FEEDING HABITS AND NEMATODE PARASITES OF SOME FISHES OF KARACHI COAST YASMIN AKHTAR Department of Botany, Jinnah University For Women, Nazimabad, Karachi, Pakistan. 2008 FEEDING HABITS AND NEMATODE PARASITES OF SOME FISHES OF KARACHI COAST BY YASMIN AKHTAR M.Sc, M.Phil. THESIS SUBMITED TO JINNAH UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN FOR FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIRMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D.) IN BOTANY Department of Botany, Jinnah University For Women, Nazimabad, Karachi, Pakistan. 2008 Supervisor’s Certificate This is to certify that Ph.D student for the session 2005-2007 of Jinnah University For Women; Ms.Yasmin Akhtar has completed her research dissertation under my supervision for fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Ph.D. This is original work carried out by the candidate. The title of dissertation is “FEEDING HABITS AND NEMATODE PARASITES OF SOME FISHES OF KARACHI COAST PAKISTAN”. Research supervisor Prof.Dr.Bilqees Mujib Ph.D (Can), Sc.D (USA), D.Sc TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages ACKNOWLEDGEMENT--------------------------------- i SUMMARY------------------------------------------ ii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1: Importance of Fishes---------------------------------- 1 1.2: Fish and fisheries--------------------------------------- 3 1.3: Pakistan coastline------------------------------------ 7 1.4: Fish dietary habits-------------------------------------- 8 1.5: Fish parasitic fauna (nematodes) --------------------- 9 1.6: Nematode diversity------------------------------------ 11 1.7: Fish diseases ------------------------------------------ 12 Objective of the present work--------------------------------------19 CHAPTER-2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1: Comprehensive account of feeding habits of fishes-- 21 2.2: Effect of temperature on food-------------------------- 22 2.3: Nematoda (Round worms) --------------------------- 22 2.4: Fish Pathology due to nematodes --------------------- 25 CHAPTER-3 MATERIAL AND METHOD 3.1: Study Area---------------------------------------- 31 3.2: Collection of material-------------------------------- 31 3.3: Method for the study of feeding habits ------------ 32 3.4: Occurrence method ---------------------------------- 32 3.5: Frequency of occurrence----------------------------- 33 3.6: Examination of material for feeding habits--------- 33 3.7: Collection and Examination of specimen for nematode parasites------------------------------------ 34 3.8: Preparation of nematode specimen for SEM------ 35 3.9: Procedure for histopathology---------------------- 35 CHAPTER-4 RESULTS AND DESCRIPTIONS FEEDING HABITS----------------------------------- 36 4.1: Table 1: Taxonomic position of different edible marine fish species studied for their feeding habits and nematode parasites.----------------------------- 38 4.2: Diets of different fishes------------------------- 39 4.3: Remarks ------------------------------------------- 46 4.4: Statistical Analysis ------------------------------ 51 4.5 Table 2-4: Food contents of different fish species from Karachi coast ------------------------------------ 52 4.6: Table 5: Occurrence of food categories in relation to total number of stomach analyse of different marine edible fishes from Karachi coast--------- ------------- 55 Table 5.1- 5.2: Statistical calculation of Table 5. - 56 4.7 Table 6-13: Frequency of occurrence in relation to total number of stomach analysed of different marine edible fishes of Karachi coast --------------- 58 4.8 Figures: 1-8 (histograms)-Comparison of the food items in the gut of different edible fishes from Karachi coast------------------------------------------- 66 4.9 Figures: 9-42. Photographic representation of some organisms present within the stomachs of different marine edible fishes---------------------------------- 72 CHAPTER-5 DESCRIPTIONS OF NEMATODES 5.1: History of the genus Dujardinascaris Baylis,1947-------------------------------------------- 77 5.2: Diagnosis of Dujardinascaris mujibi n.sp.--------- 79 Remarks------------------------------------------------- 81 5.3: Diagnosis of Dujardinascaris jello n.sp.------------ 84 Remarks--------------------------------------------------- 85 5.4: Diagnosis of Dujardinascaris maculatum n.sp.----- 87 Remarks--------------------------------------------------- 88 5.5: Diagnosis of Dujardinascaris sphyraenii n.sp.----- 90 Remarks-------------------------------------------------- 91 5.6: Diagnosis of Dujardinascaris multiporous n.sp.-- 93 Remarks--------------------------------------------------- 94 5.7: Diagnosis of Dujardinascaris sinjarii n.sp.