Molecular and phylogenetic characterization of a Cnidarian parasite (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) , infecting gills of Indian major carp, .

Gill haemorrhagic disease is a significant health issue in Indian major carps, including . In this study, we investigate the molecular description of , the identified causative agent of gill haemorrhagic disease in these fishes. Remarkably, no-one published molecular description of exists to date. Through molecular analysis, we examined the genetic characteristics of and explored its potential relationship with other species found in India, thus further investigating the possibility of a species complex. The present species shows maximum homogeneity of 99.33% with (KJ476886) (unpublished), 97.32% with (KR340464) with a base pair difference of only 4 and 30 respectively. The prevalence of infection in was found to be 17%. The findings of this study shed light on the molecular characteristics of and contribute to our understanding of its prevalence and evolutionary relationships within the genus.