Myxobolus bouixi Fomena, Folefack and Tang II, 2007 (Cnidaria: Myxosporea) infection in a freshwater fish Garra gotyla inhabiting the Ranjit Sagar Wetland in Punjab, India

The present study was carried out to identify the myxozoan parasites infecting the freshwater fish Garra gotyla inhabiting the Ranjit Sagar Wetland in Punjab. Out of 75 fish specimens examined, 18 were found with infection. The identification was done on the basis of morphological and morphometric attributes of the myxospores. The present species Myxobolus bouixi Fomena et al. (2007) was characterized by the presence of ovoidal plasmodia of 0.02 to 0.2 mm in diameter in the gills of Garra gotyla. Mature myxospores were round to subspherical in frontal view with small pore at the anterior end and a round posterior end measuring 10.5 × 9.0 μm. Two polar capsules were observed, which were equal sized, broadly pyriform to elongately oval with bluntly pointed anterior end measuring 5.1 × 3.1 μm. The prevalence of infection was 24%. The intensity of infection or the mean abundance was determined by the gill plasmodial index (GPI) and was found to be 1, which indicated light infection