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Parasite in Geoﬀ roy’s cat

Neotropical Helminthology, Vol. 20, Nº2, jul - dec 2026

Neotropical Helminthology

Neotropical Helminthology, 2026, vol. 20 (2), 235-245

ORIGINAL ARTICLE / ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL

COMMUNITY ECOLOGY OF THE METAZOAN PARASITES OF THE

TOMTATE GRUNT HAEMULON AUROLINEATUM CUVIER, 1830 OFF RIO

DE JANEIRO, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

ECOLOGÍA DE LA COMUNIDAD DE PARÁSITOS METAZOARIOS DEL PEZ

CUJÍ HAEMULON AUROLINEATUM CUVIER, 1830 EN LA COSTA DE RÍO

DE JANEIRO, SURESTE DE BRASIL

Taíssa Casanova1, Arthur Bessi Machado1* & José Luis Luque2

ISSN Versión Impresa 2218-6425 ISSN Versión Electrónica 1995-1403

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62429/rnh20262022184

Este artículo es publicado por la revista Neotropical Helminthology de la Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemática, Universidad Nacional Federico

Villarreal, Lima, Perú auspiciado por la Asociación Peruana de Helmintología e Invertebrados Aﬁ nes (APHIA). Este es un artículo de acceso abierto,

distribuido bajo los términos de la licencia Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) [https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

deed.es] que permite el uso, distribución y reproducción en cualquier medio, siempre que la obra original sea debidamente citada de su fuente original.

ABSTRACT

 e present study provides the ﬁ rst ecological assessment of the metazoan parasite community of the tomtate grunt,

Haemulon aurolineatum Cuvier, 1830 (Actinopterygii: Haemulidae), from the southeastern Brazilian coast. Between

May 2022 and February 2023, 100 specimens were collected from Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and examined

for metazoan parasites. A total of 284 parasite specimens belonging to 19 species were recovered, including digeneans,

monogeneans, nematodes, copepods, and acanthocephalans. Adult endoparasites predominated in the parasite community,

accounting for 91.54% of all collected specimens.  e nematode Procamallanus sp. was the most prevalent, abundant,

and dominant parasite species, whereas the copepod Ceratocolax tavaresi Casanova, Paschoal & Luque, 2023 showed the

highest mean relative dominance.  ree parasitic species exhibited an aggregated distribution pattern.  e abundance of

Procamallanus sp. was positively correlated with host total length, while no signiﬁ cant relationship was observed between

host size and overall parasite abundance, richness, or diversity. Signiﬁ cant diﬀ erences in parasite diversity were detected

between male and female hosts. Interspeciﬁ c association analyses revealed a tendency toward a positive association between

Procamallanus sp. and Genolopa ampullacea Linton, 1910, although without statistical signiﬁ cance.  e parasite fauna

recorded herein expands the known host range of several taxa, including Ceratocolax tavaresi, Dichelyne sp., Monorchis

sp., and Prosorhynchus ozakii Manter, 1934.  ese ﬁ ndings provide baseline ecological data for future comparative and

monitoring studies involving haemulid ﬁ shes and marine environmental quality along the Brazilian coast.

Keywords: haemulids – host-parasite relationships – marine ﬁ sh – parasite ecology

 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Brazil.

2 Departamento de Parasitologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, Brazil.

* Corresponding author: bessiarthur@gmail.com

Taíssa Casanova: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7348-2010

Arthur Bessi Machado: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8793-7380

José Luis Luque: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3515-1127

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Casanova et al.

