Copepod (Crustacea) infection on Oil sardine, Sardinella longiceps Valenciennes, 1847 (Actinopterygii; Clupeidae) - First report

Abstract

Among the Clupeidae, the oil sardine, <em>Sardinella longiceps,</em> Valenciennes, 1847 dominates the catches of commercial boats in India. Despite two reports on isopod infection, no further information on parasitic crustacean infection on this fish species was available to date. Between June 2014 and April 2018, we examined 1513 specimens of <em>S. longiceps,</em> obtained from Cochin and Malabar Coast (Kerala, India) where we report for the first time the exclusive infection of this fish by the Lernaeopodid copepod, <em>Clavellisa ilishae.</em> This parasitic copepod was observed on the gill arches of the host collected from Malabar Coast; the specimens were all sexually mature females bearing egg sacs. Curiously, this copepod parasite was recovered only in a period of three months from October to December in the year 2017 even though the observation was continued for a total of 4 years from 2014-2018. This observation must be addressed further in terms of ecological impacts.