A checklist of the monogenean parasites (Platyhelminthes) of fishes of northeast India.

Abstract

A checklist was generated by compiling a database of all available published accounts of the monogenean parasites of fish from northeast India. The checklist is presented as a host-parasite list, including 35 nominal species from 14 genera and 3 families of monogeneans. Ten of the monogenean species listed here have been described from native fishes in the region, while 25 had previously been described from other parts of India. Dactylogyridae was the dominant family with 33 species, followed by one species each from the family Sundanonchidae and Diplozoidae. Wallago attu was the most examined fish and was represented by five parasite species. This study is an important step for managing and controlling parasite diseases in regional aquaculture and also for future research on the ecology, evolutionary biology, and biogeography of monogenean parasites and their hosts. More significant efforts are needed to fully understand the diversity of monogenean parasites from the rich fish fauna of northeast India.