Prevalence and infestation intensity of a piscicolid leech, Zeylanicobdella arugamensis on cultured hybrid grouper in Brunei Darussalam

Prevalence, intensity and histopathology of Zeylanicobdella arugamensis infestation on groupers reared on different aquaculture systems

“…The marine ectoparasite was mostly found attached to the body surface, eyes, mouth, ventral fins and dorsal fins. These results were very similar with previous studies in the same species (Azmey, Taruna, Taha, & Arai, 2020; Jamaris, Roza, & Mahardika, 2019; Mahardika, Mastuti, Sudewi, et al, 2018; Murwantoko et al, 2018) or different fish species (Azuar, Raza'i, & Miranti, 2019; Nagasawa, Shimadzu, & Ikeda, 2012; Nagasawa & Uyeno, 2009; Ravi & Shariman Yahaya, 2017). Accordingly, a study by Cruz‐Lacierda et al.…”

“…According to Williams and Bunkley‐Williams (1996), infestation intensity which was >11 individuals/fish is considered as a medium (Table 6). The prevalence levels of Z. arugamensis obtained in the present study were slightly lower compared with previous studies from other countries, including 17% on adult and 83% on juvenile fish (Cruz‐Lacierda et al., 2000), 100% with an intensity of 35 leeches/fish in Malaysia (Kua, Choong, & Leaw, 2014) and 100% in Brunei Darussalam (Azmey et al., 2020). However, the present study results also showed a higher prevalence than previously reported from the hybrid grouper from seven farms in Indonesia which were 59% (Murwantoko et al, 2018).…”

Population Genetic Structure of Marine Leech, Pterobdella arugamensis in Indo-West Pacific Region

“…A marine ectoparasitic fish leech, Z. arugamensis de Silva, 1963, which was first identified in Sri Lanka and belongs to the family Piscicolidae, can infect several teleost fish, including cultured groupers [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ], by feeding on the blood of its hosts; no other marine leech species has been reported to infest groupers. However, recently, this taxonomic name has been revised to P. arugamensis [ 17 ].…”

“…Heavy infestation of this marine leech will lead to chronic anaemia [ 18 ] and mortality of its fish hosts [ 12 ]. P. arugamensis is now known to occur around the Indo-West Pacific region, including Brunei Darussalam [ 16 ], China [ 20 ], India [ 21 ], Indonesia [ 15 ], Iran [ 22 ], Japan [ 23 ], Peninsular Malaysia [ 10 , 24 ], Philippines [ 12 ], Singapore [ 25 ], South Africa [ 19 ] and Sri Lanka [ 26 ]. However, information on the population structure of P. arugamensis is scarce.…”

Efficacy of the Aqueous Extract of Azadirachta indica Against the Marine Parasitic Leech and Its Phytochemical Profiling

“…The infestation of the marine parasitic leech Zeylanicobdella arugamensis (Annelida: Hirudinea: Piscicolidae) (Figure 1A,B) spread rapidly in Southeast Asian countries [3][4][5][6]. In Malaysia, the marine leech was first reported in a grouper (Epinephelus coioides) reared in floating cages with a 0.4-percent prevalence [3]; later on, the leeches were frequently isolated from various major species of marine fish reared in cages such as hybrid groupers (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × E.lanceolatus), groupers (E. fuscoguttatus, E. lanceolatus), snappers (Lutjanus johnii, L. argentimaculatus and L. stellatus) and sea bass (Lates calcarifer) [3][4][5].…”