One new myxosporidian species, Myxobolus slendrii sp. nov., and one known species, M. punjabensis Gupta and Khera, 1989, infecting freshwater fishes in wetlands of Punjab, India

Abstract

Myxosporidian parasites of fish are very important as they cause severe damage to a large number of commercially important fishes. During our study of Myxozoan parasite of fishes of Punjab wetlands, India, a new myxosporean species, Myxobolus slendrii sp. nov., was recorded from mucous membrane around gill lamellae and one already known species Myxobolus punjabensis from caudal fins of Cirrhina mrigala has been described. Spores of M. slendrii sp. nov. are pyriform, highly elongated, and much slender in shape with a pointed anterior end and a rounded posterior end. The shell valves appear thicker at the posterior end of the spore than the rest on the spore body. Two polar capsules are placed posteriorly from the tip of the spore running parallel to each other. They are equal, pyriform, and highly elongated, equally containing six to eight coils of polar filament. Intercapsular process and iodinophilous vacuole are absent.