UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

Parasitic infections in fishes cause significant economic losses and severely affect public health. The high prevalence of parasites in urban rivers has been increasingly reported in the literature. The study investigated the prevalence of ectoparasites and endoparasites in eight minor wild fishes (Glossogobius giuris, Chanda nama, Labeo calbasu, Puntius sophore, Parambassis ranga, Garra mullya, Sperata seenghala, Gymnostomus fulungee) from five rivers flowing through the urban region of Pune metropolitan area. A total of 126 fishes were investigated for disease-causing parasite infections on the body surface/scales, gills, intestine, and liver. We observed a total of eleven parasites (five ectoparasites and six endoparasites). Both small and large-sized fishes were highly infected. The prevalence of both ectoparasites and endoparasites was high in large-sized fishes. The prevalence of ectoparasites and endoparasites varies in different species and at different collection sites. The occurrence of endoparasites was high in column feeder fishes, while ectoparasites were predominantly present in bottom feeder fishes. The prevalence of endoparasites was slightly higher in herbivorous and omnivorous fishes, while the proportion of both ectoparasites and endoparasites was similar in carnivorous fishes. The present study provides preliminary data on the prevalence of parasites in minor fishes that could be useful for designing strategies for monitoring parasite prevalence in urban rivers.