First Record of Chilodonella spp. (Ciliophora: Chilodonellidae) in Cultured Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in the Central Region of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Abstract.-Saudi Arabia has a growing aquaculture industry that farms mainly tilapia. Ectoparasites, including ciliates of the genus Chilodonella, are known to be a major problem in fish farms. Nothing, however, is known about this genus from pond-reared fishes in Saudi Arabia. In the present study, 400 Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were collected from farms in Riyadh, in the central region of Saudi Arabia, and examined for the incidence of Chilodonella infestation. Twenty out of the 400 examined fish were found infected (prevalence 5%), two species, Chilodonella piscicola and Chilodonella hexasticha were identified. The findings presented here are very important for the fishery sector, since this parasite can cause mass mortality, therefore, further study should be concentrated on the impact of Chilodonella spp. on the cultured fish in Saudi Arabia