Author(s): Florence Oyibo Iyaji and Clement Ameh Yaro

Abstract: Monthly sampling of catches at the confluence area of Niger and Benue rivers was carried out between March 2014 and February 2015 to determine the occurrence of endohelminth parasites in Synodontis schall. A total of 193 hosts were examined and the prevalence of infection was 85.59%. Endohelminth species encountered included 2 digeneans (Allocreadium ghanensis, Metacercaria of Pygidiopsis spp), 3 cestodes (Monobothrioides woodlandii, Bothriocephalus acheilognathii, and Proteocephalus spp), 3 nematodes (Procamallanus laevionchus, Rhabdochona spp, Spinitectus guntheri, larval nematodes) and 2 acanthocephalans (Acanthocephalus spp, Neoechinorhynchus prolixum, acanthella - the larval stages of acanthocephalans). Among the endohelminth parasites that infected Synodontis schall Procamallanus laevionchus recorded highest prevalence of 62.2% while prevalence of other parasites ranged between 1% and 30.6%. Infection of S. schall was high between 0-100 gm weight classes and in all the length classes. Multiple infections were observed. 62.7% of the fish hosts harboured between 1 - 20 worms while 19.6% harboured between 21 - 80 worms. The overall worm burden was independent of sex of the fish hosts.

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