Biodiversity of Parasites of Fishes in Gheshlagh (Vahdat) Reservoir, Kurdistan Province, Iran

5 Abstract: In this study the ecto- and endoparasites of 150 specimens of native and introduced fishes in Gheshlagh (Vahdat) Reservoir, situated in Kurdistan Province, were investigated. In 12 species of examined fishes, totally 30 kinds of protozoan and metazoan parasites were found. These included Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Trichodina pediculus, Trichodina perforata, Myxobolus spp. (2 species), Dactylogyrus spp. (12 species), Dogielius molnari, Gyrodactylus sprostonae, Paradiplozoon sp. (Diporpa stage), Diplostomum spathaceum (metacercaria), Ligula intestinalis (pelerocercaria), Bothriocephalus gowkongensis, Khawia armenica, Acanthocephalorhynchoides cholodkowskyi, Contracaecum sp. (larval stage), Ergasilus sp., Lernaea cyprinacea, Lernaea sp. (copepodid stage) and Tracheliastes polycolpus. The observed parasite species belong to 8 classes. The study of the biodiversity of 30 parasite species revealed the following data: Holotrircha: 3 species in 5 fish species; Myxozoa: 2 species in 3 fish species; Monogenea: 15 species in 10 fish species; Digenea: 1 species in 2 fish species; Cestoda: 3 species in 5 fish species; Acanthocaphala: 1 species in 2 fish species; Nematoda: 1 species in 1 fish species and Crustacea: 4 species in 6 fish species. The sparse fauna of some parasite groups such as the Digenea is due to sparse Mullusca which are intermediate hosts for Digenea. According to the results of the present investigation Capoeta damascina showed highest contamination rate, infected by 7 metazoan from 4 classes of parasites in here, whereas Gambusia holbrooki, Pseudorasbora parva and H. molitrix were infected by only 1 parasite species each. In the present article two new host species for Ligula intestinalis are reported for the first time.