Distribución transversal y asociaciones interespecíficas en las comunidades de metazoarios ectoparásitos de peces esciénidos marinos del Perú

Abstract

During 1987 and 1988 971 marine sciaenid fisOOs from the central Peruvian coast were examined: 237 Menticirrhus ophicephalus, 124 Paralonchurus peruanus, 249 Sciaena deliciosa, 50 Sciaenafasciata and 311 Stellifer minor Thirty metazoan ectoparasites were identified, 18 helminths and 12 crustaceans. Paralonchurus peruanus was too species with higher number of ectoparasite species (11). The cornmunities of ectoparasites were dominated by diplectanid monogeneans. The following showed preference by sorne site of infestation in their transversal partitioning: Rhamnocercoides menticirrhi, Rhamnocercus spp., Diplectanum sp., Pseudohaliotrema paralonchuri, Pedocotyle annakohni, P. bravoi, Caligus callaoensis and Lernanthropus huamani. With the exception of P. peruanus. these fishes showed an overall positive association in their ectoparasite cornmunities. Menticirrhus ophicephalus and S. deliciosa had the most pairs of associated and covariated species. Paralonchurus peruanus and S. minor showed no interspecific associations. Negative interspecific association and covariation were not determined. The pair R. menticirrhi • L. huamani (in M. ophicephalus) had the highest association degree. These results suggest an absence of competitive interspecific processes.