UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

Jayakwadi Dam (Nathsagar) is a Freshwater Reservoir situated at Godavari River, Paithan of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar District, Maharashtra. This reservoir is ecologically important with rich fish diversity. The present study, conducted from March 2025 to February 2026, investigated the prevalence, morphotaxonomy and host-parasite biochemical interactions of the pseudophyllidean cestode Senga Dollfus, 1934 in Mystus cavasivs. A total of 98 specimens of Mystus cavasius were examined for cestode infection, of which 63 were infected, while an overall total of 180 fish specimens belonging to different species were screened during the study period. A total of 98 fish were studied from four sampling stations. Of these, 63 (64.3%) were infected with a mean intensity of 7.4 ± 3.2 worms per host and peak prevalence during post-monsoon months. The recovered cestodes had a pyriform scolex, spoon-shaped bothria, armed rostellum (32-44 hooks), bilobed ovary and follicular vitellaria, corresponding to the genus Senga. Biochemical analysis using Lowry’s method for protein, anthrone for glycogen and Folch’s method for lipid revealed that Senga sp. had significantly less protein (0.30 mg/100 mg dry wt.) and glycogen (0.31 mg/100 mg) than infected (0.38; 0.36) and non-infected host intestinal tissue (0.45; 0.43). Total lipid was significantly higher in the cestode (0.61 mg/100 mg) than in infected (0.28 mg/100 mg) and non-infected (0.22 mg/100 mg) host tissue. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that Senga sp. depletes host carbohydrate and protein reserves and stores lipids as its predominant energy store, a hallmark biochemical strategy of endoparasitic cestodes. This study provides baseline morpho-taxonomic and biochemical data for piscine cestode diversity in the Godavari basin.