THE STRUCTURING PROCESS OF THE MACROPARASITE COMMUNITY OF AN EXPERIMENTAL POPULATION OF CICHLASOMA-UROPHTHALMUS THROUGH TIME

The structuring process of the macroparasite community of caged Cichla soma urophthalmus was studied over time using sentinel fish. Three tho usand uninfected cichlids were stocked in floating cages introduced in to a quarry in which a wild population of the same species was present . Caged and wild cichlids were sampled monthly over 6 and 7 months, re spectively. Seventeen macroparasite species were found in the wild C, urophthalmus population, ten of which were detected in the caged popul ation after 6 months. Early infections were by those species that were more frequent and abundant in the wild population, while helminths wi th a low prevalence and abundance in the wild appeared later in the ca ged fish population. The results suggested that the structuring profes s of the macroparasite community of caged C. urophthalmus followed a p redictable pattern, in which those species that were most frequent and abundant in the wild were the first to establish in sentinel fish.