Introduction

Abstract

Marine fishes by virtue of their inherent characteristics such as large body size, varied diet, high vagility and wide geographic distribution serve as hosts for a wide range of parasites belonging to diverse groups and occupying different niches as ecto- and endoparasites. The role of different species of marine fish as hosts also varies depending on a multitude of ecological and host factors. Based on the overwhelming number of parasite species recorded from marine fishes, it is assumed that the number of parasites far exceeds the number of species of marine fish.