Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences 11(3) 570-589 2012 Synopsis of the Parasites in Iranian Freshwater Fishes Pazooki J.1; Masoumian M.2 Received: March 2011 Accepted: Febuary 2012 Abstract Two hundred forty seven species of parasites from Iranian freshwater fishes are presented in this synopsis. The parasites were recorded from infestations in fish from different parts of the country and summarized according to host species, organs where the parasite infestations occurred, province, faunal region and reference numbers. The following aspects of parasite infestations were also discussed: records of the most predominant parasites, the richest regions of parasite fauna, records of parasites according to province and the most severely infected fish species and finally host specificity in terms of exotic or endemic fish. Keywords: Parasites, , Freshwater, fish, Iran Downloaded from jifro.ir at 20:13 +0330 on Thursday September 23rd 2021 _________________ Department of Biological Sciences, Shahid-Beheshty University. P. O. Box: 19834, Tehran. Iran. Department of Fish Diseases, Iranian Fisheries Research Organization. P. O. Box: 14155-6116. Tehran. Iran. Corresponding author’s email: [email protected] 571 Pazooki & Masoumian Synopsis of the Parasites in Iranian Freshwater Fishes Introduction Iranian freshwater fish habitats can be region and acknowledgement of the original categorized according to three different faunal habitat of the infected host fish. regions: the Ponto-Caspian Territory of northern Iran, as a part of the Palaearctic zone; Materials and methods southeastern Iran that is greatly influenced by The study was done from 2003 to 2011 and to the Indian faunal region, and southwestern begin with all reported publications about Iran that falls within the Mesopotamian Iranian freshwater fish parasites were intermediate faunal region (Fig. 1). collected. The reported publications were Composition of the fish fauna distribution in classified into four types of document; final Iran reflects these territorial differences. While reports of research projects, theses, the waters of Iran’s Ponto-Caspian region are proceedings of congress meetings and populated by fish species most commonly seminars and journal publications. For found in Europe; fish fauna of the preparing the checklist, if the data were Mesopotamian region supports endemic published in a journal, references in other species including several barbells (Coad, 1970; publications were not mentioned. Altogether, Berg, 1940 in Jalali, 1999). There is little 1270 cases of infections were analyzed and research available on the parasite fauna of 139 of them that were recorded to the species these fish populations. More is known about level are summarized in Table 1. the Caspian Sea faunal sub-region. Research Results on parasites of Iranian freshwater fishes began During this study, according to the available with the work of Bychovsky (1949) who data, 247 species of parasites were recorded recorded 4 species of Dactylogyrus and from 102 fish species (12 families), from Ancyrocephalus. Subsequent research has different faunal regions. Monogeneans had the pioneered surveys on the parasites associated most parasites (102 species) followed by with the various fish species in different parts myxozoans and nematodes with 40 and 26 of the country, Mokhayer (1974, 1981, 1982, different species of parasites, respectively. 1983, 1990), Mokhayer and Anwar (1973), These parasites, along with details of their Eslami and Anwar (1971), Eslami et al. host’s infected organs, province, faunal region (1972), Eslami and Kohneshahri (1978); Jalali and reference number were summarized in (1987, 1992, 1994, 1999). After the 1990s, Table 1. The northern part of the country more records became available on species of (Ponto-Caspian territory) had the richest fish parasites and in particular on parasite fauna with 70 % infections, the monogeneans, nematodes and myxozoans. southwestern (Mesopotamian) territory Downloaded from jifro.ir at 20:13 +0330 on Thursday September 23rd 2021 Aquaculture in Iran has been developing followed with 24.5 % and the southeast quickly in recent years and includes the territory (Indian faunal region) had the lowest introduction of various new species such as with 5.5% of the recorded infections. The most Chinese carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella, parasites were recorded from Guilan Province Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, and (106), and then Mazandaran Province in the Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), rainbow trout Ponto-Caspian territory (87). The most (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and new stocks of common species of infected fish were common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Together Cyprinus carpio (29 cases) and different with this introduction