The parasite fauna of Scomber japonicus Houttuyn, 1782 (Pisces: Scombridae) in two zones of the Argentine Sea

Between September 1993 and August 1995, parasitological examinations of 173 specimens of Scomber japonicus were made from two areas of the Argentine Sea: Mar del Plata, 37-38 degrees S (N = 90) and El Rincon, 39-41 degrees S (N = 83). 94.75% of the mackerel harboured 6081 parasites belonging to the following taxa: Kuhnia scombri (Kuhnia, 1829) Sproston, 1945 (Monogenea); Opechona spp.; Nematobothrium spp. (Digenea); Hysterothylacium spp., Anisakis spp., Contracaecum spp. and Pseudoterranova spp. (Nematoda); Scolex pleuronectis Muller, 1788 (Cestoda); Corynosoma australe Johnston, 1937 (Acanthocephala). With the exception of K. scombri, all the parasites are reported for the first time in mackerel from the area under study. C. australe is the first record for this host. Prevalence and abundance of infestation were calculated for each parasite species and for each area. The importance of host sex, body size, diet and fishing area, as related to the level of infestation of each parasite, is also examined. On the basis on a multivariate analysis, detrended correspondence analysis (DECORANA), the quantitative variations in some parasites show the possibility of their use as tags of different ecological conditions of the two geographic areas. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.