POPULATION-DYNAMICS AND COMMUNITY STRUCTU RE OF METAZOAN PARASITES OFMENTICIRRHUS-OPHICEPHALUS (PISCES, SCIAENIDAE) OF THE PERUVIAN COAST

In 1988, a study of 237 specimens of the fish Menticirrhus ophicephalu s (Pisces: Sciaenidae) from the central Peruvian coast, identified two trematode, three monogenean, one nematode, four copepod and one isopo d parasites. The parasite community has two core, three secondary and six satellite species. These showed the characteristic overdispersed d istribution, excepting Neobrachiella menticirrhi (uniform distribution ). Infrapopulation size increased with host size for Rhamnocercoides m enticirrhi, Cynoscionicola americana, Ascarophis sp., Bomolochus perue nsis and Lernanthropus huamani. The aspidobothriid Lobatostoma veranoi had an opposite pattern. Rhamnocercoides menticirrhi, H. menticirrhi, C. americana, Ascarophis sp. and Clavellotis dilatata preferred femal e hosts, while Lobatostoma veranoi showed a higher prevalence in male hosts. The prevalence or intensity of the following species showed sea sonal variation: Rhamnocercoides menticirrhi, C. americana, B. peruens is and C. dilatata (higher in summer and fall), and L. veranoi and H. fasciata (higher in winter and spring). The monogenean R. menticirrhi preferred the second branchial pair and the copepod L. huamani the fir st pair. Similar to other marine sciaenid fishes studied from Peru, th e parasite community of M. ophicephalus is dominated by ectoparasite a nd satellite species, and is characterized by the absence of larval st ages of parasites common in the marine ecosystem. Infracommunity compo nent number and intensity of the parasitism were also similar to those in other marine sciaenids.