Biodiversity of monogenean gill parasites of fish species Astyanax fasciatus (Cuvier, 1819) (Characiformes: Characidae) collected in Rivers Paranapanema and Veados from Brazil

• Grant number: 12/20150-4
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Fishery Resources and Fishery Engineering - Inland Water Fishery Resources
• Principal researcher: Reinaldo José da Silva
• Grantee: Rodrigo Bravin Narciso
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The important 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 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 is to compare the organism's monogenean of gills of A. fasciatus caught in two tributaries of the reservoir Jurumirim: Paranapanema and Veados Rivers from Brazil.(AU)