LEBANAN K. MOHILAL N. AND T. SONI
Abstract
Important commercial fishes in both natural and cultured habitats are vulnerable to various parasitic infections, out of which myxozoans are emerging as a major group. The present study reports the presence of myxosporidians in freshwater walking catfish, Clarias batrachus Linnaeus, 1758 of Barak valley, Assam. Fishes are freshly examined by making smears from skin, fins, gill, heart, liver, kidney, spleen, buccal cavity and intestine. Cysts are removed and microscopically inspected. The present study reveals the presence of a myxozoan parasite from the gill lamellae of Clarias batrachus that resembles the spores of Myxobolus magurii Sarkar, 1993 and a new species Myxobolus binnakandiensisn. sp from gill arches, skin and intestine of the same fish species. Morphometric data supported with photomicrographs are reported.