Community Structure of Macroparasites of Oligoplites palometa (Cuvier, 1832) (Osteichthyes: Carangidae) from northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Parasites are intrinsic components of biological communities; however, much remains to be discovered, since they are often less studied than their hosts. One of the main objectives of parasite ecology is to investigate what parameters are responsible for the distribution of parasites in nature. This study aimed to describe and analyze the composition and structure of the metazoan macroparasite community of the fish Oligoplites palometa (Cuvier, 1832) from the coast of the city of Cabedelo, Paraíba, northeastern Brazil, considering the species composition, dominance, dispersion pattern, correlation with the host’s length and interspecific associations. In total, 42 hosts were analyzed and 4915 macroparasites were collected, belonging to 15 species, from five groups: Monopisthocotyla (3), Digenea (5), Nematoda (3), Isopoda (1), and Copepoda (3). Most parasites showed the aggregate dispersion pattern. Monopisthocotylans and two nematode species presented positive correlation between abundance and the host’s length, indicating a possible cumulative process of parasite acquisition over time. Pairs of species did not show negative correlations, however, two pairs of ectoparasites and two pairs of endoparasites showed significant positive associations and correlations between their abundances, indicating possible processes of facilitation or similarity in the host acquisition pathway.