A trypanosome from silver catfish (Schilbe intermedius) in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Of 48 freshwater fishes captured in the panhandle region of the Okavango De lta, Botswana, in 1999, only one, the silver catfish,was found to contain a blood parasite. When this trypanosome was compared with existing records o f trypanosomes from the freshwater fishes of tropical and southern Africa i t was found to most closely resemble Trypanosoma mukasai. Firm identificati on of the parasite requires collection of further material from the same so urce. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first record of a fish t rypanosome from the Okavango Delta and the first report of such a parasite from silver catfish.