Fillet Quality and Gut Content Analysis of Parachanna obscura and Clarias agboyiensis

Nigeria waters are rich with a variety of fish species but only very few are cultured and available for consumption.This study was conducted to know the fillet quality,gut content and condition of Parachanna obscura and Clarias agboyiensis in Nigeria using Igbokoda river as a reference because it is a the major fishing site in the nation.Studies were conducted on the viscera somatic index based on the organ weight and the body weight of the fish and the food item consumed by Parachanna obscura and Clarias agboyiensis between May to October,2019 to infer on the fillet quality and gut content of P.obscura and C.agboyiensis in the water body respectively.A summary of food items that constituted the diet of Clarias agboyiensis are Baccillariophyta,fish,fat droplets,dinoflagellate,insect and Chlorophyta which constituted the most important food items both occurring in all stomachs containing food.The fishes has more muscle than the viscera organs which indicate that the weight of the fish before dressing out is higher than the weight of the fish after dressing out.This is suggestive of a good quality of food fish.There was a significant correlation between body weight and total length of specimens found in this study.Increases in total length resulted in corresponding increases in body weight.The result for the condition factor showed was below the expected or standard value(K=1)which shows this species was not in favorable environmental condition.It is therefore necessary to allow phytoplanktons grow well in water body to increase availability of food items to Parachanna obscura and Clarias agboyiensis.P.obscura and C.agboyiensis are also good food fishes of a high fillet quality.They are omnivorous feeders therefore having potentials for aquaculture.

Pathological changes and description of Procamallanus(Spirocamallanus)spiralis Baylis,1923 from the freshwater fish,Parachanna obscura Gunther,1861

Objective:To report the morphological details of the two species of Procamallanus with scanning electron microscopy.Methods:To gain insights into the phenology of Procamallanus spp.,scanning electron microscopy descriptions of male and female parasites along with attendant histopathological consequences to the hosts species were undertaken.The two species were obtained from the intestines of the freshwater fish,Parachanna obscura.Parasites were fixed in 2.5%glutaldehyde and postfixed in osmium tetraoxide,sputter-coated and examined with the electron microscope.Results:Nominal parasitic species of Procamallanus could be distinguished with spiral thickenings in front of the buccal capsule.The male specimens of the parasite(n=213)were recorded in a prevalence of 12.7%while the female specimens(n=68)were recorded in a prevalence of 20.5%.An overall prevalence of 14.6%was obtained in the fish species.The two Procamallanus species differed from the described species of the genus Procamallanus(Spiracamallanus)with having the posterior end not ventrally bent,tail not short but elongate and straight bending slightly with no spikes,inner depression at the posterior region,excretory pore near the posterior end,wider cephalic region with an inner sieve-like compartment,longitudinal cephalic papillae,papillae of external circles distinctly larger and lateral cuticular extensions.These male and female species of Procamallanus exhibited novel morphometrics descriptions in the number of preanal and postanal papillae and different body and shape relationship.The histopathological changes seen in the host included hyperplasia of intestinal villi,mucosal hypercellularity of lamina propria and calcification of intestinal mucosa.Conclusions:This is the first scanning electron microscopy description of Procamallanus spp.in Nigeria describing the morphological details of the two species of Procamallanus.