A fatal oomycotic disease of the fresh water fish Aplocheilus panchax in India caused by Aphanomyces laevis

The fish, Aplocheilus panchax (Hamilton-Buchanan, 1839), is recorded as a new host of Aphanomyces laevis de Bary, 1860. It is the first and only report of any oomycete causing disease on A. panchax. Aphanomyces laevis was found to be a virulent parasite of A. panchax that caused cotton-wool disease involving the skin and fins. The hyphae also penetrated deep into the tissues of the infected fish and all of them ultimately died. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.