Biodiversity of monogenean gill parasites of Pimelodus maculatus Lacépède, 1803 (Siluriformes, Pimelodidae) collected in two tributaries of the reservoir Jurumirim

• Grant number: 12/18993-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Fishery Resources and Fishery Engineering - Inland Water Fishery Resources
• Principal Investigator: Reinaldo José da Silva
• Grantee: Amanda Thais Godoy
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The importance of studies involving parasites of natural fish populations can be used as tools for a better understanding of the ecosystem. Noteworthy are the studies, ecology, systematics, life-cycle and analyzes of the interactions between parasites and hosts, making them subjects of interest locally, regionally and globally. Moreover, interest in studies on parasites of fish, in recent decades, increased due to renewed economic implications, especially in the case of intensive fish farms. An important reason is that large numbers of parasites can cause appreciable mortality in several cultured fish species, and their treatments, in some cases, are very difficult. In nature the Neotropical region has the highest diversity of freshwater fish species with considerable capacity for adaptability to the ecosystem. However, little is known about the diversity of Neotropical fish parasites. Specifically the class Monogenea is the most diversified and contains the largest number of species parasitizing Neotropical fish hence justifying the importance of taxonomic knowledge on species of this class. Thus, it becomes important to study communities of parasites present in natural ecosystems and what their biotic interactions (host-parasite) and abiotic (physical-chemical environment) to better understand the natural processes of dispersion of these organisms. Furthermore, the parasites are indicative of many biological aspects of their hosts as well as direct indicators of environmental quality. The objective of this project is to compare the monogenean from Pimelodus maculatus captured in two tributaries of the reservoir Jurumirim: Paranapanema and Veados River from Brazil. (AU)