The aim of the present study was to determine the acute and subacute potential of trichlorfon in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). We first defined the 24h median tolerance limit (TLm∧24h) of the fish to trichlorfon. Guppies were then treated with TLm∧24h and 1/10 TLm∧24h trichlorfon concentrations to evaluate of any histological alterations occurred. The TLm∧24h value of trichlorfon was 11 ppm. This concentration resulted in acute toxicity to the gills and kidneys with edema, hyperplasia of the gill lamellae, and vacuolated degeneration and necrosis of renal tubular cells. In the case of subacute toxicity using a 10-fold dilution of the TLm∧24h value (1.1 ppm), no behavioral changes, external lesions or histopathological changes were observed. Therefore, safe concentration of trichlorfon might be 1.1 ppm in guppy for controlling parasitic infections.

O peixe eurihalino sul-americano Poecilia vivipara (BLOCH; SNEIDER, 1801), o guppy, é encontrado tanto em estuários quanto em águas de rios, o que sugere uma alta adaptabilidade aos diferentes ambientes de salinidade. Neste trabalho, estudamos a adaptação do epitélio interlamelar, do arco e do rastelo das brânquias dos peixes de estuário de água doce. Os resultados revelam que o epitélio branquial de Poecilia vivipara pode ajustar-se à água doce, diminuindo a proporção volumétrica (PV) de células mucosas do epitélio interlamelar e aumentando a PV de células clorídricas. No entanto, não houve nenhuma evidência de alteração morfológica semelhante na região do rastelo branquial. O epitélio do rastelo branquial parece ser parte de um compartimento diferente que é menos sensível a variações de salinidade. | The south-american euryhaline fish Poecilia vivipara (BLOCH; SNEIDER, 1801), the guppy, is found both in estuary and river waters, which suggests high adaptability to environments of different salinity. In this work we studied the adaptation of the interlamellar, bars and rakers epithelia of the gills of estuary fish to freshwater conditions. The results reveal that the gill epithelia of Poecilia vivipara can adjust itself to freshwater by decreasing the VP of mucous cells of the interlamellar epithelium and increase the volumetric proportion (VP) of chloride cells. However, there was no evidence of similar morphological alteration in the rakers region. The epithelia of the rakers appears to be part of a different compartment that is less sensitive to variation of salinity.