Occurrence of Dioctophymatid nematode of Eustrongylides species in Glossogobius giuris from Nagawara lake, Bengaluru

Larvae of the parasitic dioctophymatid nematode, Eustrongylides Jagerskiold , 1909, infect various freshwater fishes. They prefer warm waters and are often found in water bodies that experience pollution and eutrophication. A total of 1180 samples of fish belonging to 12 species from Nagawara lake were examined for the occurrence of Eustrongylides larvae and among them, Glossogobius giuris of the family Gobiidae was found infested with the parasite. Prevalence of the parasite was highest (40%) during pre-monsoon season coinciding with the highest temperature and pH. However, mean intensity (4.88) and abundance (1.77) were highest in the post-monsoon.  Eustrongylides sp. is zoonotic, and makes this study relevant and warns consumers from having raw or undercooked fish. Key words: Nematode, Zoonois, Eutrophic lake, Freshwater fish, India