Helminth parasite spectrum of fishes in Meghalaya, Northeast India: a checklist.

Fish constitute a major component of diet for the people of Northeast India and they are extensively used as a protein-rich food for human consumption. The present studies incorporate the spectrum, composition and diversity of the parasitic species in freshwater fishes in Meghalaya, Northeast India, with a view to identifying the species recovered by morphological criteria based on light microscopy. The collection sites included sixteen foci from eleven districts of Meghalaya for parasites occurring in the common food fishes (Cypriniformes, Channiformes, Silurformes, Symbranchiformes and Anguilliformes). The helminth parasite spectrum recovered from the various piscine host species in the study area comprised of a total of 19 taxa: 2 monogenean, 8 trematode (4 adult and 4 metacercarial stages), 12 cestode (11 adult and a metacestode stage), 6 nematode (3 adult and 3 larval stages) and a single acanthocephalan species. A checklist of the parasite species with short remarks for each is provided herein.

A new report on the occurrence of monogenean parasites (Monogenoidea) on gill filaments of freshwater fishes in Meghalaya.

The edible freshwater fishes of several genera including Labeo, Cyprinus, Cirrhinus, Danio, Puntius, Garra (Cypriniformes), Channa (Channiformes), Clarias, Heteropneustes, Rita, Monopterus, Ompak, Bagarius and Mystus (Siluriformes) in Meghalaya State were examined for their helminth parasite spectrum. Two monogenean flukes representing the genera Diplozoon and Bifurcohaptor were recovered from the gills of the host fish, which are redescribed herein and their descriptions supplemented with information on their surface fine topography. Labeo pangusia and L. boga constitute new host records for the diplozoid monogenean. Both the monogenean species are reported for the first time from the fishes in Meghalaya, a new locality record.