.

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Determinants of the parasite community of clariid fishes from Lake Victoria, Tanzania

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1017/s0022149x07839745 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 82 (1) ◽

pp. 7-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Chacha Mwita ◽

Gamba Nkwengulila

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Lake Victoria ◽

Clarias Gariepinus ◽

Ecological Factors ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Community Level ◽

Component Community ◽

Metazoan Parasites ◽

Parasite Species Richness

AbstractThe factors that determine parasite assemblages among the clariid fishes of Lake Victoria, Tanzania were studied between August 2003 and February 2005. Six hundred and fifty-six fish belonging to seven species were necropsied and examined for parasites, from which 31 species of metazoan parasites were recorded. The community was dominated by the nematodes both in species and numbers. Most species were generalists with only two trematodes, Diplostomum mashonense and Tylodelphys species, being specialists of Clarias gariepinus. Ten species were considered core and predictable. Parasite species richness, number of individuals per host and Shannon–Wiener diversity indices were generally high. At the compound community level, a mean number of 7.8 parasites were shared among different species of fish and the maximum number of parasites species per fish at the infracommunity level was seven. Levels of similarity in parasite species richness at the component community level ranged from 29.6 to 61.5%. The study concludes that parasite communities in clariid fishes of Lake Victoria are structured by ecological factors. At the infracommunity level, host size, diet and vagility promoted a richer parasite community. At the compound level, two factors were crucial, namely the intermixing of the waters in the lake and the predominant and mobile C. gariepinus.

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Metazoan Parasites and Health State of European Eel, Anguilla Anguilla (Anguilliformes, Anguillidae), From Tonga Lake and El Mellah Lagoon in the Northeast of Algeria

Vestnik Zoologii ◽

10.2478/vzoo-2018-0029 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 279-288 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

F. Bakaria ◽

S. Belhaoues ◽

N. Djebbari ◽

M. Tahri ◽

I. Ladjama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brackish Water ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Anguilla Anguilla ◽

European Eel ◽

Health State ◽

Component Community ◽

Metazoan Parasites ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

High Dominance ◽

Argulus Foliaceus

Abstract The aim of the study was to examine metazoans parasite communities of European eels (Anguilla anguilla) in freshwater (Tonga Lake) and brackish water (El Mellah lagoon) in the northeast of Algeria. Six parasite taxa were collected: one monogenean, Pseudodactylogyrus sp.; two crustaceans, Ergasilus sp. and Argulus foliaceus; two nematodes, Cucullanus sp. and Anguillicola crassus; one cestode, Bothriocephalus claviceps. Th e most prevalent parasite taxa in freshwater were Pseudodactylogyrus sp., A. crassus and Bothriocephalus claviceps; whereas in the brackish water, eels were infected mainly with A. crassus. Th e characteristics of the parasite component community structure revealed low parasite species diversity and high dominance values in eels from the two localities. Both communities were dominated by a single parasite species: Tonga eels by the monogenean Pseudodactylogyrus sp. and El Mellah lagoon eels by the nematode A. crassus, verified by high Berger-Parker dominance values of 0.76 and 0.87 respectively.

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Community ecology of the metazoan parasites of namorado sandperches, Pseudopercis numida Miranda-Ribeiro, 1903 and P. semifasciata Cuvier, 1829 (Perciformes: Pinguipedidae), from the coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842008000200007 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 68 (2) ◽

pp. 269-278 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

JL. Luque ◽

NN. Felizardo ◽

LER. Tavares

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Rio De Janeiro ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Neotropical Region ◽

Component Community ◽

New Host ◽

Metazoan Parasites ◽

Parasite Abundance ◽

Parasite Species Richness ◽

Total Length

One hundred and twenty-eight specimens of namorado sandperches, 62 P. numida and 66 P. semifasciata, collected between October 2002 and June 2003 off the Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Lat 23° S and Long 42° W), were examined to study their metazoan parasites. Parasite communities of these fish were composed basically of endoparasites, mainly digenean and cestodes species, with low prevalence and abundance but having high parasite species richness values (at the component community level). Among these values, that found for P. numida is the highest so far recorded for marine fishes from the Neotropical Region. Thirty-nine species of metazoan parasites were collected: 36 from P. numida and 28 from P. semifasciata. Twenty-five parasite species were common to both species of namorado sandperches. Pseudopercis numida and P. semifasciata are new host records for all parasite species collected, with the exception of Microcotyle pseudopercis. Choanodera sp., Leurodera decora, Neolebouria georgenascimentoi, and Proctoeces sp. which were recorded for the first time in the South American Atlantic Ocean. Gnathia sp. from P. numida and Scolex pleuronectis from P. semifasciata were the species having the greatest dominance frequency. Parasite abundance in P. numida and P. semifasciata were positively correlated with the host total length. Only in P. numida was parasite species richness correlated positively with the host total length. No significant differences between endoparasite infracommunities of P. numida and P. semifasciata were detected. The ectoparasites of P. numida had higher values for parasite abundance, parasite richness, Brillouin index, evenness index, and Berger-Parker index than those of the ectoparasites of P. semifasciata. Comparisons among all ecto- and endoparasites showed the ectoparasites of P. numida as the most heterogeneous group. Low similarity values were observed among the three types of parasite infracommunities of the two hosts.

