Diversity and similarity of the parasites in Megalechis thoracata and Callichthys callichthys (Pisces: Callichthyidae) from Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

This study compared the structure and composition of the parasite communities in Callichthys callichthys and Megalechis thoracata of a tributary of the Amazon River system, northern Brazil. A total of 447 parasites was collected from 38 specimens of each host, and 44.7% and 36.8% of fish species respectively were found to be infected with 1 or more species of parasite. The similarity in parasite assemblages between hosts was high (61%) with both infected at similar levels by Genarchella genarchella, larvae of Eustrongylides sp., Rhabdochona sp. and plerocercoids of Proteocephalidae. However, the dominant parasites found in C. callichthys were metacercariae of Posthodiplostomum sp., which did not infect M. thoracata. In M. thoracata the dominant parasite was G. genarchella, and this host species was also infected by Gorytocephalus spectabilis which did not infect C. callichthys. The parasite communities were dominated by endoparasites, and species richness of parasites, Shannon diversity index and evenness were similar for both hosts. The results indicate that these fish species are intermediate hosts of the endohelminths found. Finally, the variation in the parasite community between sympatric hosts occurred probably due to the hosts' distribution in the environment and the diet of each host species.