Halocercus lagenorhynchi infection in a stranded striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833) on the Southwest coastline of India

Abstract

Necropsy on a striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833) entangled in ghost shing net and dead while rescuing yielded some helminth parasites, later identi ed as Halocercus lagenorhynchi. DNA barcoding of the host and parasite and the phylogenetic analysis of the parasite was conducted. This study provides valuable information towards establishing basal data of marine mammal parasite diversity and distribution in the Indian waters. We believe this is the rst report of the occurrence of Halocercus lagenorhynchi in marine mammals in India..