2 11 A. N. Balasem & et al. Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus. (2009)10(4): 11-16 RECORD OF TWO SPECIES OF THE MONOGENETIC TREMATODES GENUS DACTYLOGYRUS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN IRAQ ON GILLS OF THE CYPRINID FISH ALBURNUS CAERULEUS Abbas N. Balasem, Furhan T. Mhaisen*, Kasim R. Asmar, Jawdat M. Al-Jawda and Thamir K. Adday Ministry of Science and Technology, Al- Jadereah, Baghdad, Iraq * Dept. Biol., Coll. Educ. (Ibn Al- Haitham), Univ. Baghdad, Iraq ABSTRACT For the first time in Iraq, two species of monogenetic tretamtodes of the genus Dactylogyrus were recorded from gills of Alburnus caeruleus from Tigris river at Al- Zaafaraniya, south of Baghdad during June 1995. The first species, Dactylogyrus sphyrna is characterized by having the seventh pair of marginal hooklets almost twice as large as other marginal hooklets, powerful inner and outer processes of median hooks especially the inner one which is expanded terminally, one connecting bar and long spirally twisted copulatory organ. The second species, Daclytogyrus phoxini differs from the first one by having marginal hooklets of the same size, inner and outer processes of median hooks are not powerful, two connecting bars present, the second one of them is T shaped and tube of copulatory organ is curved and C shaped. With the present record, the total number of Dactylogyrus species in freshwater fishes of Iraq reached 51 species. INTRODUCTION Monogenetic trernatodes are ectoparasites of skin, fins and gills of marine and freshwater fishes. They possess one or more acetabuli and hooks for fixation (Amlacher, 1970). Under conditions of intensive fish farming and severe infection, monogeneans are responsible for notable skin opacity, often with inflamed and reddened areas and great damage to gill filaments (Roberts, 1989) which may lead to fish death (Schmahl, 1991). In Iraq, monogeneans are considered as the major group of parasites of freshwater fishes (Mhaisen, 2006). Since the finding of the first monogenean in fishes of Iraq (Diplozoon kasimii) by Fattohy (1975) and its publication (Rahemo, 1980), many surveys were done which brought the total number of monogeneans to 78 species (Abdullah and Mhaisen, 2000). Recent studies on the parasites of freshwater fishes of Iraq (Al-Nasiri et al., 2002; Al-Nasiri, 2003; Asmar et al., 2004; Kritsky et al., 2004; Hussain, 2005; Abdul-Ameer, in press) revealed eight additional monogeneans. To gain information on the parasitic fauna of freshwater fishes of Iraq, more surveys and inspection of fishes are needed. With such task, it is expected to discover more parasites. The present article deals with the record of two monogeneans (Dactylogyrus sphyrna and D. phoxini) for the first time in Iraq. MATERIALS AND METHODS Routine collection of fishes from Tigris river at Al-Zaafaraniya, south of Baghdad city was done during the whole year of 1995 with the aid of cast nets. Fishes were brought alive to the laboratory where they were inspected for parasites. Skin and gill smears were stained with aqueous neutral red and permanent slides were prepared. Parasite identification was done according to Bykhovskaya-Pavlovskaya et al. (1962) and Gussev (1985). Mhaisen’s (2006) 12 Record of Two Species of the Monogenetic Trematodes index catalogue of parasites and disease agents of fishes of Iraq was followed to make comparison with other related Dactylogyrus species so far recorded from fishes of Iraq. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Among the examined fishes for ectoparasites, one specimen of the cyprinid fish Alburnus caeruleus Heckel, 1843 with a total length of 12.5 cm and a total weight of 16.6 gm was infected with two gill dactylogyrids which were not previously recorded in Iraq. The following is a brief account on their description and measurements. Dactyogyrus sphyrna Linstow, 1878 (Fig.1): Datylogyridae. Large worms up to 1.4 mm long and 0.2 mm wide. Median hook with powerful processes, particularly the inner process which expanded terminally and larger than the basic portion of the median hook. Basal