title: Can host body size explain the parasite species richness in tropical freshwater fishes?
abstract: The variability of monogenean gill ectoparasite species richness in 19 West African cyprinid species was analyzed using the following seven predictor variables: host size, number of drainage basins, number of sympatric cyprinid species, host diversity, association with mainland forest, host ecology, and monogenean biological labelling. The size of the host species accounted for 77% of the variation in the number of parasite species per host, and host ecology an additional 8%. Together the effects of host size and host ecology accounted for 85% of the variation in monogenean species richness. This study shows that the deciding factors for explaining monogenean species richness in West African cyprinid fishes are host species size and host ecology. These results were compared with main factors responsible for parasite species richness in fish communities. Other possible explanations of monogenean community structure in west African cyprinids are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Antenne ORSTOM, Laboratoire d'Ichtyologie générale et appliquée, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, 43 rue Cuvier, F-75231, Paris 105, France.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Guégan
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Parasitologie Comparée, U.R.A. C.N.R.S. 698, case 105, Université des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, place Eugène Bataillon, F-34095, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.affiliation: Antenne ORSTOM, Laboratoire d'Ichtyologie générale et appliquée, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, 43 rue Cuvier, F-75231, Paris 105, France.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lévêque
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Animale, U.R.A. C.N.R.S. 698, Centre de Biologie et d'Ecologie tropicale et méditerranéenne, Université de Perpignan, Avenue de Villeneuve, F-66025, Perpignan, France.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Combes
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Parasitologie Comparée, U.R.A. C.N.R.S. 698, case 105, Université des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, place Eugène Bataillon, F-34095, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Euzet
keywords: Body size; Freshwater fish; Parasite communities; Species richness; West Africa