--------- 96 Remarks--------------------------------------------------- 97 5.8: Diagnosis of Dujardinascaris dentatus n.sp---------- 100 Remarks-------------------------------------------------- 101 5.9: Table: (14-17) Morphological varations in the new and known species of the genus Dujardinascaris Baylis---------------------------------------------------- 102 5.10: List of figures: Figs. (43—45)Dujardinascaris mujibi n.sp.------------- 106 Figs. (46—48)Dujardinascaris jello n.sp.---------------- 109 Figs (49—51) Dujardinascaris maculatum n.sp.-------- 112 Figs.(52—54) Dujardinascaris sphyraenii n.sp.---------- 115 Figs. (55—57)Dujardinascaris multiporous n.sp.--------- 118 Figs. (58) Dujardinascaris sinjarii n.sp. ------------ 121 Figs.(59—60) Dujardinascaris dentatu n.sp.------------- 122 5.11: History of the genusProcamallanus(Spirocamallanus Olsen, 1952)------------------------------------------------ 124 5.12: Diagnosis of Spirocotoyle otolithi n.gen. n.sp.-------128 Remarks---------------------------------------------- 130 5.13: Diagnosis of Procamallanus(Spirocamallanus) riaziaii n.sp. --------------------------------------- 132 Remarks --------------------------------------- 134 5.14: Diagnosis of Procamallanus(Spirocamallanus) ruberii n.sp. ---------------------------------------- 137 Remarks---------------------------------------------- 138 5.15: Diagnosis of Procamallanus(Spirocamallanus) female sp. ----------------------------------------------- 141 Remarks ----------------------------------------------- 142 5.16: List of Figures (61—66) Figs. (61): Spirocotoyle otolithi n.gen. n.sp--------------- 143 Figs. (62—64): Procamallanus(Spirocamallanus) riaziaii n.sp----------------------------- ------- 144 Figs. (65—66): Procamallanus(Spirocamallanus) ruberii n.sp.------------------------------------147 Figs. (67): Procamallanus(Spirocamallanus) Female specimen------------------------------ 149 5.17: History of the genus Cucullanus Muller, 1777-----150 5.18:Diagnosis of Cucullanus aliyaii n.sp.----------- 156 Remarks--------------------------------------------- 157 5.19:Figs. (68-69) ------------------------------------ 163 CHAPTER-6 HISTOPATHOLOGY-------------------------------- 165 6.1: Discription and distribution of Euthynnus alletteratus(Refin, 1810)------------------------------- 165 6.2: Histopathology of infected intestine of Euthynnus alletteratus---------------------------------- 166 6.3: Discription and distribution of Pomadasys maculatum (Blch, 1797)----------------------------- 167 6.4: Histopathology of infected intestine of Pomadasys maculatum------------------------------- 168 6.5: Remarks------------------------------------------------ 169 6.6: Figs. (70-89)----------------------------------------- 174 CHAPTER-7 DISCUSSION 7.1: Dietary habits of fishes--------------------- 179 7.2: Seasonal variations in dietary habits------- 181 7.3: Correlation of dietary habits and nematode parasites--------------------------------------- 182 7.4: Parasitic diversity------------------------- 185 7.5: Histopathology of fishes------------------- 186 FUTURE PERSPECTIVE------------------- 190 CHAPTER-8 REFERENCES----------------------------- 191 LIST OF PUBLICATIONS----------------- 237 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am grateful to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Riaz Ahmed Hashmi, Jinnah University for Women for providing financial support, working facilities and kind suggestion at every step of this work. I do here by acknowledge the fact that great help and guidance was provide to me by my research supervisor Prof.Dr.Bilqees Mujib who was kind to me, at every stage of the preparation of this dissertation. She has given guidance to me. I deeply feel indebted to her efforts and contributions. With out her efforts and help, such a piece of research work would not be possible. My thankful acknowledgement is due to Prof. Dr. Rafia Azmat, Department of Chemistry for fruitfull discussion, comments, suggestion and help in the statistical analysis of data with all cooperation in finalizing the current thesis. I am thankful to the heads and the staff of the department of Botany and department of Zoology for helping me, to reconcile my study and work. Similarly, I would like to appreciate research officer Ms. Rehmat Bibi for her skilled assistance in the laboratory. I am also thankful to Mr. Yousaf, research technical officer for his assistance in the Steroscan Micrographs in Centralized laboratory of university of Karachi. i I am also thankful to Rupert Lee from the Natural History Museum in London and Dr. Franick Moravec from institute of Parasitology, Czech Republic Budejovice kindly provided literature for study. My sincerest thanks are due to my husband and my children for all the joy of life they have given and for their moral support. ii SUMMARY Pakistan has two main fishing areas: Karachi and Sindh, extending southeast from Karachi to the Indian border (about 180 miles) and the Mekran coast, west of Karachi and along the coast of Baluchistan