METACERCARIAE OF HEMIURID IN COPEPODS FROM THE ENSENADA DE LA PAZ, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO

Authors

  • María del Carmen Gómez del Prado- Rosas Laboratorio de Parasitología. Departamento Académico de Biología Marina. Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur. Ap. P. 19-B. La Paz, B.C.S. 23080. México. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1887-9549
  • Isabel Valles-Vega Laboratorio de Parasitología. Departamento Académico de Biología Marina. Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur. Ap. P. 19-B. La Paz, B.C.S. 23080. México.
  • Horacio Lozano-Cobo Departamento de Plancton y Ecología Marina. Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas. Instituto Politécnico Nacional. La Paz, B.C.S. 23096. México.
  • Sergio Hernández-Trujillo Departamento de Plancton y Ecología Marina. Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas. Instituto Politécnico Nacional. La Paz, B.C.S. 23096. México.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24039/rnh2011521063

Keywords:

Baja California sur, Calanoids copepodsr, Ensenada de La Pazr, hemiurids, metacercariae, Mexico

Abstract

In the Bay and Ensenada de La Paz there is a strong variability in the composition and abundance of
pelagic copepod species but there is no information on parasitic infection level. The early stages of
trematode is unclear because they use jellyfish, ctenophores, molluscs, chaetognaths, copepods and fish larvae as first and second intermediate hosts.The aim of this work was to study the parasitic helminths in calanoid copepods in the Ensenada de la Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Zooplankton was obtained
with a conical net of 1.5 m in length, mesh size of 300 microns and a digital flowmeter. Net tows were
made in sea surface for 5 min at 0,2 knots/h at a fixed station sampling during the last week of June 2008.
Samples were fixed in formalin 4%. Copepods with parasites were sorted and identified. The extracted
worms were stained with Gomori Trichome, cleared with methyl salicylate and mounted in permanent
preparations with synthetic resin. Prevalence (P) and average intensity of infection (I) were calculated.
Adult females of calanoid copepod Acartia lilljeborgii Giesbrecht, 1889 had a density field of 14 100
orgs/55 m3 and only fifteen had not encysted metacercariae of hemiurids in the hemocoeloma (P =
0.106%). The hemiurids identified were: Brachyphallus sp. (n = 5, P = 0.035%, I = 1), Dinosoma sp. (n =
2, P = 0.014%, I = 1), Hemiurus sp. (n = 1, P = 0.014%, I = 1) and Parahemiurus sp. (n = 2, P = 0.021%, I
= 1). The possible role of copepods as intermediate or paratenic hosts in the life cycle of helminths is
discussed. This is the first record of parasitism in marine pelagic crustaceans calanoid by digeneans in
Mexico.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Published

2011-05-23

How to Cite

Gómez del Prado- Rosas, M. del C. ., Valles-Vega, I. ., Lozano-Cobo, H. ., & Hernández-Trujillo, S. . (2011). METACERCARIAE OF HEMIURID IN COPEPODS FROM THE ENSENADA DE LA PAZ, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO. Neotropical Helminthology, 5(2), 125–137. https://doi.org/10.24039/rnh2011521063

Issue

Section

Artículos Originales