International Journal of Advanced Research and Development

Authors
Vivekanand Safi, Rout S K, Malla S, Das DN

Abstract
The present experiment was undertaken in the Mathura beel of West Bengal using protozoan as bio-indicators for assessing the water quality of floodplain wetlands during May 2004 to April 2005. The fishes from different selected sites (S1, S2, S3 and S4) were collected for investigating protozoan infection in fishes the beel was stocked with the fingerlings of Labeo rohita, Labeo batta, Catla catla, Cirrhinus mrigala, Channa punctatus and Tilapia mosumbica by fisheries co-operative societies of West Bengal. The weight of fishes collected for the examination was ranging from 100-200g. The total percentage of infections were 27.50, 26.53, 24.66 and 19.37 in station S1, S2, S3 and S4 respectively. The percentage of infection recorded highest at station S1 because of sewage received from the Military and railways. Three species of Myxozoans viz. Myxobolus, Henneguya and Thelohanellus and one species of Trichodinid sciliophorana like Tripartiella were recorded from the infected fishes. The maximum percentage of incidence was observed during May-September and December-February. The physico-chemical parameters like dissolved oxygen, ammonia and phosphate were positively correlated with the parasitic frequency index at the station S1 and with phosphate and ammonia at station S3 and S4. The positive correlation between water quality and parasitic frequency index in S1 indicated that protozoan could flourish in sewage contaminated water. This paper is aimed to focus that protozoan can be bio-indicator of assessing the water quality of wetland.