FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON PALLISENTIS COLISA SARKAR, 1956 RECOVERED FROM THE BODY CAVITY OF CHANNA PUNCTATUS (BLOCH, 1793)

During a survey of freshwater fishes harbouring helminth parasites at Muzaffarnagar, we observed a specimen of Channa punctatus, infected with an acanthocephalan species of the genus Pallisentis Van Cleave (1928). Present communication deals with re-description of Pallisentis colisai Sarkar, 1956, (Acanthocephala: Quadrigyridae) recovered from the body cavity of the host. The description is based on 2 freshly recovered male and female specimens and supported with light microscopic camera lucida sketches and photomicrographs drawn through Motic DMBMicroscope. Present observations are in conformity with its original description as well as with the re-descriptions given by Farooqi (1958); Rai (1967); Sahay et al. (1967); Tadros (1966); Soota & Bhattacharya (1982) and Duggal & Kaur (1986) except for some minor variations in the measurements. Comparison in various measurements of the present specimens with those described earlier is presented in tabular form.