RESUMEN

El presente estudio proporciona la primera evaluación ecológica de la comunidad de parásitos metazoarios del pez cují

Haemulon aurolineatum Cuvier, 1830 (Actinopterygii: Haemulidae) en la costa del sureste de Brasil. Entre mayo de 2022

y febrero de 2023, se recolectaron 100 ejemplares en Angra dos Reis, Río de Janeiro, Brasil, los cuales fueron examinados

en busca de parásitos metazoarios. Se recuperó un total de 284 especímenes parasitarios pertenecientes a 19 especies,

incluyendo digéneos, monogéneos, nematodos, copépodos y acantocéfalos. Los endoparásitos adultos predominaron en la

comunidad parasitaria, representando el 91,54 % de todos los especímenes recolectados. El nematodo Procamallanus sp.

fue la especie parasitaria más prevalente, abundante y dominante, mientras que el copépodo Ceratocolax tavaresi Casanova,

Paschoal & Luque, 2023 presentó la mayor dominancia relativa media. Tres especies parasitarias exhibieron un patrón

de distribución agregada. La abundancia de Procamallanus sp. se correlacionó positivamente con la longitud total del

hospedador, mientras que no se observó una relación signiﬁcativa entre el tamaño del hospedador y la abundancia total,

riqueza o diversidad parasitaria. Se detectaron diferencias signiﬁcativas en la diversidad parasitaria entre hospedadores

machos y hembras. Los análisis de asociación interespecíﬁca revelaron una tendencia hacia una asociación positiva

entre Procamallanus sp. y Genolopa ampullacea Linton, 1910, aunque sin signiﬁcancia estadística. La fauna parasitaria

registrada en este estudio amplía el rango de hospedadores conocido para varios taxones, incluidos C. tavaresi, Dichelyne

sp., Monorchis sp. y Prosorhynchus ozakii Manter, 1934. Estos hallazgos proporcionan datos ecológicos de referencia para

futuros estudios comparativos y de monitoreo que involucren peces haemúlidos y la calidad ambiental marina a lo largo

de la costa brasileña.

Palabras clave: ecología parasitaria – haemúlidos – peces marinos – relaciones hospedador-parásito

INTRODUCTION

e Brazilian Atlantic coast harbors a high diversity of

marine environments and extends for more than 8,000

km, supporting approximately 1,310 ﬁsh species, including

26 species of the family Haemulidae (Actinopterygii:

Haemulidae) distributed among 11 genera (Froese &

Pauly, 2026). Within this context, the coast of Rio de

Janeiro State represents an important marine ecosystem

characterized by elevated biological diversity and a wide

variety of marine and estuarine habitats (Paschoal et al.,

2024). However, anthropogenic pressures such as urban

expansion, industrial development, and diﬀuse pollution

have increasingly aﬀected biodiversity and ecosystem

integrity along this coastal region (Araújo et al., 2017;

Benicio et al., 2022; Paschoal et al., 2024).

Haemulids are marine actinopterygian ﬁshes widely

distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Although

most species inhabit marine environments, some may

occur in estuarine and, less frequently, freshwater habitats

(Froese & Pauly, 2026). Ecologically, haemulids play an

important role in reef ecosystems by inﬂuencing benthic

invertebrate populations and contributing to nutrient

transfer among habitats. In addition, several species have

commercial and subsistence value for coastal communities

(Melo et al., 2020).

e genus Haemulon Cuvier, 1829 comprises 21 valid

species, among which Haemulon aurolineatum Cuvier, 1830

is widely distributed along the western Atlantic Ocean,

occurring from Massachusetts, USA, to southern Brazil.

is species inhabits reef-associated coastal environments

and feeds mainly on small crustaceans, mollusks, benthic

invertebrates, planktonic organisms, and algae (Froese &

Pauly, 2026). In addition, H. aurolineatum occupies an

important trophic position in marine food webs, serving

as prey for several predatory ﬁsh species (Menezes, 1969,

1970; Menezes & Aragão, 1977; Ximenes-Carvalho &

Fonteles-Filho, 1996).

To date, studies investigating the parasite community of H.

aurolineatum have been restricted to Venezuela and Mexico

(Centeno & Bashirullah, 2003; Bashirullah & Díaz, 2015;

López-Zacarías et al., 2021; García-Teh et al., 2022). No

ecological parasitological studies have been conducted for

this host species in Brazilian waters.

