SPATIO-TEMPORAL VARIATION OF PROCHRISTIANELLA SP. (CESTODA: TRYPANORHYNCHA) IN THE HOST OCTOPUS MAYA (CEPHALOPODA: OCTOPODA) AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE REPRODUCTION.

Although harvest of Octopus maya (Mexican four-eyed octopus) is one of the most important fisheries in the Yucatan Peninsula, little is known about the parasites of these cephalopods and how they affect host physiological processes. We analyzed the spatio-temporal variation of infection of O. maya by the cestode larva Prochristianella sp. (found in the anterior salivary glands) and its relationship with the gonad development stages (GDSs) of the host. From August 2009 to May 2010, 439 specimens of O. maya were caught in 2 localities on the northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula: Dzilam de Bravo (n = 239) and Ria Lagartos (n = 200). The mantle length, eviscerated body weight, reproductive complex weight, and gonad weight were recorded in each specimen. Portions of each gonad were used to identify the GDS based on histology for each individual to determine the periodicity of the reproductive cycle and the monthly variation in the reproductive complex weight. Temporal variation in the monthly mean abundance of cestodes but not in prevalence was evident. A permutational multivariate analysis of variance indicated that variation in the mean abundance of Prochristianella sp. was affected by host GDS, month of sampling, host sex, and sampling locality; however, the first-order interactions indicated that the most were important variables were GDS, month, and host sex. General linear model analyses also indicated that the size, reproductive status, and sex of the hosts were significantly related to the abundance of cestodes. Temporal variation was evident in the monthly mean abundance of Prochristianella sp. but not in its prevalence; the number of parasites increased in octopuses from September to December. Regarding the GDS, the mean abundance of the parasite increased as gonads developed, and gonad development was related to water temperature and time, which are linked to season and the upwelling that occurs in spring and summer. In the oral cavity of octopuses, variations in cestode abundance related to host sex, size, and reproductive status can have major implications for the production of saliva, an essential secretion for food acquisition and defense in this host, and could affect octopus reproduction and recruitment of this food resource so important for the Yucatán Peninsula.