Parasitism of the isopod Riggia puyensis Rodríguez-Haro et al. in two armored catfish from Pastaza Province (Ecuador)

Abstract

Riggia puyensis, an ectoparasitic isopod, was collected in juvenile Chaetostoma breve and Chaetostoma microps host specimens from the Amazonian region of Ecuador. The aim of this work is to study the possible injury that the parasite causes in its host. R. puyensis was found covered by a fold of the skin, which formed a sort of pocket or pouch within the host’s peritoneal cavity. The alterations described in the epidermis were associated with the mechanical action of the isopod inside the pouch