Diversity and ecology of parasitic fauna of the endemic Serrasalmus brandtii Lütken, 1875 from the Caatinga Domain, Brazil

ABSTRACT

The genus Serrasalmus, popularly known as ‘pirambebas’, includes 87 valid species of endemic freshwater fish from the Neotropical region. Amidst this diversity, the parasitic fauna of Serrasalmus brandtii, the unique endemic species in the Caatinga domain, was investigated in the Lima Campos dam, municipality of Icó, Ceará, Brazil. Our objectives were to survey the parasite composition and to analyse the component community of this host. Of the total of 50 hosts examined, 48 (96%) were parasitised by at least one species of parasite. A total of 682 parasite specimens were recovered, representing a mean intensity of 14.20 parasites per fish. Seven parasitic taxa were recorded: two monogeneans, three digeneans and two nematodes. The most prevalent taxa were the monogeneans Anacanthorus serrasalmi (82%) and Amphithecium falcatum (76%), also showing the highest abundance (n = 317 and n = 177, respectively). Metacercariae of Clinostomum sp. revealed the highest mean intensity of infection (7.8). This survey reveals new host records for Serrasalmus brandtii, and new parasitic records for the Jaguaribe river basin. Two of the recovered species, Clinostomum sp. and Contracaecum sp., present a zoonotic potential: to raise awareness regarding the proper handling and preparation of fish for human consumption.

KEYWORDS:

• Biodiversity
• Caatinga
• Jaguaribe river basin
• metazoan parasite
• pirambeba

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (FUNCAP) under the Grant [#BMD-0008-00643.01.17/20 (EAAA) and BP3-0139 00039.01.00/18 (FHY)].