Life history of Allocreadium fasciatusi Kakaji, 1969 (Trematoda: Allocreadiidae) from the freshwater fish Aplocheilus melastigma McClelland

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe life history of Allocreadium fasciatusi which occurs in the intestine of a freshwater fish Aplocheilus melastigma has been worked out in detail. The snail Amnicola travancorica acts as the first intermediate host. The miracidium hatching out from the eggs attacks the snail and passes through two generations of rediae. Cercariae are of ophthalmoxiphidiocercous type with very long tail and are identical to Cercariae Indicae XLIX Sewell, 1922. The cercariae penetrate and develop into metacercariae in the haemecoel of the copepods Mesocyclops leuckarti, Microcyclops varicans and Marcocyclops distructus. Upon ingestion by the definitive host, the metacercariae excyst and develop into adults. All the stages in the life cycle are described and the life cycle is compared with other allocreadiid life cycles. The original description of A. fasciatusi is revised and Psilostomum chilkai Chatterji, 1956 from Lates calcalifer is synonymized with it.