Molecular identification and prevalence of ectoparasite worms in barramundi (Lates calcarifer) in Lampung Waters

Abstract Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) fish is one of the fishery commodities in Indonesia which has economic value and is the most exported commodity. The problem that often occurs in the process of cultivating barramundi (Lates calcarifer) is a parasite from the Haliotrema sp. which attacks the gills and can cause a decrease in the level of fish production. One way to determine the parasite infesting barramundi (Lates calcarifer) is by conducting a molecular identification. This study aims to determine the parasites by molecular identification and prevalence rate of ectoparasite worms in the gills of barramundi (Lates calcalifer) fish in Lampung waters. A sample of 40 fish with a length of 25-35 cm was taken by using a purposive sampling method. The organs observed were fish gills, then molecular identification was carried out by using real-time PCR, and the prevalence calculations. The results of this study indicated that the fish gills were infested by ectoparasitic worms, according to the NCBI GenBank database, called Haliotrema susanae with the band at 748 bp, and the prevalence rate of infested fish with gill’s ectoparasites is 80%.