Prevalence of Argulus indicus on wild fish in Towuti lake
Amriana1, Dwi Kesuma Sari2, Hilal Anshary1

1Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Marine science and Fisheries, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, Indonesia.
2Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, Indonesia.

Abstract

Branchiurans are cosmopolitan ectoparasites, that has been infecting freshwater, brackish and marine fish. They attach wide range hosts and have transmitted in various regions of the world. The study aim to determine the prevalence of Argulus indicus on freshwater fish in Towuti lake, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. A total of 102 Anabas testudineus, 74 Cichlasoma trimaculatum, 84 Oreochromis niloticus, and 113 Channa striata were caught from Towuti lake from February to May in 2019 using fish pot and trammel net. Argulus were obtained from the head, fins, and surface body by visual observations. They were preserved in 70% alcohol and cleared in 10% KOH. Argulus indicus was identified by morphological and genetic analysis. Prevalence and main intensity of Argulus indicus was highest in Channa striata 81% and 5.71 ind/fish, respectively. In contrast the lowest infection in Cichlasoma trimaculatum was 4.1% and 1.66 ind/fish, respectively.

Keywords: Ectoparasite, infection, fish lice, Freshwater, Diseases

Topic: Marine Biology and Marine Disease