Natural infection of Poecilia reticulata (Actinopterygii: Poeciliidae) by metacercariae at Pampulha Reservoir, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Aiming to increase the knowledge about helminth fauna of Poecilia reticulata, 60 specimens were collected at Pampulha Reservoir, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in March and April 2011. Of the total specimens of P. reticulata examined for parasites, 51 (85.0%) were infected by metacercariae of at least one of the five trematode species found in these fishes: Apharyngostrigea sp., Centrocestus formosanus, Clinostomum marginatum, Posthodiplostomum nanum and Renicola sp. Centrocestus formosanus was the species with higher prevalence and mean abundance of infection (respectively 50.0%; 14.0), followed by P. nanum (35.0%; 0.8), Renicola sp. (20.0%; 0.6), Apharyngostrigea sp. (13.3%; 0.3) and C. marginatum (3.3%; 0.03). It was not verified influence of sex and total length of the fishes in the prevalence and abundance of infection of any trematodes species found. This is the first report of the occurrence of P. reticulata naturally infected by these trematode species in Brazil.