Exploring the Parasite Biodiversity in Climbing Perch (Anabas testudineus) in Buriram, Thailand: Morphological-Based Characterization

TL;DR

This study found that all climbing perch in Buriram, Thailand, were infected with parasites, highlighting the high prevalence of fish-borne infections in the region.

Contribution

The study reports the first documentation of specific parasite species in climbing perch from Buriram, Thailand.

Findings

All 120 climbing perch were infected with at least one parasite species.

Four parasite species were identified, including a monogenean trematode and three intestinal parasites.

Despite high infection rates, no visible symptoms were observed in the fish.

Abstract

Anabas testudineus is an amphibious freshwater fish species native to Thailand, which is afflicted by protozoan and metazoan infections. This study was aimed at identifying the presence of parasites in A. testudineus from Thung Lam Natural Reservoir in Buriram Province, Thailand, between November 2022 and January 2023. The analysis of 120 climbing perches indicated a 100% prevalence of parasitic infections. Four species from three phyla and four genera were detected: Trianchoratus aecleithrium, a monogenean trematode found on gill filaments, and three intestinal parasites: Pallisentis nagpurensis (Acanthocephala), Allocreadium sp. (trematode), and Camallanus anabantis (Nematode). The respective prevalence rates were 100% for T. aecleithrium, 83.33% for C. anabantis, 63.33% for P. nagpurensis, and 26.67% for Allocreadium sp. Despite the widespread parasitism, no symptoms of illness were observed in the fish hosts. This investigation underscores the high prevalence of fish-borne helminthic infections in Buriram Province, Thailand.

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