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Seasonality of metazoan ectoparasites in marine European flounder Platichthys flesus (Teleostei: Pleuronectidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2009

F. I. CAVALEIRO  and
M. J. SANTOS
F. I. CAVALEIRO
Affiliation:
Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Ciências, Departamento de Zoologia-Antropologia, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, Edifício FC4, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal CIMAR Laboratório Associado/CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal
M. J. SANTOS*
Affiliation:
Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Ciências, Departamento de Zoologia-Antropologia, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, Edifício FC4, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal CIMAR Laboratório Associado/CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author: Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Ciências, Departamento de Zoologia-Antropologia, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, Edifício FC4, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal. Tel: +351 220 402 805. Fax: +351 220 402 709. E-mail: mjsantos@fc.up.pt
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Summary

Seasonal occurrence of metazoan ectoparasites is described for the first time in marine European flounder, Platichthys flesus (L.). The parasitofauna, in this study monitored during 1 year, was found to be similar to that previously recorded for flounder. Moreover, specimens of Caligus sp. Müller, 1785 and Lepeophtheirus pectoralis (Copepoda: Caligidae), Acanthochondria cornuta (Copepoda: Chondracanthidae), Holobomolochus confusus (Copepoda: Bomolochidae) and Nerocila orbignyi (Isopoda: Cymothoidae), and also, a praniza larva (Isopoda: Gnathiidae), were isolated. From these, L. pectoralis and A. cornuta were the dominant parasites in all samples of flounder, while Caligus sp., H. confusus, N. orbignyi and the gnathiid praniza seemed to infect the flounder only occasionally. As far as the seasonality of infections is concerned, it differed considerably from that described for estuarine environments. Indeed, both prevalence and abundance of L. pectoralis and A. cornuta reached significant peaks in the summer, whereas the literature identifies the autumn as the season of maximum infection on estuarine flounder. Thus, the former period seems more favourable for the occurrence of epizooties of L. pectoralis and A. cornuta in flounder culturing systems running on seawater and operated in the studied or similar environments.

Keywords

seasonal occurrenceepizootiesmetazoan ectoparasitesPlatichthys flesus
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 136 , Issue 8 , July 2009 , pp. 855 - 865
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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