ACUTE TOXICITY AND IMPACT OF NUVAN ON PROTEIN CONTENT OF FRESHWATER FISH BENGANA ELANGA (HAMILTON-BUCHANAN)

Acute toxicity of nuvan to the freshwater fish, Bengana elanga was studied using tatic renewal bioassay test. The LC50 value for 96 hr was found to be 9.4747 ppm. Behavioural changes in fishes when exposed to lethal concentration of nuvan showed rapid and erratic swimming with random movements, imbalance in posture, increase in surfacing activity and opercular movements, fast movement with bending and vibrating tail, gradual loss in equilibrium and spreading of mucous all over the body surface. Fish also migrated to the bottom of tank, appeared to be swimming independent of one another and eventually died. To evaluate impact of nuvan on protein content, the fishes were exposed to sublethal concentration (0.9475 ppm) of nuvan for 96 hr. Total protein have been measured in different tissues of ish viz, muscle, liver, gill, kidney and brain. The protein levels were found to be depleted in all the tissues after pesticide exposure to sublethal concentration over the control. Maximum decrease in protein content was observed in kidney followed by brain, gill, liver and muscle.