First report and molecular characterisation of Rhabdochona hospeti Thapar, 1950 (Thelazioidea: Rhabdochonidae) from tor barb, Tor tor (Hamilton) (Cyprinidae), in Assam, India

Tor barbs, Tor tor (Hamilton), a cyprinid fish collected from Barak Valley, Assam, India were examined for helminth parasites. A nematode species of the genus Rhabdochona Railliet, 1916 (Rhabdochonidae) was found in the intestine of the fish specimens. The morphology of these nematodes was characterised by the presence of a funnel shaped prostom, head with four submedian sublabia, four cephalic papillae, long and slender posterior glandular oesophagus in both sexes, presence of 14 caudal papillae and two unequal spicules with pointed proximal tips in male specimens, and prominent post-equatorial vulval position, posteriorly directed vagina, uterus with fully scattered eggs in female specimens, and a tail pointed with a small mucron in both sexes. This nematode species was subsequently identified as Rhabdochona hospeti Thapar, 1950, reported herein for the first time in the northeastern India. In addition to its morphological description based on light microscopy, partial 18S and 28S rDNA sequences were generated to assess phylogenetic relationships of R. hospeti with other species of Rhabdochona.