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Copepods and Larvae of Nematodes Parasiting the White Mullet Mugil Curema (Valenciennes, 1836): Indicators of Anthropogenic Impacts in Tropical Coastal Lagoons?

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Abstract

The relationship between parasites and environmental stress were studied in two tropical coastal lagoons of Northwest Mexico: Urias estuary (highly polluted) and Teacapan estuary (slightly polluted). Metazoan parasites were examined in 292 white mullet (Mugil curema) specimens collected bimonthly during a year from both systems. Haliotrema mugilinus, Metamicrocotyla macracantha, Ergasilus sp., Caligus sp., Holobomolochus sp., and Lernaeopodidae were found in gills, while Contracaecum sp. larvae III was found liver, hepatic portal vein and kidneys. Ecological indices were influenced by the slightly higher number of parasitic species in Urias compared to Teacapan, as well as the clear dominance of two species: Ergasilus sp. and Contracaecum sp. in both systems. In fact, Ergasilus sp. showed considerably higher abundance in Urias, possibly indicating that its success was a result of adverse conditions affecting the host, while Contracaecum sp showed higher abundances in Teacapan, suggesting that the environmental conditions occurring in Urias could have produced negative impacts on the nematode's infective potential.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad Mazatlán en Acuicultura y Manejo Ambiental. Av., Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A. C., Sábalo Cerritos s/n, Estero del Yugo, C. P. 82010, A.P. 711, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México

    E. J. Fajer-Ávila, H. Plascencia-González, J. Ríos-Sicairos, L. M. García-De La Parra & M. Betancourt-Lozano

  2. Facultad de Biología Marina de la Universidad Jorge Tadeo, Bogotá, Colombia

    A. García-Vásquez

  3. Escuela de BiologÍa, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Ciudad Universitaria, Culiacán, Sinaloa, México

    J. Ríos-Sicairos

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  1. E. J. Fajer-Ávila
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  2. A. García-Vásquez
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  3. H. Plascencia-González
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  4. J. Ríos-Sicairos
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  5. L. M. García-De La Parra
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  6. M. Betancourt-Lozano
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Correspondence to E. J. Fajer-Ávila.

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Fajer-Ávila, E.J., García-Vásquez, A., Plascencia-González, H. et al. Copepods and Larvae of Nematodes Parasiting the White Mullet Mugil Curema (Valenciennes, 1836): Indicators of Anthropogenic Impacts in Tropical Coastal Lagoons?. Environ Monit Assess 122, 221–237 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-005-9177-2

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