Approximately 67 species of metazoan parasites have

been reported in haemulid ﬁshes from the Brazilian coast

(Paschoal et al., 2015; Camargo et al., 2017; Keidel et al.,

2019). Previous ecological studies have evaluated parasite

communities in haemulids from Rio de Janeiro State,

including Orthopristis rubra (Cuvier, 1830), Haemulon

steindachneri (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882), Conodon nobilis

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Neotropical Helminthology, Vol. 20, Nº2, jul - dec 2026

(Linnaeus, 1758), and Anisotremus virginicus (Linnaeus,

1758) (Luque et al., 1996; Paschoal et al., 2023; Paschoal

et al., 2024; Mainenti et al., 2026).

erefore, the present study aimed to characterize, for the

ﬁrst time, the structure of the metazoan parasite community

of H. aurolineatum from the southeastern Brazilian coast,

providing baseline data for future comparative and temporal

studies involving marine parasite communities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Host collection, processing, and parasitological

procedures

Between May 2022 and February 2023, 100 specimens of

H. aurolineatum were obtained from the coastal zone of

Angra dos Reis (23°01′21ʺS, 44°19′13ʺW), Rio de Janeiro

State, Brazil. Fish were purchased from local ﬁshermen at a

local market. Sixty specimens were examined fresh, whereas

the remaining were stored frozen at -20 °C until analysis.

Host identiﬁcation followed Menezes & Figueiredo (1985),

and nomenclature and taxonomic classiﬁcation were

updated according to FishBase (Froese & Pauly, 2026).

Each ﬁsh specimen was measured for total length, weighed,

and sexed. Possible diﬀerences in host total length between

males and females were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney

test, since parasite burden may be associated with host size

(Zar, 2010).

e body surface, nostrils, gills, body cavity, stomach,

intestine, and gonads of each specimen were individually

examined under a stereomicroscope for parasite collection.

Parasites were collected, ﬁxed, and processed according to

the procedures described by Eiras et al. (2006). Taxonomic

identiﬁcation followed the specialized literature for each

species and/or parasite group (Hesse, 1873; Monticelli,

1888; Linton, 1910; Manter, 1934; Manter, 1947; Siddiqi

& Cable, 1960; Yamaguti, 1963; Nahhas & Cable, 1964;

Pinto et al., 1974; Kohn & Macedo, 1984; Paradižnik &

Radujković, 2007; Anderson et al., 2009; Roberto et al.,

2013; Mosquera et al., 2014a; Mosquera et al., 2014b;

Youssef-Dridi et al., 2023).

Ecological and statistical analyses

Prevalence, mean intensity, and mean abundance were

calculated as descriptors of parasite populations according

to Bush et al. (1997). e variance-to-mean ratio (index

of dispersion, ID) and discrepancy index (D) were used

to evaluate parasite distribution patterns within the host

population (Poulin, 1993). Frequency of dominance and

relative dominance were calculated according to Rohde

et al. (1995).

Parasite diversity was estimated using the Brillouin diversity

index (HB), since each host specimen was considered a fully

censused infracommunity (Magurran, 2004; Zar, 2010).

Diﬀerences in parasite prevalence and abundance between

male and female hosts were evaluated using Fisher’s exact

test (F) and the Mann-Whitney test with corrected normal

approximation (Zc), respectively. Diﬀerences in parasite

diversity according to host sex were also analyzed using

the Mann-Whitney test (Magurran, 2004; Zar, 2010).

Spearman’s rank correlation coeﬃcient (rs) was used to

evaluate possible associations between host total length

and parasite abundance, richness, and diversity (Magurran,

2004; Zar, 2010).

