Ecology and seasonal variation of parasites in wild Aequidens tetramerus, a Cichlidae from the Amazon

This study is the first investigation on seasonal dynamics of parasites component community of the Aequidens tetramerus from an Amazon River tributary, in Northern Brazil. A total of 239,2407 parasites were recovered from 92 hosts examined from February to October 2011. Such parasites included Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Tripartiella tetramerii and Trichodina nobilis (Protozoa), Dolops longicauda (Argulidae), Gussevia alioides, Gussevia disparoides (Monogenoidea), Digenea metacercarie, Pseudoproleptus larvae, Anisakidae larvae (Nematoda), Proteocephalidea plerocercoid (Eucestoda) and Gorytocephalus spectabilis (Acanthocephala). Ciliates were the most dominant and abundant taxon, while cestodes were the least prevalent. The parasites showed seasonal variation in their infection dynamics associated with environmental changes during the Amazonian drainage season, except the infection with I. multifiliis. The parasites community in A. tetramerus was also characterized by higher diversity, species richness and uniformity during the drainage season when compared to Amazon flood season. With the exception of T. tetramerii, these parasite species are new records for A. tetramerus.