This study presents results from several expeditions in 1985, 1991-1995 and 2003 to the Medium Paraná River in the section that begins below the Itaipu Dam and ends at the trinational border of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, in the lotic and lentic zones of the reservoir of the Hydroelectric Power Station of “Itaipu Binacional” (localities Foz do Iguaçu, Santa Helena and Guaira). Ninety-eight species of freshwater fishes belonging to 22 families were examined for helminths. A host-parasite list based on Acanthocephala, Cestoda, Digenea, Monogenea and Nematoda collected from the region in question is provided. New host records are presented for Digenea and Nematoda. The Monogenea and Acanthocephala are being studied and will be published in a later paper, but are referred in the host-parasite list, in order to demonstrate the parasitism in the fishes of the reservoir. The results are compared with those presented by other authors from the Upper Paraná River.
Mymarothecium boegeri sp. n. (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) is described from the gills of Colossoma macropomum Cuvier (Characidae), collected from the aquaria of the "Centro de Pesquisas em Aquicultura, Departamento Nacional de Obras Contra as Secas (DNOCS)", Pentecoste City, State of Cear?, Brazil. Mymarothecium viatorum Boeger, Piasecki et Sobecka, 2002 is reported from the type host, Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier) (Characidae) and from a new host, P. mesopotamicus (Holmberg) (Characidae), confirming the occurrence of M. viatorum in the Neotropical Region. The new species differs from the congeneric species in the structure of male copulatory complex; it is more closely related to M. viatorum by the presence of a posteromedial projection on ventral bar.
Material collected from the fishes from the dams and fish farms of the Departamento Nacional de Obras contra as Secas (DNOCS) and from the tanks of the Itaipu Hydroelectric Station was examined in order to analyze the index and the infestation of Monogenea. Specimens of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus), pirapitinga (Piaractus brachypomus) and the hybrid tambacu (Colossoma macropomum X Piaractus mesopotamicus) were examined and five species of Monogenea were identified including: Mymarothecium viatorum Boeger, Piasecki & Sobecka, 2002, Mymarothecium boegeri Cohen & Kohn, 2005, Notozothecium euzeti Kritsky, Boeger & Jégu, 1996, Notozothecium januachensis Belmont-Jegu, Domingues & Martins, 2004 and Anacanthorus penilabiatus Boeger, Husak & Martins, 1995. Infection prevalence and intensity of infection and new data concerning Monogenea are presented. Key words: Monogenea, Parasites, Brazil, freshwater fishes.
Two species of Cosmetocleithrum Kritsky, Thatcher & Boeger, 1986 (both new) and two species of Demidospermus Suriano, 1983 (one new) are reported from the gills of the catfish Auchenipterus nuchalis, popularly known as “mapará”, from the Tocantins River and tributaries, North Region of Brazil. Cosmetocleithrum berecae n. sp. differs from all other species presently known in the genus by the morphology of the anchors presenting an elongate shaft and short recurved point, a coiled male copulatory organ (MCO) with three rings, and an elongate slender accessory piece with a bifurcated distal end. Cosmetocleithrum nunani n. sp. differs from its congeners by the combination of the following features: (1) Ventral and dorsal anchors with moderately long curved shaft and short point; (2) Hooks with poorly developed thumb; (3) Hook pairs 5 and 6 similar to each other, but morphologically distinct from remaining hook pairs; and (4) MCO coiled, with approximately 1.5 rings. Demidospermus tocantinensis n. sp. is easily distinguished from other species of the genus by presenting an inverted-G-shaped MCO with a median knee-like expansion. Demidospermus osteomystax Tavernari, Takemoto, Lacerda & Pavanelli, 2010 is redescribed based on paratypes and specimens from the gills of A. nuchalis from the Tocantins River, a new host and locality records for this species. The monotypic Paracosmetocleithrum Acosta, Scholz, Blasco-Costa, Alves & Silva, 2017, the only other Neotropical genus reported in siluriforms besides Cosmetocleithrum with species presenting two ribbon-like projections on the posterior margin of the dorsal bar, is considered a junior subjective synonym of Cosmetocleithrum.