To investigate potential eﬀects of concurrent infection

(endoparasites) and infestation (ectoparasites), parasite

species were grouped into three spatial guilds: adult

endoparasites, helminth larval stages, and adult

ectoparasites. Possible interspeciﬁc associations involving

parasite presence/absence were evaluated using logistic

regression models, whereas associations involving parasite

abundance were analyzed using Poisson regression models

(Dohoo et al., 2003; Zar, 2010).

For statistically signiﬁcant models, odds ratios (OR)

and their respective 95% conﬁdence intervals (CI) were

calculated to evaluate the direction and strength of

associations among parasite species. Values of 0 < OR < 1

indicated a negative association, OR = 1 indicated absence

of association, and OR > 1 indicated positive association

(Dohoo et al., 2003). Ecological terminology followed

Bush et al. (1997), and only parasite species with prevalence

higher than 10% were included in the analyses (Bush et al.,

1990). Statistical signiﬁcance was established at p ≤ 0.05.

All analyses were performed using Quantitative Parasitology

software (QPweb version) (Reiczigel et al., 2019) and R

software (R Core Team, 2020).

Ethical Approval

All applicable institutional, national, and international

guidelines for animal care and use were followed. Because

no live animals were used and all ﬁsh specimens were

obtained from a local market, approval by an ethics

committee was not required, according to Brazilian Law

No. 11,794, Article 3, Item III.

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Casanova et al.

RESULTS

Host samples

e examined specimens of H. aurolineatum had a mean

total length of 19.23 ± 1.84 cm (14.5–23.1 cm) and a mean

body weight of 103.79 ± 25.22 g (45–152 g). Females (n

= 36) presented a mean total length of 18.88 ± 1.37 cm,

whereas males (n = 64) showed a mean total length of 19.42

± 2.04 cm. No signiﬁcant diﬀerence in body length was

observed between sexes (U = 918, p = 0.09).

Parasite component community

e parasite community of H. aurolineatum comprised

19 metazoan parasite species (Table 1). e nematode

Procamallanus sp. was the most prevalent, abundant, and

dominant species (Table 1), accounting for approximately

40% of all collected parasite specimens and exhibiting the

highest frequency of dominance (Table 2). In contrast, the

copepod Ceratocolax tavaresi Casanova, Paschoal & Luque,

2023 presented the highest mean relative dominance.

Table 1. Prevalence (P), mean intensity (MI), mean abundance (MA), total number of individuals (TNI), and site of

infection/infestation of metazoan parasites of Haemulon aurolineatum from Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (SD:

standard deviation, IC: conﬁdence interval).

Parasite species P% (IC) MI ± SD (IC) MA ± SD (IC) TNI Site

Digenea

Aponurus pyriformis

(Linton, 1910)

Overstreet, 1973

7 (3.10–14.38) 1 0.07 ± 0.26 (0.02–

0.12) 7 Stomach

Prosorhynchus ozakii

Manter, 1934 8 (3.77–15.61) 1.38 ± 0.52 (0.94–

1.81)

0.11 ± 0.40 (0.03–

0.19) 11 Stomach

Genolopa pritchardae

(Nahhas & Cable,

1964) Fischthal, 1977

4 (1.29–10.51) 1 0.04 ± 0.20 (0.00–

0.08) 4 Stomach

Diphterostomum

brusinae (Stossich,

1888) Stossich, 1904

7 (3.10–14.38) 1.57 ± 1.51 (0.17–

2.97)

0.11 ± 0.55 (0.00–

0.22) 11 Stomach

Monorchis sp.7 (3.10–14.38) 2.29 ± 1.38 (1.01–

3.56)

0.16 ± 0.68 (0.03–

0.29) 16 Intestine

Genolopa ampullacea

Linton, 1910 22 (14.58–31.61) 2.14 ± 1.55 (1.45–

2.82)