portion of base only 2-2.5 times as long as outer process. Overall length of median hook 0.055 - 0.069 mm. One connecting bar present, 0.007 x 0.03 mm. Seventh pair of marginal hooklets almost twice as long as others (up to 0.052 mm for the seventh pair and 0.2-0.28 mm for the others). Tube of copulatory organ long, spirally twisted, describing more than two turns. Overall length of copulatory organ 0.052-0.06 mm. The above description of D. sphyrna is in agreement with that of the holotype of this parasite (Bykhovskaya—Pavlovskaya et al., 1962). Two dactylogyrids having median hooks with powerful processes were previously recorded from freshwater fishes of Iraq. These were D. polylepidis from Leuciscus lepidus from Lesser Zab and Greater Zab rivers, north of Iraq and D. vistulae from Chondrostoma regium of the same localities (Abdullah. 2002). However, D. sphyrna of the present investigation is characterized by having the seventh pair of marginal hooklets almost twice as large as other marginal hookiets while in both D. polylepidis and D. vistulae the seventh pair is frequently not more than one and a half times as large as rest marginal hookiets (Bykhovskaya—Pavlovskaya et al., 1962; Gussev, 1985). Dactylogyrusphoxini Malevitskaya, 1949 (Fig. 2): Dactylogyridae. Small or moderately sized worms, length up to 0.54 mm. Outer process of median hook no more than two thirds as long as inner process. Two connecting bars present. Primary connecting bar 0.004 x 0.022- 0.028 mm. Supplementary bar in form of inverted T, 0.003-0.006 x 0.015 — 0.02 mm. Overall length of median hook 0.04 — 0.047 mm. Marginal hookiets of the same size, with a length of 0.016 — 0.03 1 mm. Tube of copulatory organ C shaped and smoothly curved. Overall length of copulatory organ 0.021 — 0.026 mm. The above description of D. phoxini of the present study is in agreement with that of Bykhovskaya-Pavlovskaya et al. (1962). D. phoxini is most similar to D. porpinquus which was recorded for the first time in Iraq by Al-Zubaidy (1998) from Cyprinus carpio of Al-Furat fish farm, Hilla, mid Iraq. However, they differ in the shape of the tube of copulatory organ: being C-shaped in D. phoxini and inverted L-shaped in D. porpinquus (Bykhovskaya- Pavlovskaya et a!., 1962; Gussev, 1985). Previously, two dactylogyrid species were reported from A. caeru!eus in Iraq. These were D. vastator from Tigris river at Al-Zaafaraniya, south of Baghdad (Balasem et al., 1993) and D. intermedius from a private sector fish farm at Al-Madaen, south of Baghdad (Asmar et a!., 2004). So, the present study added two additional dactylogyrids for this fish in Iraq and increased the total number of Dactylogyrus species in Iraq to 51 species (Mhaisen, 2006). As A. caeruleus is known to enter some fish farms of Iraq via inlet water (Mohammad—Ali et a!., 1999; Asmar et al., 2004), the danger of parasite transmission by this fish from rivers to fish farms is expected. Hence, the importance of the present record strengthen previous conclusion that wild fishes may represent a threat to farm fishes in Iraq in this respect (Mhaisen, 1 993). 13 A. N. Balasem & et al. LITERATURE CITED Abdu-Ameer, K. N. In press. On the occurrence of the monogenetic trernatode Dactylogyrus wegeneri for the first time in Iraq on gills of the common carp Cyprinus carpio. Accepted for publication in Babylon J., Pure Appi. Sci. Abdullah, S. M. A. 2002. Ecology, taxonomy and biology of some parasites of fishes from Lesser Zab and Greater Zab rivers in north of Iraq. Ph. D. Thesis, Univ. Baghdad: l53pp. (In Arabic). Abdullah, S. M. A. and Mhaisen, F. T. 2000. Monogenetic trematodes parasitizing on freshwater fishes of Iraq. Abst. 2nd Sci. Conf., Dept. Biol., Coil. Educ. (Ibn Al- Haitham), Univ. Baghdad: 10-12 Oct. 2000. Al-Nasiri, F. S. 2003. First occurrence of the monogenetic trematode Dip/ozoon nipponicum Goto, 1891 in Iraq from common carp Cyprinus carpio (Pisces). Iraqi J. Agric., 8(6): 95 -99. Al-Nasiri, F. S.; Mhaisen, F.T. and Al-Nasiri, S.K. 2002. First occurrence of the monogentic trematode Dactylogyrus capoetae Jalali, Papp et Molnár, 1995 in