Intestinal helminths as population markers of the Amazonian fish Mylesinus paraschomburgkii, with descriptions of five new genera and seven new species of trematodes

Abstract

Helminths from the intestinal tracts of fish called "pacus" were studied. The fish were found only in rapids areas of Northeastern tributaries of the Amazon River. Since this species, Mylesinus paraschomburgkii JÉGU, SANTOS & FERREIRA, 1989, does not migrate, each river has a separate population in its upper reaches. These populations are believed to have been isolated from each other, by high water, since the last glaciation some 12,000 years ago. It was thought that differences in the helminth faunas might reflect such isolation. Collection sites were: the Uatumà, Pitinga and Capucapu Rivers, Amazonas State (considered one population), the Trombetas and Jari Rivers, Pará State and the Araguari River, Amapá State. Seven species of trematodes were found, namely: Alphamphistoma canoeforma gen. et sp. nov. which has a body that is extremely concave ventrally and short ceca; Betamphistoma jariense gen. et sp. nov. which has parallel testes and a cirrus sac with heavy muscular walls; Gammamphistoma collaris gen. et sp. nov. a small species with large suckers and an anterior collar; Deltamphistoma pitingaense gen. et sp. nov. a form with short to moderately long ceca and testes that extend laterally beyond them; Zetamphistoma compacta gen. et sp. nov. with a wide body that is convex on both surfaces and thin marginally; Pseudocladorchis cylindricus (DIESING, 1836) with a large, cylindrical body, parallel testes and vitelline follicles that extend anteriorly to beyond them and the Haploporidae, Saccocoelioides rotundus sp. nov. which has a compact body, rounded posteriorly and vitellaria that nearly surround the testis. P. cylindricus was found at all sites except the Jari River. The latter has also been reported from other hosts. From three to four species of trematodes were found in each host population and some of these appear to be useful as markers. D. pitingaense was found only in the Amazonas State population and B. jariense appeared only in fish from the Jari River. The haploporid, S. rotundus was found in the Trombetas River population exclusively. The most typical trematode from Araguari River hosts was Z. compacta but this species was also found in fish from the Trombetas River. Two nematode species representing the family Atractidae, namely; Proatractis sp. and Rondonia rondoni TRAVASSOS, 1919, were found in all the fish examined. The former inhabits the pyloric ceca and the first three or four centimeters of upper intestinal tract whereas R. rondoni completely packs the rest of the gut. Another nematode, Cucullanus sp. (Cucullanidae), was found in numbers from 1-24 in the upper intestinal tracts of hosts from the Trombetas River only.