Estudo da fauna parasitária da tainha, Mugil curema Valenciennes, 1836 (Mugiliformes, Mugilidae), da região de Valença, estado da Bahia

Abstract

Fifty nine specimens of white mullet, Mugil curema, were acquired of fishermen from Valença, Bahia, in March 2009 and April and May 2010, for study of its parasite fauna. We had the objective to identify the ecto and endoparasites species, to determine the parasitism indicators, the relative condition factor (Kn) and some ecological aspects of the parasite fauna. Of the analyzed fish, 81% were parasitized. The parasite community was composed for three species of Digenea, two of Monogenea, two Nematoda, one Cestoda, two of Acanthocephala, four Copepoda, two Malacostraca, one Ciliophora and one Myxozoa. The host’s length did not influence in the occurrence of the majority of parasite species or the diversity and richness, indicating that possibly this is not a key factor in the community structure of the studied parasitic communities. The results suggest that, amongst the found parasites, only the Myxobolus cyst affect negatively and significantly the Kn of the parasitized fish.