Iraq on gills of the cyprinid fish Barbus /iiteus. J. Diyala, 13: 421-425. Al-Zubaidy, A. B. 1998. Studies on the parasitic fauna of carps in Al-Furat fish farm, Babylon province, Iraq. Ph. D. Thesis, Univ. Babylon: l4lpp. (In Arabic). Amlacher, E. 1970. Textbook of fish diseases. T.F.H. Pub!., Jersey city: 302pp. Asmar, K. R.; Balasem, A.N.; Ai-Jawda, J.M. and Adday, T.K. 2004. Recording of parasitic and fungal infections in three fish farms, south of Baghdad. Iraqi J. Aquacult., 2: 117-132. (In Arabic). Balasern, A. N.; Mhaisen, F.T.; A1-Shaikh, S.M.J.; Al-Khateeb, G.H.; Asmar, K.R. and Adday, T.K. 1993. Survey of fish parasites form Tigris river at Al-Zaafaraniya, south of Baghdad, Iraq. Mar. Mesopot., 8(3): 226-23 5. Bykhovskaya-Pavlovskaya, I. E.; Gussev, A.V.; Dubinina, M. N.; Izyurnova, N. A.; Smirnova, T. S.; Sokolovskaya, I. L.; Shtein, G. A.; Shulman, S. S. and Epshtein, V. M. 1962. Key to parasites of freshwater ñsh of the U.S.S.R. Akad. Nauk, S.S.S.R., Moscow: ‘727pp. (In Russian). Fattohy, Z. I. 1975. Studies on the parasites of certain teleostean fishes from the river Tigris, Mosul, Iraq. M. Sc. Thesis, Univ. Mosul: l36pp. Gussev, A. V. 1985. Parasitic metazoans: Class Monogenea. In: Bauer, O.N. (Ed.). Key to parasites of freshwater fish fauna of the U.S.S.R. Nauka, Leningrad, 2: 1- 424. (In Russian). Hussain, H. T. 2005. Ectoparasitic infections of the common carp and silver carp fingerlings stocked during winter in Al-Shark Al-Awsat fish farm, Babylon province. M. Tech. Thesis, Al-Mussayab Tech. Coil., Found. Tech. Educ.: lO6pp. (In Arabic). 14 Record of Two Species of the Monogenetic Trematodes Kritsky, D. C.; Pandey, K.C.; Agrawal, N. and Abdullah, S.M.A. 2004. Monogenoids from the gills of spiny eel (Teleostei: Mastacernbelidae) in India and Iraq, proposal of Mastacembelocleidus gen. n., and status of the Indian species of Actinocleidus, Urocleidus and Haplocleidus (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae). Fol. Parasitol., 51: 29 1-298. Mhaisen, F. T. 1993. The role of wild fishes in fish farms of Iraq from parasitological and pathological points of view. Iraqi J. Vet. Med., 17: 126-136. Mhaisen, F. T. 2006. Index-catalogue of parasites and disease agents of fishes of Iraq. (Unpublished). Mohammad-Ali, N. R.; Balasem, A. N.; Mhaisen, F. T.; Salih, A. M. and Waheed, I. K. 1999. Observations on the parasitic fauna in A1-Zaafaraniya fish farm, south of Baghdad. Vet., 9(2): 79-88. Rahemo, Z. I. F. 1980. Dzplozoon kasimii new species from a freshwater teloeost fish, Cyprinion macrostomus Heckel. Bull. Biol. Res. Cent., 12(1): 109-114. Roberts, R. J. 1989. Fish pathology, 2nd edn., Bailliere Tindall, London: 3 l8pp. Schmahl, G. 1991. The chemotherapy of monogeneans which parasitize fish: A review. Fol. Parasitol., 38: 97-106. 15 A. N. Balasem & et al. 16 Record of Two Species of the Monogenetic Trematodes Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus. (2009)10(4): 11-16 ل سجي ن ت ت لنوعي ر ا خ ن الم ةم دي حا س أ جن من شأ ي ألول Dactylogyrus الم ر ف م ة طي شبو سم ة ا ش م ال خيا ى ع Alburnus caeruleus العراق مد ض حا و فر سم ي ب ج سنمعبا نا ت مو * حي ج د سم أ م و ك. ق ة و ثامر د و ج ي. ا دا ع وزارة العلوم والتكنولوجيا، الجادرية، بغداد، العراق ، جامعة بغداد، بغداد، العراق)ابن الهيثم(كلية التربية -قسم علوم الحياة* الخالصة ت ألول ن ا ث با ني م جيل و يف ا عر ق مت س حاديةمرة أل س ا جن Dactylogyrusالتاب ة لل ن طيةم شبو سمكة ا جنوب من ر دجلة يف منطقة الزعفرانية Alburnus caeruleus خياشيم ا .١٩٩٥العراق خالل شهر حزيران بكون حجم الزوج السابع من الكليبات الطرفية Daclylogyrus sphyrna األولميتاز النوع واخلارجية، الكليبات الوسطية يبلغ ضعف الكالليب احلافية االخرى وضخامة الربوزات الداخلية واليت متتد طرفيًا وبوجود حاجز رابط واحد وبكون عضو اجلماع طويل سيما الداخلية منها وال .حلزوين الشكل وذو ختصرات بكون الكليبات األولفانه خيتلف عن النوع Daclylogyrus phoxiniين النوع الثا أما الطرفية هلا نفس اجلسيم وان الربوزات الداخلية واخلارجية للكليبات الوسطية غري متضخمة عضو اجلماع منحين أنبوبويكون Tوبوجود حاجزين رابطة ويكون الثاين فيها بشكل حرف .Cعلى شكل حرف نوعًا بضمنها ٥١يف امساك املياه الغدية العراقية Dactylogyrusجنس الـ عأنوا يصل عدد .التسجيل اجلديد