Seasonal distribution of metazoan parasites on kura barbell (Barbus lacerta) in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the frequency of metazoan parasitic infections of Kura barbell (Barbus lacerta) in Murat River in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. A total of 110 host fish were collected, from March 2008 to February 2010. There were 1122 metazoan parasites recorded in collected samples. Four species of Monogenea (701 Dactylogyrus goktschaicus, 2 Dactylogyrus lankorani, 27 Dogielius mokhayeri and 40 Gyrodactylus sp.), one species of Digenea (72 Allocreadium isoporum), two species of Cestoda (5 Bothriocephalus acheilognathi, 3 Caryophylleous laticeps), two species of Nematoda (46 Rhabdochona denudata, 7 Contracaecum sp.) and two species of Copepoda (121 Lemproglena pulchella and 98 Eergasilus sieboldi) observed respectively. According to their prevalence; D. goktschaicus (67.3%), D. Lankorani (0.2%), D. mokhayeri (0.4%), Gyrodactylus sp. (12%), A. isoporom (0.7%), B. acheilognathi, (0.5%), C. Laticeps (0.2%), R. denudata (15%), Contracaecum sp. (0.2%), L. pulchella (40%) and E. sieboldi (22%) were observed. Among these parasites D. goktschaicus, and D. mokhayeri are the first record on Kura barbell (B. Lacerta) and in fish parasite fauna of Turkey. Copyright 2015 Zoological Society of Pakistan.