Parasites of fish larvae: do they follow metabolic energetic laws?

Eumetazoan parasites in fish larvae normally exhibit large body sizes relative to their hosts. This observation raises a question about the potential effects that parasites might have on small fish. We indirectly evaluated this question using energetic metabolic laws based on body volume and the parasite densities. We compared the biovolume as well as the numeric and volumetric densities of parasites over the host body volume of larval and juvenile-adult fish and the average of these parasitological descriptors for castrator parasites and the parasites found in the fish studied here. We collected 5266 fish larvae using nearshore zooplankton sampling and 1556 juveniles and adult fish from intertidal rocky pools in central Chile. We considered only the parasitized hosts: 482 fish larvae and 629 juvenile-adult fish. We obtained 31 fish species; 14 species were in both plankton and intertidal zones. Fish larvae exhibited a significantly smaller biovolume but larger numeric and volumetric densities of parasites than juvenile-adult fish. Therefore, fish larvae showed a large proportion of parasite biovolume per unit of body host (cm(3)). However, the general scaling of parasitological descriptors and host body volume were similar between larvae and juvenile-adult fish. The ratio between the biovolume of parasites and the host body volume in fish larvae was similar to the proportion observed in castrator parasites. Furthermore, the ratios were different from those of juvenile-adult fish, which suggests that the presence of parasites implies a high energetic cost for fish larvae that would diminish the fitness of these small hosts.

Parasite richness in fish larvae from the nearshore waters of central and northern Chile.

In the present study, we determine the presence of parasites in fish larvae collected from nearshore waters along the northern and central coast of Chile. The parasites were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level based on morphological and molecular analyses. The fish sample was composed of 5 574 fish larvae. Of these, 3% harboured only larval ectoparasitic copepods whereas no endoparasites were found in the 1 141 fish evaluated for this group of parasites. The parasitic copepods collected were initially classified as 'morphotypes' according to differences in morphological characteristics. They were then analysed using molecular techniques based on the 28S and COI genes. Seven morphotypes of parasitic copepods (mostly at chalimus stages) were recognised: two of the morphotypes belonged to Pennellidae Burmeister, 1835, three to Caligidae Burmeister, 1835 and two were not identified. Only five morphotypes of copepods were analysed using molecular sequences, which confirmed the existence of six species: two pennellids of the genus Trifur Wilson, 1917 and two caligids of the genus Caligus Müller, 1785, plus two additional species that were morphologically different from these taxa. The pennellids were present in several fish species, being generally more prevalent than the caligids, in both the central and northern localities of Chile. Multispecies infections in larval fish were infrequent (< 1%). We conclude that fish larvae were rich in parasites, considering that these hosts exhibited small body sizes and were very young. We suggest that fish larvae could play a role, as intermediate hosts, in the life cycle of the parasitic copepods found.

Larval fish feeding ecology, growth and mortality from two basins with contrasting environmental conditions of an inner sea of northern Patagonia, Chile.

During austral spring 2011, a survey was carried out in the inland sea (41°30'-44°S) of north Patagonia, South Pacific, studying a northern basin (NB: Reloncaví Fjord, Reloncaví Sound and Ancud Gulf) characterized by estuarine regime with stronger vertical stratification and warmer (11-14 °C) and most productive waters, and a southern basin (SB: Corcovado Gulf and Guafo mouth), with more oceanic water influence, showed mixed conditions of the water column, colder (11-10.5 °C) and less productive waters. Otolith microstructure and gut content analysis of larval lightfish Maurolicus parvipinnis and rockfish Sebastes oculatus were studied. Larval M. parvipinnis showed similar growth rates in both regions (0.13-0.15 mm d(-1)), but in NB larvae were larger-at-age than in SB. Larval S. oculatus showed no differences in size-at-age and larval growth (0.16 and 0.11 mm d(-1) for NB and SB, respectively). M. parvipinnis larvae from NB had larger number of prey items (mostly invertebrate eggs), similar total volume in their guts and smaller prey size than larvae collected in SB (mainly calanoid copepods). Larval S. oculatus had similar number, volume and body width of prey ingested at both basins, although prey ingestion rate by size was 5 times larger in NB than in SB, and prey composition varied from nauplii in NB to copepodites in SB. This study provides evidence that physical-biological interactions during larval stages of marine fishes from Chilean Patagonia are species-specific, and that in some cases large size-at-age correspond to increasing foraging success.

The effects of a parasitic copepod on the recent larval growth of a fish inhabiting rocky coasts.

Parasites can infect larval, juvenile or adult marine fishes; however, the effects of parasites on the growth and condition of fish larvae have seldom been investigated. This study analysed the effects of a parasitic copepod on the larval growth of the Chilean triplefin Helcogrammoides chilensis (Tripterygiidae) based on the microstructure of the sagittal otoliths. Fish larvae were collected during the austral spring of 2010 off central Chile. Their body length ranged from 5.1 to 16.6 mm (2 to 57 days old). They were parasitised by a penellid larval copepod that was always externally attached to the ventral side of the fish's gut. The prevalence of the copepod ranged from 2.7% to 20.8%, with one to four parasites per fish larva. Relationships between otolith size (radius, perimeter) and larval size were equal for parasitised and unparasitised fish larvae (P > 0.05). Larval growth was also similar for unparasitised (0.21 mm/day) and parasitised fish larvae (0.19 mm/day) (P > 0.05). However, a comparison of same-aged larvae showed that the larvae with copepods were smaller in both length and estimated body volume than the larvae without copepods. The Recent Otolith Growth Index, indicated that larval H. chilensis with copepods showed a reduction in recent growth and condition compared with those without evidence of copepods (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, a higher parasite load (two vs. one pennellids) did not decrease the condition of the larval fish. The infestation of pennellids on coastal fish larvae may therefore induce an increase in the pelagic larval duration and potentially affect the settlement rates of this intertidal fish.