COMMUNITY ECOLOGY OF PARASITES OF SPOTTED BUTTERFISH STROMATEUS STELLATUS (CUVIER, 1829) (PERCIFORMES: STROMATEIDAE) OF COAST ZONE OF CHORRILLOS, LIMA, PERÚ

Authors

  • José Alberto Iannacone Oliver Laboratorio de Invertebrados- Museo de Historia Natural. Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas. Universidad Ricardo Palma. Av. Benavides 5440, Lima 33, Perú. - Laboratorio de Ecofisiología Animal. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemática. Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal. Av. Rio de Chepén, s/n. Bravo Chico. Urb. Villa Hermosa. El Agustino. Lima, Perú. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3699-4732
  • Jorge Cárdenas-Callirgos Laboratorio de Invertebrados- Museo de Historia Natural. Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas. Universidad Ricardo Palma. Av. Benavides 5440, Lima 33, Perú. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6235-6107
  • Lorena Alvariño Laboratorio de Ecofisiología Animal. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemática. Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal. Av. Rio de Chepén, s/n. Bravo Chico. Urb. Villa Hermosa. El Agustino. Lima, Perú. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1544-511X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24039/rnh2010421101

Keywords:

Ceratothoa, Hysterothylacium, Lecithocladium, Stromateus stellatus, Peru

Abstract

Spotted Butterfish Stromateus stellatus (Cuvier, 1829) is a pelagic species that lives on the continental shelf where it forms small schools. Its geographic distribution includes mainly Ecuador, Peru and Chile, and further south in South America. Eighty specimens of S. stellatus were obtained from the coastal zone of Chorrillos, Lima, Peru between December, 2008 and September, 2009 to assess the community ecology of parasitic fauna. Of the tested fish, 51 were females and 29 were males. The fish showed a mean total length of 16.5 ± 1.8 cm (12 cm to 22.5 cm). Metazoan parasites were collected and plotted using standard parasitological procedures. The parasite assemblage presented a higher percentage of internal parasites (97.2%) compared to ectoparasites. The mean parasite species richness was 0.4 ± 0.6 (0.0 to 3.0). Fifty-four hosts (67.5%) were infected and 26 hosts (32.5%) were infected with at least one parasite species. Three parasite species were found (prevalence and abundance mean values in parentheses): (1) an isopod ectoparasite, Ceratothoa gaudichaudi (H. Milne Edwards, 1840), on the ventral interopercula base (6.25% and 0.06), (2) an endoparasitic digenean, Lecithocladium cristatum Gibson, 1976 in the intestine, (28.75% and 2.08) and (3) a larval nematode endoparasite Hysterothylacium sp. in the intestine (6.25% and 0.11). The importance parasite index showed that L. cristatum had the highest value. No relationship was found between sex and the prevalence or abundance of parasitism by L. cristatum. Total host length was not related the prevalence and mean abundance of infection of L. cristatum. Seasonal variations were found between richness of species, total abundance and prevalence of L. cristatum. No differences in total host length between fish parasitized and unparasitized with L. cristatum were seen. Instead, differences in total lengths between fish parasitized by Hysterothylacium sp. and not parasitized by this worm were observed.

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Published

2010-05-31

How to Cite

Iannacone Oliver, J. A., Cárdenas-Callirgos , J., & Alvariño, L. (2010). COMMUNITY ECOLOGY OF PARASITES OF SPOTTED BUTTERFISH STROMATEUS STELLATUS (CUVIER, 1829) (PERCIFORMES: STROMATEIDAE) OF COAST ZONE OF CHORRILLOS, LIMA, PERÚ. Neotropical Helminthology, 4(2), 159–167. https://doi.org/10.24039/rnh2010421101

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