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Metazoan parasite communities of catfishes (Teleostei: Siluridae) in Benin (West Africa)

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Abstract

The need for more precise information on the effect of dry season on fish parasite communities in Benin lead us to undergo a focus during this season in one of the major sites of collection fry by fish farmers.Metazoan parasites were then inventoried in 166 specimens of catfishes which constituted of C larias gariepinus, Clarias ebriensis, Synodontis schall, Synodontis nigrita, and Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Teleostei: Siluridae). Those fishes were collected from fishermen of Agonlin-Lowé at the side of Oueme River in south Benin from November 2011 to March 2012. In total, 12 parasite species were listed comprising three Monogena (Gyrodactylus sp., Synodontella sp., and Protoancylodiscoides chrysichthes), three Cestoda (Stoeksia pujehuni, Lytocestus sp., and Cestode indeterminate), five Nematoda (Paracamallanus cyathopharynx, Procamallanus laevionchus, Cithariniella petterae, Synodontisia thelastomoides, and nematode indeterminate), and one indeterminated Copepod species. Total infestation rate varied between 83.87 and 100 % for the different fish species. This was high but independent of fish sex (χ 2 = 1.669, df = 4, nonsignificant). The highest mean intensity and mean abundance were, respectively, 44 and 13.33. Monogenea and Nematoda have elevated frequency of dominance, and their presence in the host is significantly correlated (r = −0.999; p < 0.05). Clariids were highly infected by Nematoda. Except for P. laevionchus and Proteoancylodiscoides, respectively, in C. gariepinus and in C. nigrodigitatus, the parasites showed clumped distribution. The component community diversity, as measured by the Shannon index (H′), revealed that S. schall had the most parasite diversity.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research which provides doctoral scholarship to Mr. Tossavi who is grateful to Dr. Armand Yevidé for his help in statistical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Zoologie, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Bénin

    Nounagnon Darius Tossavi, Alphonse Adité, Moudachirou Ibikounlé & Gilbert Nestor Sakiti

  2. Département de Physiologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Bénin

    Adam Gbankoto

  3. Ecologie et Evolution des Interactions, UMR 5244, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, 52, Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan, France

    Moudachirou Ibikounlé & Christoph Grunau

  4. Institut de Modélisation et d’Analyses en Géo-Environnement et Santé, EA 4218, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, 52, Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan, France

    Adam Gbankoto

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  1. Nounagnon Darius Tossavi
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Correspondence to Nounagnon Darius Tossavi.

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Tossavi, N.D., Gbankoto, A., Adité, A. et al. Metazoan parasite communities of catfishes (Teleostei: Siluridae) in Benin (West Africa). Parasitol Res 113, 3973–3983 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-4063-x

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