Occurrence of parasitism in Mola mola (Linnaeus, 1758) by metazoan on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

Abstract

The moon-fish (Mola mola) is the largest bony fish in the world, mainly inhabiting tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. This fish is characterized by carrying numerous species of parasites, distributed in its different organs. Therefore, this study aimed to report the metazoan parasites in a moon-fish (M. mola) which was found in death in the coastal city of Areia Branca, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The animal, a young male with 24 Kg, was sent to the Laboratory of Animal Pathology of the University of the Semi-Arid (UFERSA) where necropsy was performed. Due to the alterations found, it was necessary to send samples to the Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of UFERSA. Many parasites were detected in the oral cavity, stomach, duodenum, large intestine, liver, muscle and heart. The parasites were identified as belonging to two taxonomic groups of metazoan: digenetic hemiuridae (compatible with trematode Lecithochirium sp.), and plerocercoids from the order Trypanorhyncha (immature forms of a cestoda pseudophyllidea). The identification of parasites found was of vital importance, since it could estimate the infection by endoparasite communities in marine fish inhabiting the Neotropical region in question. Keywords: Parasites, trematode, cestode, Mola mola, Brazil.