The first case report on Ergasilus sieboldi Nordmann, 1832(Copepoda, Ergasilidae) infection in an aquacultured Shiures asotus in Korea

Ergasilus sieboldi, a parasitic Copepoda, was detected from the gill of Silurus asotus fingerling(7~10 cm long) cultured at a fish farm in Chungnam Province (Fig. 1 and 2). The infected fish did not show any particular external symptoms except a feeble swimming around the boarder of the pond. The isolated parasite was of 1.07 mm in body length with two egg sacks of 1.05 mm and one pair of hook-shaped secondary tentacle. Bychowsky(1963) described that this parasite infected the gill of Salmonidae, Serranidae, Cyprinidae and Siluridae and that the fish in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea. Caspian Sea. Japanese sea zones, Siberian rivers and Lake Bikal were infectd. Bychowsky further pointed out that heavily infected fish with this parasite become emaciated and slow in growth. and often die. As this parasite infected on the peri-branchial area. the infected fish showed a severe disturbance of respiration. Urawa et ai.(1980) studied on the development of Neoergasilus japonicus. an Ergasilidae, which infects Japanese freshwater fish. In Korea, Chun(1985) reported the identification of Ergasilus sieboldi from imported carp. and Neoergasilus and Pseudogasilus japonicus from bluegills. respectively. Chun also identified Pseudoergasilus zacconis in cultured ayu(Plecoglossus altivelis). However. this report deals with the detection of Ergasilus sieboldi from cultured catfish(Silurus asotus) for the first time in Korea.