Site specificity study of endoparasites of rastrelliger kanagurta from south china sea

Abstract

Fourty specimens of Rastrelliger kangurta Cuvier, 1816 were bought from the fish stall at Mengabang Telipot Beach, Kuala Terengganu. Fish were caught from the South China Sea between August 2008 and January 2009. The specimens were taken back to the lab and diagnosed for the site specificity of endoparasites. All specimens were infected by at least a species of endoparasites with the highest prevalence of 97.5%. Four hundred seventy parasites specimens of six different species from the digeneans, acanthocephalans and nematodes were collected with average intensity of 3.83. The most prevalent, the digenenas, were parasitizing the entire gastrointestinal tract. The acanthocephalan parasitized only the stomach, anterior intestine and mid intestine while the nematodes parasitized the mid intestine and posterior intestine of the host.