STUDIES ON DIGENETIC TREMATODES OF SOME FISHES OF KARACHI COAST

During the present investigation (2005-2007) a total of 791 fishes belonging to 14 families, 10 genera and 18 species were collected from different localities of West Wharf, Karachi. During present studies 18 trematode species were identified out of which 11 belong to the Family Hemiuridae, including 5 species of the genus Lecithocladium Luhe, 1909; 4 species of the genus Tubulovesicula, Yamaguti, 1934; 1 species of the genus Stomachicola Yamaguti, 1934 (Bilqees, 1971) and 1 species of the genus Prosogonotrema Perez Vigueras, 1940 (Bilqees and Durrani, 1980). One species of each of the following genera have also been identified and described: Pleorchis Raillet, 1896; Decemtestis Ozaki, 1925 Stephanostomum Looss, 1899; Plagioporus Stafford, 1904 and Prosorhynchus Odhner, 1905. Two species of the genus Bucephalus Baer, 1827 are also reported. This work will be continued as numerous fishes of Karachi coast are still uninvestigated for trematode parasites. These informations are useful for the researchers in this field as well as for the fish farmers, teachers and students of fish parasitology.