Parasites of <em>Auchenipterus osteomystax</em> (Osteichthyes, Auchenipteridae) from two different environments, Rosana’s reservoir and upper Paraná river floodplain, Brazil

Abstract

Surumanha, Auchenipterus osteomystax Miranda-Ribeiro, 1918 is an insectivorous species that inhabits benthopelagic freshwater environments. In order to know the parasitic fauna and aspects of the host-parasite relationship in surumanhas from Rosana's hydroelectric reservoir and the upper Paran river floodplain, 36 specimens from the reservoir and 41 specimens from the floodplain were collected, using gill nets. The parasitic fauna of the hosts from the different environments presented low similarity; among ten parasite species present in A. osteomystax, only two were observed in both environments. It was observed significant difference in the prevalence of the metacercariae of Strigeidae in relation to the sex of the hosts from the floodplain, indicating that males are more parasitized. Clinostomum complanatum was the only species that presented significant negative correlation with the relative condition factor (kn) of the host, indicating possible pathogenicity.