Fish Parasitic Cymothoid, Nerocila phaiopleura Bleeker, 1857 (Crustacea: Isopoda) Infestation in Delicate Round Herring, Spratelloides delicatulus from Lakshadweep Islands
摘要
In the present study, the fish parasitic Cymothoid, Nerocila phaiopleura Bleeker, 1857 attached with a Baitfish, Spratelloides delicatulus (Bennett, 1832) is reported for the first time from Lakshadweep Islands. Collected parasites were confirmed as N. phaiopleura based on morphological diagnosis. In total, eleven numbers of N. phaiopleura were collected from the anterior part of the individuals of S. delicatulus. Smaller size lesions in the body of host fish were also noticed. The report of this parasitic isopod from Lakshadweep Islands provides evidence on its geographic range extension and occurrence of the parasite, N. phaiopleura with a baitfish species, S. delicatulus, which is a new host.