Community of eumetazoan parasites in ocean whitefish Caulolatilus princeps (Jenyns, 1840) (Perciformes, Malacanthidae) off north Peru

Abstract

The objective of this investigation was to determine the community of eumetazoan parasites in the Ocean whitefish Caulolatilus princeps (Jenyns, 1840) off north Peru, as well as to prepare an updated checklist of records made in the whitefish. Fifty-one specimens of C. princeps were captured and brought from Puerto Pimentel, province of Chiclayo, department of Lambayeque, and Puerto Cabo Blanco, province of Talara, department of Piura, Peru. For the analysis of the parasitic community, the parasitological ecological indices of prevalence (P), mean abundance (MA), mean intensity (MI) of infection, the dispersion indices, the association between total length (TL) and sex of fish vs parasitological ecological indices, were calculated. Nine species of helminths and arthropods were collected. The community of parasites in C. princeps consisted of six species of ectoparasites (three species of monogeneans and three species copepods), and three species of endoparasites (one species of nematode, one species of acanthocephala and one species of digenea). The P and MA of Choricotyle caulolatili (Meserve, 1938) infection was positively related to the total length of C. princeps. The sex of C. princeps was associated with the MI of Jaliscia caballeroi (Bravo-Hollis, 1960), with males presenting the highest values. Caulolatilus princeps is a new host for Gnathia sp., Dichelyne (Cucullanellus) elongatus (Tornquist, 1931) and Lepeophtheirus sp.