A novel report of phytopathogenic fungi Gilbertella persicaria infection on Penaeus monodon

•First report on phytopathogenic fungal infection on shrimp P.monodon.•Study described about identification and SEM images (SEM) of G. persicaria.•Histopathological investigations of infected and normal shrimps were presented.•G. persicaria causes gill dysfunction, absence of storage vacuole in hepatopancreas.

Penaeus monodon (black tiger shrimp) is one of the most cultured shrimp species in India due to its susceptibility toward microbial diseases and consequently affects the total growth and production. The present study deals about first time report of phytopathogenic fungi Gilbertella persicaria infection on P. monodon which retains cotton like appearance on the whole body. The histopathological investigations suggested that the G. persicaria causes respiratory dysfunction of the gills, absences of storage vacuoles in hepatopancreases, degeneration of basement membrane, degeneration of epithelial cell in muscle of shrimp through hemocytic encapsulation and melanization which lead to chronic mortalities in the pond.