Fish Parasitization in Lotic Systems of Kashmir Himalaya

Indigenous fishes of Kashmir were examined in snow-fed streams of Kashmir (India) for metazoan fish parasites. One thousand and seventy fishes belonging to four families were found infected with seventeen species of parasites belonging to four helminth groups viz., Trematoda, Cestoda, Nematoda and Acanthocephala. The prevalence of infection varied with the type of host and habitat. Stone loach Triplophysa kashmirensis was infected with eight endoparasite species while Acanthocephala and Nematoda were dominant parasites invading the intestine of fish. Schizothorax plagiostomus was uniformly infected with four intestinal parasites and one ectoparasite in three habitats with variations in the prevalence of infection. Among the Acanthocephala, Neoechinorhynchus spp. preferred S. plagiostomus as its host while Pomphorhynchus spp. preferred the intestines of other Schizothorax species. Parasites like Cammallanus fotedari and Phyllodistomum loosi were host-and site-specific. Rabdochona (Filochona) and Diplozoon kashmiriensis were ubiquitous in occurrence both in their hosts and habitats. The present study revealed that Triplophysa kashmiriensis was the principle host for Neoechinorhynchus, Cammallanus, Rabdochona and Phyllodistomum, while it served as accessory host for Pomphorhynchus and occasional host for Allocreadium and Adenoscolex. It played the role of a paratenic host for Eustrongylus sp.