0.47 ± 1.14 (0.24–

0.70) 47 Stomach

Homalometron

foliatum Siddiqi &

Cable, 1960

3 (0.78–9.15) 1 0.03 ± 0.17 (0.00–

0.06) 3 Stomach

Infundiburictus

longovatus (Hopkins,

1941) Wee, Cutmore,

Pérez-del-Olmo &

Cribb, 2020

5 (1.86–11.83) 1 0.05 ± 0.22 (0.01–

0.09) 5 Stomach

Leurodera decora

Linton, 1910 3 (0.78–9.15) 1 0.03 ± 0.17 (0.00–

0.06) 3 Stomach

(Continúa Table 1)

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Neotropical Helminthology, Vol. 20, Nº2, jul - dec 2026

Lecithochirium

musculus (Looss, 1907)

Nasir & Diaz, 1971

1 (0.05–6.24) 1 0.01 ± 0.10 1 Stomach

Cainocreadium oscitans

(Linton, 1910) Cribb,

2005

1 (0.05–6.24) 1 0.01 ± 0.10 1 Stomach

Diplangus paxillus

Linton, 1910 1 (0.05–6.24) 2 0.02 ± 0.20 2 Stomach

Didymozoidae 2 (0.35–7.74) 1 0.02 ± 0.14 2 Body cavity

Copepoda

Ceratocolax tavaresi

Casanova, Paschoal &

Luque, 2023

15 (8.91–23.85) 1.33 ± 0.82 (0.88–

1.79)

0.20 ± 0.57 (0.09–

0.31) 20 Nostril

Colobomatus sp. 1(0.05–6.24) 1 0.01 ± 0.10 1 Mandibular

canal

Monogenea

Choricotyle sp. 1(0.05–6.24) 1 0.01 ± 0.10 1 Gills

Nematoda

Procamallanus sp. 53 (42.80–62.96) 2.62 ± 1.75 (2.14–

3.10)

1.39 ± 1.83 (1.03–

1.75) 139 Intestine

Dichelyne sp. 9 (4.46–16.83) 1 0.09 ± 0.29 (0.03–

0.15) 9 Intestine

Acanthocephala

Dollfusentis chandleri

Golvan, 1969 1 (0.05–6.24) 1 0.01 ± 0.10 1 Intestine

(Continúa Table 1)

Table 2. Frequency of dominance and mean relative dominance of metazoan parasites of Haemulon aurolineatum from

Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Parasite species Frequency of

dominance (%) Frequency of dominance shared

with one or more species Mean relative

dominance

Procamallanus sp. 40 5 0.80 ± 0.23

Genolopa ampullacea 10 5 0.72 ± 0.24

Ceratocolax tavaresi 7 3 0.93 ± 0.16

Dichelyne sp. 2 3 1

Prosorhynchus ozakii 2 - 1

Choricotyle sp. 1 - 1

Diphterostomum brusinae 1 - 1

Infundiburictus longovatus 1 - 1

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Casanova et al.

Adult ectoparasites accounted for 7.74% of all collected

parasite specimens, whereas adult endoparasites represented

91.54% and larval endoparasites 0.70% of the parasite

community. Aponurus pyriformis (Linton, 1910),

Procamallanus sp., and Genolopa ampullacea Linton, 1910

exhibited aggregated distribution patterns, with index of

dispersion (ID) values higher than 1.60 and discrepancy

index (D) values exceeding 0.60 (Table 3).

Table 3. Values of variance-to-mean ratio of parasite abundance (ID) and index of Discrepancy (D) of metazoan parasites

of Haemulon aurolineatum from Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Parasite species ID D Type of dispersion

Aponurus pyriformis 1.62 0.87 Aggregate

Procamallanus sp.2.4 0.65 Aggregate

Genolopa ampullacea 2.77 0.85 Aggregate

e abundance of Procamallanus sp. showed a signiﬁcant

positive correlation with host total length (rs = 0.23, p =

0.01). In contrast, G. ampullacea exhibited a negative,

although non-signiﬁcant, correlation with host total length

(rs = -0.09, p = 0.33).