of new species and their species of Barbus spp. (17 cases). Results for associated parasites to Iranian aquaculture other species were as follow; Capoeta there has been translocation of species in the capoeta, Capoeta damascina. (12 cases) and different faunal regions whereby the parasites Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, H. nobilis (12, 9 are also transferred to different parts of the cases) (Table 1, Fig. 1). country. In this study, the parasites that have Discussion been recorded from different parts of Iran were Among the large number of parasites recorded summarized according to the following; the from different parts of the world, research on host species, the organs in which the parasite parasites in Iranian freshwater fish is very infestation occurred, the province, the faunal new. Many fish parasites from different parts of the country were expected, but only 247 Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences, 11(3), 2012 572 species have been reported so far. The Cyprinids fish specimens), Hexamita salmonis parasites, recorded from the Ponto-Caspian and Pleistophora salmoni were found in the and Indian faunal regions, were similar to same host (Salmo gairdneri) from different those in other countries but some new hosts faunal regions. Acipenseridae family are were reported. Among those recorded from the endemic in the Caspian Sea area and their Mesopotamian part of Iran, some new hosts parasites were as follows: Haemogregarina were reported as well as some endemic and acipenseris, Cryptobia acipenseris, introduced species (Jalali, 1992; Jalali and Diclobothrium armatum, Nitzschia sturionis, Molnar 1990, 1996; Jalali et al., 1995, 2000; Skrjabinopsolus spp., Leptorhynchoides Masoumian et al., 1994, 1996 a, b, Molnar and plagicephaly and, Pseudotracheliastes Pazooki, 1995; Molnar et al., 1996, Baska and stellatus. The most important host specific Masoumian, 1996;; Pazooki and Molnar, parasites were, myxozoans and monogeneans; 1998). The identified new species were: they were reported from the areas inhabited by monogeneans (25 species), nematodes (2 their host fish species. Examples of these host species) and myxozoans (10 species). The specific parasites are as follows: the endemic reported parasites can be classified according Barboid fish (Barbus grypus, B. luteus and B. to the following different categories: parasites sharpeyi) and their host-specific parasites in with high host specificity such as the Mesopotamian region. These fish inhabit Diplostomum spathaceum (from 36 fish freshwater in the Mesopotamian intermediate species in 8 provinces), Ichthyophthirius faunal regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. multifiliis (from 25 fish species in 9 In the Mesopotamian part of Iran, some new provinces), Hysterothylacium excicsus (from parasites were recorded for the first time from 15 fish species in 4 provinces) Camallanus the study area. These parasites mainly belong sphaerocephalus, Psuedocapillaria tomentosa to the genera of Dactylogyrus, Dogielius, (from 10 and 7 fish species), Lernaea Philometra and Myxobolus and had probably cyprinicea (from 15 fish species in 4 been introduced to these regions of Iran provinces), Allocreadium pseduspii (from 11 through the translocation of their hosts. fish species in 3 provinces) and The freshwater habitats in Iran are very unique Botherocethallus gowkingensis (from 9 fish and they serve as locations for the interaction species in 5 provinces) were recorded from between fish and their parasites within these different fish of the Caspian Sea and three distinct faunal regions. It is expected that Mesopotamian faunal regions. The host species of parasite will vary according to the specific species such as Dactylogurus extensus different regions of the country. and Gyroductylus elegans (from 9 and 10 Downloaded from jifro.ir at 20:13 +0330 on Thursday September 23rd 2021 Figure 1: Iranian freshwater fishes’ fauna regions; 1: Ponto-Caspian Territory, 2: Mesopotamian Intermediate Fauna Region, 3: Indian Fauna Region 571 Pazooki & Masoumian Synopsis of the Parasites in Iranian Freshwater Fishes 573 Table 1: Parasites from different part of Iranian freshwater fishes. C.S.: Caspian Sea, I.F.R: Indian Fauna Region, M.: Mesopotamian. A. C.: Abdominal cavity Infected Provinces Faunae No Parasites Fishes Ref. organs region Pazooki Masoumian & Ciliophora Balantidium Sistan 1 Ctenopharyngodon idella Intestine I.F.R 118 ctenopharyngodoni Body Chaharmahal Bakhtiari 2 Chilodonella cyprini Salmo gairdneri C.S. 62 surface 3 Chilodonella hexasitica Oncorhynchus mykiss, Leuciscus cephalus Skin Mazandaran C. S. 72 Acipenser spp., Abramis brama, Alburnoides bipunctatus, Barbus brachycephalus, B. grypus, B. Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, Esfahan, 2, 10, 11, 15, 17, sharpeyi, B. esocinus, B. capito, B. lacerta, B. mursa, Capoeta aculeaa