Effects of sex and age of luciobarbus kersin (Osteichthyes : Cyprinidae)‎ on the parasitic nematode Rhabdochona kurdistanensis from Greater Zab River, Kurdistan Rgion, Iraq

الملخص EN

Monthly samples of the cyprinid fish Luciobarbus kersin were collected from Greater Zab River, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, during the period from June 2014 till the end of May 2015.

Fishes were infected with the nematode Rhabdochona kurdistanensis.

The prevalence of infection was 26.1%.

No significant differences were noticed between male and female fishes infected with this worm.

There are a direct proportion between prevalence, mean intensity and abundance of infection with R.

kurdistanensis with the fish length.

Higher infection was during Spring and Summer (maximum peak in July, prevalence= 54.54), and low during Autumn and Winter (Minimum peak in January, prevalence= 5.26).

Fully matured males and gravid females were noticed only during the late June and July