Similarity and structure of the ectoparasite communities of rockfish species from the southern Chilean coast in a temporal scale.

The understanding of the patterns and processes underlying the structure of parasite communities has progressed significantly in the last years; however, much of the evidence available to date on parasite community comes from unconfirmed studies. In this study the ectoparasite communities of 2 related rockfishes, Sebastes capensis and Helicolenus lengerichi, from the southern Chilean coast (ca. 40 degrees S) were examined to determine whether their specific compositions are similar, structured in non-random ways, and repeatable among years. From 2001 to 2004, 189 specimens of S. capensis and 101 of H. lengerichi were examined, 10 and 9 parasite species were recorded in S. capensis and H. lengerichi, respectively. Component ectoparasite communities of these hosts were taxonomically similar (60%), but the abundances and prevalences of their parasites differed significantly among years and between hosts. The most prevalent species were Lepeophtheirus chilensis, and Microcotyle sp. for S. capensis, and Microcotyle sp., Juanetia continentalis, and Interniloculus chilensis for H. lengerichi. Infracommunities of S. capensis showed higher species richness and parasite numbers than those of H. lengerichi. The similarity among infracommunities (measured as parasite abundance) varied significantly among years both within and between hosts. Despite this, temporal nestedness patterns were observed in infracommunities of these hosts, suggesting that their ectoparasite communities are structured and might be predictable in time, at least in the southern Chilean coast where they share the same habitat.