Parasite infracommunities

A total of 74 specimens (74%) of H. aurolineatum

were infected by at least one metazoan parasite species.

Overall, 284 parasite specimens were collected, with a

mean abundance of 2.84 ± 3.48 parasites per host. Host

total length was not signiﬁcantly correlated with parasite

abundance (rs = 0.17, p = 0.08).

Mean parasite species richness was 1.51 ± 1.50 species per

host and was not correlated with host total length (rs =

0.17, p = 0.09). Likewise, mean parasite diversity (HB =

0.21 ± 0.33) showed no signiﬁcant correlation with host

body length (rs = 0.13, p = 0.18). However, signiﬁcant

diﬀerences in parasite diversity were observed between

male (HB = 0.25 ± 0.36) and female hosts (HB = 0.15 ±

0.27) (Zc = 2.02, p = 0.03).

Regarding infracommunity structure, 39 host specimens

(39%) harbored a single parasite species, 12 (12%) harbored

two species, 11 (11%) harbored three species, 9 (9%)

harbored four species, 1 (1%) harbored ﬁve species, and

2 (2%) harbored seven parasite species.

Pairwise interspeciﬁc associations involving the copepod C.

tavaresi, the nematode Procamallanus sp., and the digenean

G. ampullacea were also evaluated. No signiﬁcant association

was detected between C. tavaresi and Procamallanus sp.,

either for presence/absence or abundance data (p = 0.58 and

p = 0.76, respectively). Similarly, no signiﬁcant association

was observed between C. tavaresi and G. ampullacea (p =

0.73 and p = 0.42, respectively). In contrast, the association

between Procamallanus sp. and G. ampullacea indicated a

tendency toward a positive interaction (p = 0.05; OR =

2.92; CI = 0.960–10.12), although this relationship was

not statistically signiﬁcant.

DISCUSSION

e present study provides the ﬁrst ecological parasitological

assessment of H. aurolineatum from the southeastern

Brazilian coast. A total of 284 parasite specimens

belonging to 19 species were recovered, including

digeneans, monogeneans, nematodes, copepods, and

acanthocephalans. Adult endoparasites predominated in the

parasite community, and the nematode Procamallanus sp.

was the most prevalent, abundant, and dominant species.

Similar predominance of nematodes has been reported in

marine ﬁshes from the southeastern Brazilian coast (Alves

& Luque, 2001; Paraguassú et al., 2002; Luque et al., 2003;

Soares et al., 2014; Casanova et al., 2025).

e predominance of endoparasites may be associated with

the demersal feeding habits of haemulids and the diversity

of intermediate hosts available in marine environments

(Alves & Luque, 2001). Species of Haemulon feed mainly

on benthic prey (Limeira et al., 2022), and H. aurolineatum

commonly consumes crustaceans, mollusks, and benthic

invertebrates (Froese & Pauly, 2026), which may facilitate

infection by Procamallanus sp., whose life cycle involves

crustacean intermediate hosts (Santos et al., 1999).

Previous studies on the parasite fauna of H. aurolineatum

have been conducted in Venezuela (Centeno & Bashirullah,

2003; Bashirullah & Díaz, 2015) and Mexico (López-

Zacarías et al., 2021; García-Teh et al., 2022). Several

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Neotropical Helminthology, Vol. 20, Nº2, jul - dec 2026

parasite taxa found herein, including A. pyriformis (Linton,

1910), Choricotyle sp., Dichelyne chandleri Golvan, 1969,

Diplangus paxillus Linton, 1910, G. ampullacea Linton,

1910, Infundiburictus longovatus (Hopkins, 1941) Wee,

Cutmore, Pérez-del-Olmo & Cribb, 2020, Leurodera decora

Linton, 1910, and Procamallanus sp., had previously been

reported in this host species. Considering both Nearctic

and Neotropical regions, 25 parasite species have already

been recorded in H. aurolineatum (Paschoal et al., 2015).

