GILL AND DIGESTIVE TRACT PARASITES OF CLARIAS SPECIES IN THE TELLA AREA OF RIVER TARABA, TARABA STATE, NIGERIA
GILL AND DIGESTIVE TRACT PARASITES OF CLARIAS SPECIES IN THE TELLA AREA OF RIVER TARABA, TARABA STATE, NIGERIA
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Date
2014-09
Authors
BINGARI, Mathias Simon
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Abstract
There is an emerging need to culture fish for the teeming rapidly growing population, but infestation by parasites sometimes lead to reduction in fish aesthetic value, its reproductive capacity and mortality if there is high infestation. Information on gill and digestive tract parasites in River Taraba are needed because parasites that infest wild fish can also infest cultured ones. Two hundred and sixty (260) Clarias specimens obtained from River Taraba, Taraba State were examined for gill and digestive tract parasites from January to October 2013. One hundred and forty (140) of them were Clarias gariepinus and one hundred and twenty (120) Clarias anguillaris. Two gill parasites, Macrogyrodactylus sp. a monogeneans, and Ergasilus sarsi, a copepod were recovered. Three parasite species, Tetracampos ciliotheca and Monobothrioides woodlandi, which are cestodes and Procamallanus laevionchus, a nematode were recovered from the digestive tract of both Clarias species in the river. The relationships between sex and size of fish and the gill and digestive tract infestation was not significant (P>0.05). However, the relationship between infestation and seasons was significant for both gill and digestive tract infestations in C. gariepinus and C. anguillaris (P<0.05). The relationship between digestive tract parasite infestation and the seasons in C. anguillaris was not significant (P>0.05), but was significant in C. gariepinus (P<0.05). Macrogyrodactylus sp and Ergasilus sarsi (gill parasites) and Tetracampos ciliotheca, Monobothrioides woodlandi and Procamallanus laevionchus (digestive tract parasites) of Clarias gariepinus and Clarias anguillaris are reported in the Tella area of River Taraba for the first time. Therefore, fish farmers that may want to obtain their brood stocks from River Taraba are advised to quarantine them. For the overall benefit of academics and for record, further work on parasites of Clarias species and other fish species in River Taraba should be carried out
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE (M.SC) IN FISHERIES
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, FACULTY OF SCIENCE,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA
Keywords
GILL,, DIGESTIVE TRACT PARASITES,, CLARIAS SPECIES,, TELLA AREA,, RIVER TARABA,, TARABA STATE,, NIGERIA