Occurrence of helminth parasites in the Turkish endemic fish, squalius anatolicus (cyprinidae)

Abstract

In this study, the occurrence of helminth parasites in Squalius anatolicus (Cyprinidae) of Sarisu stream (Beysehir - Konya) was investigated from spring 2009 to autumn 2010. S. anatolicus is endemic to Turkey, having very limited distributions. The conservation status of the fish has been referred to as endangered. During the study, a total of 83 Squalius anatolicus specimens were examined for helminth parasites. Two species of helminth parasites [Dactylogyrus vistulae (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae), Pomphorhynchus laevis (Acanthocephala: Pomphorhynchidae)] were found on 51 fish. Male hosts had higher levels of infection of both isolated parasite species. A total of 52 specimens of D. vistulae infected 10 of 83 fish examined, with prevalence and mean intensity of 12.04 % and 5.2 respectively. A total 203 specimens of P. laevis infected 48 of 83 fish examined, with prevalence and mean intensity of infection 57.8 % and 4.2 respectively. Prevalence and infection intensity, length classes, and sex compositions of host populations, as well as the seasonality of infection were obtained and the results compared with other studies. This study is the first parasitological survey of S. anatolicus in Turkey, adding to the knowledge of geographical distribution and host range of two parasite species.