Parasite assemblages of estuarine-dependent-marine fishes from Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina)

ALARCOS, A.J.; ETCHEGOIN, J.A.

PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlín; Año: 2010 vol. 05 p. 1083 - 1091

0932-0113

The estuarine-dependent-marine fish includes marine species that inhabit, at some stage of their life cycle, the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (37º32?S, 57º19?W). In the present study, we examined for parasites a total of 209 fishes belonging to the estuarine-dependent-marine species Brevoortia aurea, Odontesthes argentinensis, Mugil platanus, Paralichthys orbignyanus, Micropogonias furnieri and Pogonias cromis. The parasite fauna in the six host species comprised 43 parasite species of which the majority represented new locality and new host records. A high percentage of fish was parasitized with at least one parasite species. The greatest values of prevalence were registered for M. furnieri, B. aurea and P. cromis, at the component community level and followed, in order of importance, by P. orbignyanus, O. argentinensis and M. platanus. On the other hand, B. aurea, O. argentinensis, M. furnieri and P. cromis presented similar percentages of both larval and adult stages of parasites. In the case of M. platanus, adult stages dominated the total number of parasites, whereas P. orbignyanus harbored mainly larval stages. Of the six fish species herein studied, only M. platanus could be included as hosts in the local parasite´s life cycle. From a parasitological point of view, the expression "estuarine-dependent-marine fishes" remains valid, although the contribution of the fish species in the lagoon to the maintenance of parasite populations is relatively minor.