The Community of Parasites Infecting <i>Clarias gariepinus</i> in the Tanzanian Waters: A Case of Lake Victoria

Abstract

Quantitative variations in parasites were investigated with respect to sex and size of Clarias gariepinus , season and localities sampled. Parasitic infection in male and female fish was not significantly different; prevalence (Man-Whitney paired sample test, U = 135.5, p = 0.7697), mean intensity (U = 136, p = 0.7829). Based on Kruskal-Wallis test analysis, the prevalence and mean intensity of five parasite species varied significantly among the three localities sampled. Adult parasites in Clarias gariepinus showed high abundance during the dry season while the larval forms showed high abundance in the wet season. In most of the parasite species analyzed the abundance varied significantly with host size. The abundance of Dolops ranarum , Paracamallanus cyatopharynx and Eumasenia bangweulensis for instance, increased with fish size, while that of Diplostomum mashonense , Tylodelphys species, Astiotrema reniferum , piscicolid leeches and Monobothrioides woodlandi increased initially but decreased as fish length reached 31 - 40 cm. Total parasite burden increased in fish of 20 - 40 cm standard length. Generally, most parasites were highly overdispersed and the negative binomial model described their distribution.