METAZOAN PARASITES OF MUGIL CEPHALUS (LINNAEUS, 1758) (MUGILIDAE: PERCIFORMES), ACQUIRED FROM CHORRILLOS FISHMARKET, LIMA, PERU

Abstract

Flathead mullet Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mugilidae) is a carnivore benthopelagic fish of the central coast from Peru. We research some community components of parasitofauna of 74 M. cephalus acquired from Chorrillos Fishmarket, Lima, Peru, between August and December 2008. We necropsy fishes with aim to characterize parasite community, evaluate influence of length and sex of host on its main helminths and crustacean parasites and in addition some diversity patterns on ecology of communities and gill co-occurrence of ectoparasites more prevalents. Fishes showed a total length mean of 31,4 ± 2,7 cm. Mean abundance of infection and mean parasite species richness was 2.3 (0-32) and 0.79 (1-3), respectively. Thirty hosts were not parasited (40.5 %). Infection, with 1, 2 and 3 species of parasites were 32 (43.2 %), 9 (12.2 %) and 3 (4.1 %), respectively. Three ectoparasites were found: Metamicrocotyla macracantha (Alexander, 1954) (Monogenea), and two copepods Bomolochus nitidusWilson, 1911 and Naobranchia lizae (Kroyer, 1863); and two endoparasites: trematod Hymenocottoides manteri Kuznetzov, 1990 and nematod Contracaecum multipapillatum (Rudolphi, 1802) von Drasche, 1882.; Parasite community of M. cephalus was characterized by: 1) dominance of ectoparasites; 2) absence of relation with length and sex host with prevalence and abundance of parasitic species; 3) presence of C. multipapillatum in larval forms of helminths and possiblely zoonotic disease, 4) contagious distribution of parasites, 5) gill preference in relation to prevalence, for I gill branch to M. macracantha and III gill branch to N. lizae, and 6) ausence of variation on mean intensity of monospecific and recurrent infections to M. macracantha and N. lizae.