Farooz A. Bhat

Dimethoate Induced Behavioural Changes in Juveniles of Cyprinus carpio var. communis under Temperate Conditions of Kashmir, India

The present study was designed to investigate acute toxicity of dimethoate on juvenile Cyprinus carpio var. communis. Fishes weighing 10 ± 2 gms were selected and mortality data was statistically evaluated by Finneys Probit Method. The 96-hour LC50 value for Cyprinus carpio was found as 1.1 ppm in static bioassay system. Mean values of physicochemical parameters of aquarium waters determined during bioassay depicted slight variation indicating that the mortality in aquarium fishes occurred due to pesticide exposure and not suffocation. Lab. temperature ranged from 12 to 13°C; water temperature ranged from 11 to 12°C; dissolved oxygen ranged from 3.90 to 4.56 mg/L; pH ranged from 6.90 to 7.05; total dissolved solids ranged from 2.66 to 3.0 × 103 mg/L, while CO2 remained at a constant value of 2.0 mg/L. The fishes elicited various behavioural responses such as uncoordinated movements, convulsions, excessive mucus secretion, and imbalanced swimming which ended in a collapse to the bottom of the aquarium. Prior to death, the clinical signs like scale erosion, pale body colour, and hemorrhagic patches over the body were noticed which became more vivid up to the termination of experiments. Results of the study indicate potential toxicity of dimethoate in fingerlings of common carp for which the natural waterbodies must be continuously monitored to reduce its impact across food chains.

Complete mitochondrial genome organization of Schizothorax esocinus (Heckel, 1838)

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of Schizothorax esocinus, an endemic coldwater fish of Himalayas, was determined for the first time. The genome is 16,583 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, 2rRNA genes and 1 putative control region. The gene organization and its order were similar to other vertebrates. The overall base composition was; A 29.8%, G 17.8%, C 27%, T 25.4%, A + T content 55.2% and the G + C content 44.8%. The control region was also consisted of a microsatellite locus (TA) 13 between 16,463 to 16,488 bp. The present study will provide the rationale for the management and conservation of S. esocinus.

Length variation and sequence divergence in mitochondrial control region of Schizothoracine (Teleostei: Cyperinidae) species

Abstract Schizothoracine fish commonly called snow trouts inhibit the entire network of snow and spring fed cool waters of Kashmir, India. Over 10 species reported earlier, only five species have been found, these include Schizothorax niger, Schizothorax esocinus, Schizothorax plagiostomus, Schizothorax curvifrons and Schizothorax labiatus. The relationship between these species is contradicting. To understand the evolutionary relation of these species, we examined the sequence information of mitochondrial D-loop of 25 individuals representing five species. Sequence alignment showed D-loop region highly variable and length variation was observed in di-nucleotide (TA)n microsatellite between and within species. Interestingly, all these species have (TA)n microsatellite not associated with longer tandem repeats at the 3′ end of the mitochondrial control region and do not show heteroplasmy. Our analysis also indicates the presence of four conserved sequence blocks (CSB), CSB-D, CSB-1, CSB-II and CSB-III, four (Termination Associated Sequence) TAS motifs and 15bp pyrimidine block within the mitochondrial control region, that are highly conserved within genus Schizothorax when compared with other species. The phylogenetic analysis carried by Maximum likelihood (ML), Neighbor Joining (NJ) and Bayesian inference (BI) generated almost identical results. The resultant BI tree showed a close genetic relationship of all the five species and supports two distinct grouping of S. esocinus species. Besides the species relation, the presence of length variation in tandem repeats is attributed to differences in predicting the stability of secondary structures. The role of CSBs and TASs, reported so far as main regulatory signals, would explain the conservation of these elements in evolution.

Distribution of Helminth Parasites in Intestines and Their Seasonal Rate of Infestation in Three Freshwater Fishes of Kashmir

The present study was undertaken to determine the incidence of helminth parasites in fishes with special reference to water quality parameters in Dal Lake and River Jhelum and correlate the observations. Water, fish, and parasite samples were collected during different seasons from various sites and processed. Three fish species, namely, Schizothorax niger Heckel 1838, Schizothorax esocinus Heckel 1838, and Schizothorax curvifrons Heckel 1838, were recovered from these water bodies. The physicochemical parameters temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and free carbon dioxide showed variation vis-à-vis the season and location of the stations in water bodies. Acanthocephalan parasite Pomphorhynchus kashmirensis Kaw 1941 (27.47%) and two intestinal cestodes Bothriocephalus acheilognathi Yamaguti 1934 (30.63%) and Adenoscolex oreini Fotedar 1958 (32.43%) were recovered from all the three species of Schizothorax. All the three parasites showed higher prevalence during summer and the least prevalence during winter. Parasitic infections were prevalent more in male fishes compared to females. The presence of the parasites had reduced the condition coefficient of the infected fishes in both water bodies. The study also showed that some of the physicochemical features showed a significant positive correlation with the prevalence.

Complete mitochondrial genome organization of Schizopyge niger (Heckel, 1838)

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of Schizopyge niger, an endemic coldwater fish of Himalayas was determined for the first time. The genome is 16,585 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, 2rRNA genes and 1 putative control region. The gene organization and its order were similar to other vertebrates. The overall base composition was; A: 29.9%, G: 17.7%, C 27.1%, T 25.3%, A + T content 55.2% and the G + C content 44.8%. The control region was also consisted of a microsatellite locus (TA)13 between 16,471 to 16,496 bp. The present study will provide the rationale for the management and conservation of S. niger.

Purification of Schizothorax Immunoglobulin Raised Against Metazoan Parasite: A Preliminary Study

Attempts were made to purify immunoglobulins from serum of Schizothorax, Schizothorax niger, which had been immunized with Pomphorhynchus (Acanthocephalan) antigen. Initially, the protein in the serum was salted out at 50% saturation with ammonium sulphate and was chromatographed successively by gel filtration and ion exchange columns. The Pomphorhynchus kashmirensis agglutination positive fractions from ion exchange column when concentrated and checked in SDS-PAGE, three bands where observed. Since teleosts immunoglobulins have been shown to belong to a single class, the two extra bands found in our study might be the degradation products of immunoglobulin or some unpurified contaminants.