Freshwater fish parasite diversity in West Bengal – A review

Abstract

Aquaculture has the potential to meet the need of growing demand of fish in an affordable price. But in capture and in culture fisheries the fishes face diseases that interfere in the production of fish. The occurrence of disease causes the reduced production in aquaculture or reduce the marketable value of fish because of change of flesh quality, thus hampering the production. Freshwater fishes whether they are cultured or wild face different types of diseases in their skin, gills, fins, blood, and internal organs. The parasites that cause the diseases may be protozoans or metazoans.The main protozoan freshwater fish diseases are ichthyophthiriasis, trichodiniasis, costiosis, chilodonellosis. The most common metazoan parasitic diseases of freshwater fishes are dactylogyrusis, gyrodactylosis, argulosis, myxosporidiasis, ligulosis, ergasilosis, lernaesis, etc. The focus of this review is to screen the research studies that takes place on freshwater fish parasites of West Bengal. The review also aims to study the diversity of freshwater fish parasites in West Bengal, so that it will helps the researcher to get an idea about the freshwater fish parasites and their mode of infection in the fishes. The research work that takes place in different regions of West Bengal. Some of them reveal new species of parasites in fishes. Protozoan, cnidarian, acanthocephalan, nematode, cestode, trematode, crustacean parasites are identified in freshwater fishes of West Bengal. Among the protozoans cailiates, flagellates are identified. Trichodinids are very common protozoan fish parasites in most districts. Parasites under genus Myxobolus, Dactylogyrus, Gyrodactylus, Argulus, Lernea are common among the metazoans.