Abstract

Mycological studies were carried out on fishes with fungal infection. A total of seventeen isolates of fungi were obtained from diseased fishes which belongs to five species namelySaprolegnia diclina, Saprolegnia ferax, Saprolegnia hypogyana, Saprolegnia parasitica andAchlya americana. All these fungi were isolated from six different species of fishes viz.Channa striatus, Channa punctatus, Clarias batrachus, Labeo rohita, Heteropneustis fossilis and Mystus cavasius. The parasitic ability of all the seventeen fungi was confirmed by conducting pathogenicity tests under laboratory conditions using healthy fishes of the same species. All the species of fungi were found to be pathogenic to fish, but Saprolegnia parasitica was more virulent showing infection within eight hours.

Key words: Oomycetes infection, pathogenicity, freshwater fishes.