SEASONAL VARIATION IN THE PREVALENCE, ABUNDANCE, AND MEAN INTENSITY OF ACANTHOCEPHALA INFECTING SNAKE HEADED FISH, Channa punctatus (BLOCH 1793) IN HOOGHLY DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

The seasonal variation of acanthocephalan parasite Pallisentis sp. infecting Channa punctatus (Bloch 1793) was studied over a period of two years from June 2017- May 2019. The sampling of host fish was done from local fish markets of different regions of the Hooghly district. The prevalence, mean intensity, and abundance of infection were studied and statistically verified. A total of 300 fishes were examined, out of which 141 fishes were found to be infected with acanthocephalan parasites. The infection was higher during the pre-monsoon season, moderate during monsoon, and lower during the post-monsoon season. Availability of Pallisentis sp. was found to be affected by biotic factors like the feeding habit of host fish, availability of intermediate hosts i.e. arthropods, and also abiotic factors (temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, etc).