Abstract

SANDOVAL GIO, Juan José et al. DIFFERENTIAL ACUTE TOXICITY OF TALSTAR® (BIFENTHRINE) AND BIOTHRINE® (DELTAMETHRINE) IN NILE TILAPIA Oreochromis niloticus. Rev. Int. Contam. Ambient [online]. 2018, vol.34, n.1, pp.45-55. ISSN 0188-4999.  https://doi.org/10.20937/rica.2018.34.01.04.

Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus is an aquacultural important species and both, bifenthrin and deltamethrin are two synthetic pyrethroids used by Health Services in Yucatán to control Aedes aegypti mosquito, dengue’s vector. Differential acute toxicity of Talstar® (bifenthrin) and Biothrine® (deltamethrin), in tilapia O. niloticus was evaluated. Eight concentrations of Talstar® (2.5 - 400 µg/L), and eight concentrations of Biothrine® (0.56 - 112 µg/L), were used, along with a control treatment without insecticide, and three repetitions for each one. Signs of toxicity in fishes under influence of these insecticides were: erratic swimming, loss of balance and hyperventilation, especially in highest concentrations. Probit analysis showed a lethal medium concentration (LC50) at 96 hours for Talstar® of 75.11 µg/L. Confidence limits (95 %) were 58.76 and 96.34 µg/L. LC50 at 96 hours for Biothrine® was 28.36µg/L, confidence limits (95 %), were 23.29 and 35.27 µg/L). These values are considered as extremely toxic, and they should be observed with alert because they could have potential toxic effect in both, natural or aquaculture environments. It is needed to continue the evaluation of the acute and chronic toxicity mechanisms of insecticides used in the health sector for aquaculture species in México. This, because the perspectives of use of these substances and the development of aquaculture in the Yucatan peninsula.

Keywords : aquaculture; insecticides; fishes; LC50; dengue; ecotoxicology.