The infection status of diplostomum in six native fish species from basomtso lake, xizang autonomous region, china

In contrast, prevalence in the three loach species was below 40%, and the highest mean abundance among them was 1.65±4.48—both significantly lower than that in schizothoracines. Prevalence of Diplostomum exceeded 50% across most body length groups in schizothoracines but remained below 50% in all Triplophysa groups. No significant difference in infection was detected between left and right eyes of the host (P>0.05).

However, parasite site selection showed strong host specificity: Diplostomum occurred mainly in the lens of schizothoracines but was confined to the vitreous body in loaches. Parasite distribution was aggregated in all hosts, with the highest aggregation in S. younghusbandi (S²/X=86.34). These findings reveal host-dependent infection patterns and spatial distribution of Diplostomum in native fish from Basomtso Lake, offering a basis for further research on host-parasite interactions and parasite management in plateau fish populations.