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Interannual variation in the metazoan parasite communities of bigeye trevally Caranx sexfasciatus (Pisces, Carangidae)

Parasite ◽

10.1051/parasite/2020001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 ◽

pp. 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Juan Violante-González ◽

Scott Monks ◽

Yesenia Gallegos-Navarro ◽

Nataly G. Santos-Bustos ◽

Princessa J. Villalba-Vasquez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Single Species ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Component Community ◽

Metazoan Parasites ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Local Fluctuations ◽

Low Diversity ◽

Abiotic Environmental Factors

Parasite communities in Caranx sexfasciatus were characterized and analyzed to determine any interannual variations in structure and/or species composition. In total, 422 C. sexfasciatus were collected from Acapulco Bay, Mexico, between May 2016 and March 2019. Thirty-two taxa of metazoan parasites were identified: five Monogenea, thirteen Digenea, one Acanthocephala, one Cestoda, three Nematoda, seven Copepoda, and two Isopoda. Monogeneans were the most frequent and abundant parasite species in all sampling years. Parasite species richness at the component community level varied significantly from 8 (May 2016) to 25 (March 2019) and was similar to previous reports for other species of Carangidae. The component communities and infracommunities in C. sexfasciatus were characterized by low parasite species numbers, low diversity, and dominance of a single species (the monogenean Neomicrocotyle pacifica). Parasite community structure and species composition varied between sampling years and climatic seasons. Seasonal or local fluctuations in some biotic and abiotic environmental factors probably explain these variations.

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Intestinal helminth parasites in flounderPlatichthys flesusfrom the River Thames: an infracommunity analysis

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1079/joh2004255 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 78 (4) ◽

pp. 297-303 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

S. Guillen-Hernandez ◽

P.J. Whitfield

Keyword(s):

Parasite Species ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Intestinal Helminth ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

Component Community ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Marine Influence ◽

River Thames

AbstractAn analysis was undertaken of intestinal helminth communities in flounderPlatichthys flesusfrom two sites on the River Thames. A comparison was made between helminth community richness and diversity from these sites at the component and infracommunity levels. At the component community level, a richer and more diverse parasite community was found in flounder from the Tilbury location (marine influence) than that from the Lots Road location (freshwater influence). At the infracommunity level, more parasite species and parasite individuals per host were found at Lots Road and the percentage of similarity values were low at both locations. Helminth species with high prevalence values in the parasite communities of the flounder are the dominant species in any individual fish, harbouring multi-specific infections. The presence of more invertebrate species, which are intermediate hosts in the helminth life cycle in the Thames, fish vagility and the high prevalence and abundance values ofPomphorhynchus laevisin the flounder, may explain the differences between the two locations.

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Community structure analysis of endoparasitic helminths of Anabas testudineus from unpolluted and polluted sites of a freshwater body of Dhaka

Dhaka University Journal of Biological Sciences ◽

10.3329/dujbs.v23i1.19823 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 27-38

Author(s):

Md Osman Ghani ◽

Aminul Islam Bhuiyan ◽

Jannatul Bushra

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Community Diversity ◽

Polluted Water ◽

Component Community ◽

Anabas Testudineus ◽

Host Sex ◽

Host Habitat ◽

Insignificant Difference

Community structure of metazoan endoparasites of Anabas testudineus collected from an unpolluted and a polluted water body was determined. Out of 100 A. testudineus observed, 78% was parasitized by at least one species of endohelminth parasite. Eight metazoan endoparasites were recorded. Nematode showed higher prevalence than trematode. One species was accounted as satellite species and others as secondary. Larger hosts were more abundantly infected than the smaller ones as positive correlation was observed between the standard length of the hosts and the abundance/ prevalence of all parasites. Maximum parasite species followed a typical overdispersed type of distribution pattern. Parasite species richness was lower in fish from polluted (4) than unpolluted water (6). Per cent similarity of infestation between the sample hosts was high (55.73%). Three common parasite species from both sample hosts showed insignificant difference in intensity of infestation in relation to host habitat. Host sex had influenced infestation at infra?community but not at component community level. Interspecies association between parasites was strong in fish from unpolluted in comparision from polluted water. Hosts habitat quality also played an influential role in building parasite community, diversity and other associated community indices. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/dujbs.v23i1.19823 Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 23(1): 27-38, 2014

