Monogenea on Exotic Indian Freshwater Fish. 6. Co-Introduction of Cichlidogyrus sclerosus (Platyhelminthes: Monogenea) with an Invasive Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Teleostei: Cichlidae)

Abstract— Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Cichliformes: Cichlidae) is one of the most widespread invasive fish species and is host to a plethora of pathogens and parasites. However, no information is available about the health status or infectious diseases of either cultured or wild O. niloticus in India. This article provides the first report of Cichlidogyrus sclerosus, an exotic monogenean (platyhelminth) parasite, from wild O. niloticus in north India. Partial sequence data from the 28S rRNA gene fragments and the 18S-ITS1 region corroborated the initial determination based on morphological characteristics. The potential impact of parasite assemblage of invasive O. niloticus, including C. sclerosus, are discussed.