Helminth parasites of Metynnis lippincottianus (Cope, 1870) (Serrasalmidae, Characiformes) do rio Pardo, municipality of Salto Grande, São Paulo

Abstract

Brazil has one of the richest freshwater fish faunas in the world. In proportion to the diversity of freshwater fish, the richness of parasites associated is also quite expressive in Brazil, however little of this richness has been explored to date. Metynnis lippincottianus (Cope, 1870) is a species native to the basins of northern South America and is being documented in the rivers of southern São Paulo state, northern Paraná and even in the upper Rio São Francisco, being considered an invasive species. This cichlid has its parasitic fauna relatively well known, being parasitized by several species of helminths, but there is no study in the Pardo River, state of São Paulo, where M. lippincottianus has been reported. In addition, few species of helminth parasites of this fish have been genetically studied. Therefore, this study aims to study the helminth parasites of M. lippincottianus from the Pardo River, based on an integrative taxonomy, to contribute to the knowledge of biodiversity and to the understanding of the phylogenetic relationships of the species of helminth parasites of fish in the Neotropical region.