In addition, the present study reports H. aurolineatum for

the ﬁrst time as a host for Ceratocolax tavaresi Casanova,

Paschoal & Luque, 2023, Dichelyne sp., Monorchis sp., and

Prosorhynchus ozakii Manter, 1934.

Compared with previous studies, the present investigation

revealed relatively higher diversity of digeneans and

nematodes, whereas monogenean richness was lower than

that reported by Bashirullah & Díaz (2015) and García-

Teh et al. (2022). Digeneans generally represented the

parasite group with the highest parasitological indices

in previous studies, partially corroborating the pattern

observed herein. However, García-Teh et al. (2022)

reported a prevalence of 100% for Haliotrematoides sp.

(a monogenean), highlighting marked variation among

localities and sampling conditions. At the infracommunity

level, the total abundance of parasites recorded herein was

higher than that reported by Centeno & Bashirullah (2003)

and López-Zacarías et al. (2021), but species richness was

lower than that observed by Bashirullah & Díaz (2015)

and García-Teh et al. (2022). Such diﬀerences may be

associated with variation in sampling eﬀort, collection

period, host population structure, and environmental

conditions (Laﬀerty, 2008).

Comparisons with other haemulids from Rio de Janeiro

State, including H. steindachneri, C. nobilis, O. rubra, and

A. virginicus (Luque et al., 1996; Paschoal et al., 2023;

Paschoal et al., 2024), revealed similar ecological patterns,

particularly regarding the predominance of digeneans,

copepods, and nematodes. More recently, Mainenti et al.

(2026) reported higher prevalence and abundance values

for digeneans and monogeneans in O. rubra, whereas

H. aurolineatum in the present study showed higher

parasitological values mainly for nematodes. e occurrence

of shared parasite taxa among related hosts collected from

nearby localities suggests persistence of these species within

the marine ecosystem and may reﬂect similarities in trophic

ecology among haemulids (Cribb et al., 2001, 2003).

Host body length showed no signiﬁcant correlation

with parasite abundance, richness, or mean diversity,

corroborating the results of Centeno & Bashirullah (2003).

In marine ﬁsh parasite systems, relationships between host

size and parasitism are often weak or inconsistent (Poulin,

2000; Luque et al., 2003). Ontogenetic variation in feeding

habits and diﬀerences in the environmental availability of

infective stages may therefore exert greater inﬂuence on

parasite community structure than host size alone.

Host sex also inﬂuenced parasite diversity in the present

study. Similar sex-related diﬀerences have been reported

in haemulids, including higher prevalence and intensity

of Diplangus paxillus in male O. rubra (Luque et al., 1996)

and higher abundance of Caligus haemulonis Krøyer,

1863 in male C. nobilis (Paschoal et al., 2024). Such

diﬀerences may be associated with sex-related variation

in feeding behavior, habitat use, physiology, and hormonal

condition (Rohde, 1993; Lizama et al., 2005; Nachev

& Sures, 2015). However, Bashirullah & Díaz (2015)

did not detect signiﬁcant sex-related diﬀerences in H.

aurolineatum, suggesting that these eﬀects may vary among

host populations and environmental contexts.

Aponurus pyriformis, Procamallanus sp., and G. ampullacea

exhibited aggregated distribution patterns, a common

feature in host-parasite systems (Crofton, 1971). Similar

patterns have also been reported in haemulid ﬁshes (Luque

et al., 1996; Bashirullah & Díaz, 2015; Paschoal et al.,

2023), reﬂecting heterogeneity in host susceptibility and

exposure to infective stages.

e abundance of Procamallanus sp. showed a positive

correlation with host body length, possibly because larger

ﬁsh exploit a broader diversity of prey and intermediate

hosts (Karpouzi & Stergiou, 2003; Marques & Alves,

2011). Conversely, Genolopa ampullacea showed a

negative correlation with host size, potentially associated

with environmental disturbances aﬀecting molluscan

intermediate hosts and transmission dynamics (Marcogliese,

2005; Sures et al., 2023; Mainenti et al., 2026). Similar

negative relationships between parasite abundance and host

size were also reported for copepods infecting C. nobilis

(Paschoal et al., 2024).

