Helminthic fauna of some cyprinid fishes from Bahdinan river, Northern Iraq

Abstract EN

A total of 294 freshwater fishes, belonging to eight species of the family Cyprinidae were collected from July 2005 to April 2006, from Bahdinan river, southeast of Greater Zab river, west of Erbil city, Kurdistan, northern Iraq.

They were examined for helminths parasitic.

The study revealed the existence of eight species of parasites namely : Clinostomum complanatum, Diplostomum spathaceum, Bothriocephalus acheilognathi, Caryophyllaeus fimbriceps, Rhabdochona chodukini, R.

gnedini, R.

tigrae and Neoechinorhynchus zabensis.

Two parasite species were recorded for the first time in Iraq (R.

chodukini and R.

gnedini).

Also, some fish species (Barbus kersin, Capoeta damascinus and Varicorhinus umbla) were recorded as new hosts for some parasite species (C.

fimbriceps, R.

tgraei and N.

zabensis respectively).