Recurrent attachment of Batrachobdelloides tricarinata (Rhynchobdellae: Glossiphoniidae) on Cichlids in an Undisturbed Lake, Southeast, Nigeria

The information on the attachment pattern of Batrachobdelloides tricarinata on fish hosts and specificity to individual fish hosts in different aquatic ecosystems has little information in Tropical Africa. Its attachment frequency on cichlid individual species in the present study indicated possible infection specificity on cichlid hosts despite presence of other potential fish hosts that equally maintain abundance in a tropical freshwater Lake that was studied during its long period of fallow with little or no anthropogenic disturbance. There was active relationship between season (wet and dry) and depth (2.18±0.60 m) of the Lake. Whereas more collection was recorded during dry season months with highest attachment on Tilapia zillii 9.48%, rainy periods had lower collection percentage, which coincides with relatively higher depth. The estimated 69% of this annelid parasite with body dry weight (0.08 ± 0.05 g) were collected from the cichlids out of which Tilapia zillii (45%) had the highest recurrent attachment of the parasite and highest percentage collection 11(9.48%) in dry season months.