Trematodes and acanthocephalans associated with the yellow mojarra (Caquetaia kraussii) in a coastal lagoon system, San Onofre, Colombia

Abstract

In Colombia, ichthyozoonoses caused by helminths are little studied and remain neglected by the public health sector, representing an interaction to be explored regarding biodiversity and health. Caquetia kraussi is a native fish of Colombia and Venezuela that is economically important due to its high consumption by local communities. This research records the fauna of parasitic helminths associated with C. kraussi in a coastal lagoon system in the Colombian Caribbean. Thirty-two specimens of C. kraussi were captured and inspected in February and December 2020, resulting in the collection of 242 helminths at the metacercariae stage and adults. Parasites included metacercaria of the trematodes Clinostomum sp., Austrodiplostomum sp., two forms of Posthodiplostomum and adults of Oligogonotylus andinus, and adults of the acanthocephalan Neoechinorhynchus sp. These results indicate that C. kraussii acts as a definitive host for O. andinus and Neoechinorhynchus sp., and as an intermediate host for Clinostomum sp., Posthodiplostomum spp. and Austrodiplostomum sp. This research reports for the second time a population of O. andinus in Colombia and the occurrence of a morphoespecies of the genus Neoechinorhynchus that could constitute a new record for Colombia. In addition to contributing to the knowledge of the diversity of fish-associated helminths, the results of this research will make it possible to generate recommendations for the management and control of helminthiasis in artificial fish farming systems that are supplied by natural tributaries, and favor the establishment of hosts and parasites.