Parasitic diseases of freshwater ornamental fishes commercialized in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract

The parasitic fauna of ornamental fish from Florianópolis, SC, Brazil was evaluated from June 2004 through June 2005. Xiphophorus maculatus (n=88), Xiphophorus helleri (n=27), Poecilia sphenops (n=20), Macropodus opercularis (n=20), Trichogaster tricopterus (n=9), Beta splendens (n=8), Puntius conchonius (n=7), Carassius auratus (n=6), Gymnocorymbus ternetzi (n=4) were analyzed. From a total of 189 examined fishes, 65 (34%) were parasitized: 15.3% with metacercariae of Ascocotyle (Digenea); 15.3% with Monogenoidea; 6.9% with Piscinoodinium pillulare (Dinoflagellida); 4.7% with Trichodina acuta (Ciliophora); 3.7% with Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ciliophora); 2.6% with cestodes; 2.6% with Camallanus maculatus (Nematoda); 2.1% with Lernaea cyprinacea (Crustacea) and 0.5% with Chilodonella sp. (Ciliophora). The largest mean intensities of infection were 335 and 205, respectively to X. maculatus and X. helleri infected by metacercariae in the gills.