Comunidades de parásitos eumetazoos de peces labrisómidos de Chile central

This study compares the parasite communities of 4 phylogenetically related fish species that belong to the family Labrisomidae; Auchenionchus microcirrhis, A. variolosus, A. crinitus and Calliclinus geniguttatus. These fish are sympatric in the intertidal zone of central Chile (33°S), from where 182 specimens were collected. Twenty-one parasite taxa were found within the 4 sampled fish species. Three parasite species were the most common in the labrisomid fish: an undetermined leech (Piscicolidae), the copepod Holobomolochus chilensis, and the digenean Helicometrina nimia. Most of the parasites were host generalists. C. geniguttatus had a low similarity of parasite composition respect to Auchenionchus spp. The variation in parasite communities among labrisomid species were related to fish length and possibly to environmental variables.