MONOGENA OF ESTUARINE ENVIRONMENT FROM BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

MARCOTEGUI P.; MARTORELLI S

CAPE TOWN, SUDAFRICA

Simposio; SIXTH SYMPOSIUM ON MONOGENEA; 2009

Marine and Coastal Management (MCM), National Research Aquarium

The Samborombón bay, placed on the western coast of the Río de La Plata estuary, is one of the more important mixohaline environments of Argentina and allows the existence of a set of species with different environmental requirements. The whole wetland constitutes a refuge for a high biodiversity and provides irreplaceably ecological functions to the bay and in the adjoining area. Due to the fact that is an important habitat of migratory birds it has been designated Ramsar site from 1997. This Bay represents an area of spawning and nursery for many of the commercial important species of fishes, and several adults and juvenile of marine and freshwater fishes inhabit this area. At moment, in Argentina, 16 species of freshwater fishes, and 35 species for marine fishes has been examined for monogeneans. This is a very low number in relation with the near to 800 species of fishes described in Argentina. In addition, the monogeneans fauna from fishes in mixohaline areas are poorly studied. Now in a survey for monogeneans in the brackish water areas of Samborombón Bay several species were collected from the gills and skin of 150 Micropogonias furnieri, 100 Mugil platanus, 76 Odontesthes argentinensis, 46 Parapimelodus valencennensis,  12 Brevoortia aurea, 36 Astyanax fasciatus, and 31 Jenynsia linneata. The following species were reported: Absonifibula bychowskyi and Neomacrovalvitrema argentinensis on M. furnieri, Microcotyle pseudomugilis, Ligophorus n. sp., Metamicrocotyla macracantha, and Polyclithrum sp. on M. platanus, Gyrodactylus sp. on O. argentinensis, Demidospermus valencennensis on P. valencennensis, Mazocraeoides georgei on B. aurea, Palombitrema sp. on A. fasciatus, and Gyrodactilus sp. on J. linneata. This is the first report of M. pseudomugilis, Ligophorus n. sp, Polyclithrum sp., Gyrodactylus sp. on fishes from Argentina, and extends the geographical distribution of D. valencennensis, M. georgei, and Palombitrema sp. On the other hand, is the second report the monotypic species A. bychowskyi out of the Gulf of Mexico.