Although previous studies employed diﬀerent parasitological

descriptors, some recurrent patterns are evident among

haemulids. Positive and negative relationships between host

size and parasitological parameters have been reported for

several digenean species in H. steindachneri, H. aurolineatum,

and O. rubra (Luque et al., 1996; Bashirullah & Díaz, 2015),

indicating that the inﬂuence of host size on parasite dynamics

may vary among taxa and ecological conditions.

e possible positive association observed between

Procamallanus sp. and G. ampullacea may indicate

interspeciﬁc interaction patterns within the parasite

242

Neotropical Helminthology, Vol. 20, Nº2, jul - dec 2026

Casanova et al.

community. Similar associations have been reported in

haemulids (Paschoal et al., 2024), although experimental

evidence is still necessary to conﬁrm biological interactions

among parasite species (Poulin, 2001).

Overall, diﬀerences in the predominant parasite groups

among related haemulid species collected from nearby

localities reinforce the inﬂuence of trophic ecology

and environmental conditions on parasite community

structure. Despite previous studies on H. aurolineatum

from other Atlantic regions (Centeno & Bashirullah, 2003;

Bashirullah & Díaz, 2015; López-Zacarías et al., 2021),

the present investigation represents the ﬁrst ecological

parasitological study of this host species in Brazilian

waters and provides baseline data for future comparative,

temporal, and environmental studies in the southwestern

Atlantic Ocean.

is study represents the ﬁrst ecological investigation of

the metazoan parasite community of H. aurolineatum

from the Brazilian coast and expands current knowledge of

parasite diversity in haemulid ﬁshes from the southwestern

Atlantic Ocean. e parasite community was characterized

by a predominance of adult endoparasites and by the

dominance of the nematode Procamallanus sp., reinforcing

previously observed patterns in marine demersal ﬁshes

from southeastern Brazil. Although host body length was

not associated with overall parasite abundance, richness, or

diversity, signiﬁcant relationships were observed for speciﬁc

parasite taxa, indicating that ecological and trophic factors

may inﬂuence parasite transmission dynamics diﬀerently

among species. e signiﬁcant diﬀerence in parasite

diversity between male and female hosts also suggests

that host biological traits may contribute to structuring

parasite infracommunities. In addition, the new host

records reported herein increase the known distribution

and host range of several parasite taxa. Overall, the present

data provide an important baseline for future temporal,

biogeographical, and environmental monitoring studies

involving marine parasite communities along the Brazilian

coast (Biswal & Chatterje, 2020).

Acknowledgments

Taíssa Casanova and Arthur Bessi were supported

by a student fellowship from the Coordenação de

Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES),

Brazil (Finance Code 001). José Luis Luque received

support from a research grant provided by the Conselho

Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientíﬁco e Tecnológico

(CNPq), Brazil.

Author contributions: CRediT (Contributor Roles

Taxonomy)

TCA = Taíssa Casanova

ABM = Arthur Bessi Machado

JLL = José Luis Luque

Conceptualization: TCA, ABM, JLL

Data curation: TCA, ABM, JLL

Formal Analysis: TCA, JLL

Funding acquisition: TCA, ABM, JLL

Investigation: TCA, ABM, JLL

Methodology: TCA, JLL

Project administration: JLL

Resources: TCA, JLL

Software: TCA, ABM, JLL

Supervision: JLL

Validation: TCA, ABM, JLL

Visualization: TCA, ABM, JLL

Writing – original draft: TCA, JLL

Writing – review & editing: TCA, ABM, JLL

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Received June 254, 2026.

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