Metazoan parasites of smooth-backed blow fish Lagocephalus inermis from Kerala, south-west coast of India

Abstract

The smooth-backed blow fish (puffer), Lagocephalus inermis Temminck and Schlegel, 1850 (Tetraodontidae), of Indian coastal waters were being till recently, wasted in huge quantities as by-catch. But now, these are utilised in the edible form as salted or sun-dried after proper pre-processing. Reports on the parasites of smooth-backed blow fish are scarce. The present study was aimed at understanding the parasite fauna of this species occurring along the south-west coast of India. A total of 138 fishes were examined for metazoan parasites. Altogether, 13 species of parasites were collected, which included eight species of Digenea, two of Copepoda and one each of Nematoda, Cestoda and Acanthocephala. Of these, nine are reported for the first time from this host species: six digeneans (Heterolebes maculosus, Opistholebes diodontis, Prosogonotrema bilabiatum, Tetrochetus coryphaenae, didymozoid metacercaria and Prosorhynchus sp. metacercaria); the nematode, Amplicaecum tetradonti; trypanorhynchid larva and the copepod, Pseudocaligus laminatus. The overall prevalence of infection was 99.3% and mean intensity 51.7. The most prevalent parasite was the copepod, Taeniacanthus lagocephali (prevalence = 89.1%) and the least, 3 species of digeneans (Maculifer indicus, Bianium plicitum and didymozoid larva) (prevalence = 0.7%).