Helminth parasite fauna of two freshwater fishes and relation to their sex and length from lesser Zab River Northern Iraq

Abstract EN

A total of 193 specimens of fishes belonged to two species represent 100 Luciobarbus xanthopterus Heckel and 93 Tigris catfish Silurus triostegus Heckel were collected from Lesser Zab River in Altun-Kupri/ Kirkuk Province during October, 2019 until the end of March, 2020.

The fish hosts were infected with two cestode species viz Khawia armeniaca (Cholodkovsky 1915) Shulman 1958 and Postgangesia inarmata de Chambrier, Al-Kallak & Mariaux, 2003, one nematode larvae (Contracaecum sp.

), and two acanthocephalan species viz Neoechinorhynchus zabensis Amin, Abdullah & Mhaisen, 2003 and Pomphorhynchus spindletruncatus Amin, Abdullah & Mhaisen, 2003.

Recording of N.

zabensis is considered as a first host record in L.

xanthopterus.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of parasite on the fish growth and examine the correlation between fish sex and length with the parasite infection.

This study revealed that the prevalence of infection with the different recorded parasites was not affected by fish sex, (p> 0.05).

While there was significant differences in the prevalence of infection among the groups of length of both fish species.

In L.

xanthopterus, the third length group (35-45 cm) had significantly higher infection prevalence, while in S.

triostegus; the large length group (< 90 cm) had the highest prevalence of infection.

A total of 193 specimens of fishes belonged to two species represent 100 Luciobarbus xanthopterus Heckel and 93 Tigris catfish Silurus triostegus Heckel were collected from Lesser Zab River in Altun-Kupri/ Kirkuk Province during October, 2019 until the end of March, 2020.

The fish hosts were infected with two cestode species viz Khawia armeniaca (Cholodkovsky 1915) Shulman 1958 and Postgangesia inarmata de Chambrier, Al-Kallak & Mariaux, 2003, one nematode larvae (Contracaecum sp.

), and two acanthocephalan species viz Neoechinorhynchus zabensis Amin, Abdullah & Mhaisen, 2003 and Pomphorhynchus spindletruncatus Amin, Abdullah & Mhaisen, 2003.

Recording of N.

zabensis is considered as a first host record in L.

xanthopterus.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of parasite on the fish growth and examine the correlation between fish sex and length with the parasite infection.

This study revealed that the prevalence of infection with the different recorded parasites was not affected by fish sex, (p> 0.05).

While there was significant differences in the prevalence of infection among the groups of length of both fish species.

In L.

xanthopterus, the third length group (35-45 cm) had significantly higher infection prevalence, while in S.

triostegus; the large length group (< 90 cm) had the highest prevalence of infection.