Ectoparasites and endoparasites community of (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae), catfish from Amazon River system in northern Brazil.

This study investigated the community of ectoparasites and endoparasites in (Auchenipteridae) of a tributary from the Amazon River system, in Northern Brazil. Of 34 fish examined, 100% were parasitized by , , sp., metacercariae of , and sp., () , and larvae of sp. digeneans and sp. were dominant parasite species, while was the parasite with higher infection level. Such parasite species showed an aggregated dispersion, except () , which showed a random dispersion. The Brillouin diversity (0.53 ± 0.29) was high, while evenness (0.28 ± 0.16) and species richness of parasites (3.7 ± 1.1) were low. The size of the hosts did not influence diversity, species richness and abundance of parasites. The ectoparasites were characterized by high prevalence and abundance, while endoparasites community presented low prevalence and abundance. The main factors responsible for structuring the parasite community in were mainly the behavior of this host and the availability of endoparasites infective stages in the environment. This was the first report of , , sp., sp., , sp. and for . The presence of endohelminth larvae suggests that is part of the diet of other fish at the top of the food web in the Amazonian ecosystem studied.