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Community structure of metazoan parasites of silverside, Odontesthes bonariensis (Pisces, Atherinopsidae) from Argentina

Iheringia Série Zoologia ◽

10.1590/s0073-47212012000100004 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 102 (1) ◽

pp. 26-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Fabiana B. Drago

Keyword(s):

Parasite Species ◽

Host Record ◽

Component Community ◽

New Host ◽

Metazoan Parasites ◽

Generalist Species ◽

New Host Record ◽

Host Sex ◽

Odontesthes Bonariensis ◽

Specialist Species

The helminth communities of silverside, Odontesthes bonariensis (Valenciennes, 1835), from two Argentinean lagoons were studied and compared at component community and infracommunity levels. Nine helminth species were found: five digeneans (Austrodiplostomum cf. mordax, Ascocotyle (Phagicola) cf. diminuta, Ascocotyle sp., Thometrema bonariensis and Saccocoelioides sp.); two nematodes (Contracaecum sp. and Hysterothylacium sp.); one acanthocephalan (Wolffhugelia matercula) and one cestode (Cangatiella macdonaghi). Odontesthes bonariensis is a new host record for five parasite species. Richness, diversity and number of helminths in silversides from Salada Grande lagoon were higher than in those from Lacombe lagoon. This could be related with lagoon size, abundance of mollusks and fish-eating birds, and size and diet of silversides captured in each lagoon. In Salada Grande lagoon the helminth community of silversides was dominated by the allogenic and generalist species A. cf. mordax; while the autogenic and intermediate specialist species C. macdonaghi was dominant in Lacombe lagoon. Host sex did not affect richness, diversity or total abundance, whereas host size was positively correlated with these attributes, except diversity in Salada Grande lagoon.

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Helminths of introduced house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in Brazil: does population age affect parasite richness?

Iheringia Série Zoologia ◽

10.1590/s0073-47212010000100010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 100 (1) ◽

pp. 73-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Cláudia Calegaro-Marques ◽

Suzana B. Amato

Keyword(s):

Good Predictor ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Passer Domesticus ◽

Community Diversity ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

Porto Alegre ◽

House Sparrows ◽

Parasite Richness ◽

The World

Species introductions have altered host and parasite diversity throughout the world. In the case of introduced hosts, population age appears to be a good predictor of parasite richness. Habitat alteration is another variable that may impact host-parasite interactions by affecting the availability of intermediate hosts. The house sparrow (Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)) is a good model to test these predictions. It was introduced in several parts of the world and can be found across rural-urban gradients. A total of 160 house sparrows from Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were necropsied. Thirty house sparrows (19 %) were parasitized with at least one out of five helminth species (Digenea: Tamerlania inopina Freitas, 1951 and Eumegacetes sp.; Eucestoda: Choanotaenia passerina (Fuhrmann, 1907) Fuhrmann, 1932; Nematoda: Dispharynx nasuta (Rudolphi, 1819) Stiles & Hassall, 1920 and Cardiofilaria pavlovskyi Strom, 1937). Overall, there was no difference in prevalence and intensity of infection of any parasite species, parasite richness and community diversity between adult males and females and adults and juveniles. The number of infected sparrows among seasons, the richness of helminths and the abundance of species were also similar between rural and urban landscapes. Only the prevalence of C. passerina varied seasonally (p=0.0007). A decrease in the number of parasite species from the original range of P. domesticus (13) to its port of entrance in Brazil, the city of Rio de Janeiro (nine), to Porto Alegre (five) is compatible with the hypothesis that host population age is a good predictor of parasite richness.

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Metazoan parasite fauna of two peacock-bass cichlid fish in Brazil

Check List ◽

10.15560/9.6.1371 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 1371 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Fabio Hideki Yamada ◽

Ricardo Massato Takemoto

Keyword(s):

Conservation Biology ◽

Aquatic Ecosystems ◽

Parasite Species ◽

New Records ◽

Cichlid Fish ◽

Parasite Fauna ◽

Component Community ◽

Metazoan Parasites ◽

Peacock Bass ◽

Parasitological Study

A parasitological study of two freshwater cichlid fish of the genus Cichla (C. kelberi and C. piquiti) from six different aquatic ecosystems in Brazil was performed. Based on the survey, a checklist of the component community of the metazoan parasites of each of the two peacock-bass fish species was produced. Fish were collected from May 2009 to April 2011 in six Brazilian aquatic ecosystems using gillnets of different mesh sizes or angling using standardized effort. In total, six groups of parasites were collected: Monogenea, Digenea, Cestoda, Nematoda, Copepoda and Branchiura. Among the groups of parasites found, nematodes presented the greatest number of species, with seven. The study lists new records of parasites in C. kelberi and C. piquiti, and new biogeography records of parasites in six different aquatic ecosystems in Brazil. The present paper collaborates with the study of conservation biology by adding new records of parasite species.

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