Prevalence of Argulus foliaceus in ornamental fishes [goldfish (Carassius auratus) and Koi (Cyprinus carpio)] in Kerman, southeast of Iran

Abstract

The genus Argulus (Crustacea: Branchiura), or fish louse, are common parasites of freshwater fish. This parasite have a direct life cycles and mature females leave the host and lay several hundred eggs on vegetation and various objects in the water. It caused pathological changes due to direct tissue damage and secondary infections. Besides the damage and stress caused by Argulus itself, one of the main worries for fish producers are the associated secondary infestations and infections that can result from infestation with this ecto-parasite. From 300 samples, only 20 (6.67 %) samples were infested with this parasite and 280 (93.33 %) not infested. In the present study, Argulus foliaceus was reported on goldfish and Koi which this was first recorded in Kerman, southeast of Iran. According to the presented study, it is clear that A. foliaceus can act as a potential risk factor for natural ecosystems and native fish population of Iran and other countries, that should be mentioned to prevent the burst of new parasitic fauna to Iran and different countries as well as stop direct economic losses caused by mortality derived from infestation with this ecto-parasite.

Prevalence of Argulus foliaceus and Fungal Infections in Some Ornamental Fishes [Discus (Symphysodon discus), Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius) and Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)] in Isfahan City of Iran

“…Argulus sp. have been reported from various fish species global [2,6,7,9,[13][14][15] . Does research carried out on Koi and goldfish checks the Argulus as the greatest prevalent parasite [14] .…”

“…The trade of ornamental fish is a multi-million dollar industry currently. Several species of ornamental fishes are imported from Southeast Asian countries into other countries such as Iran [1,2] . Fungal diseases of fish are considered to be a chief problem for both aquaculture and fisheries and happen in brood stock and totally life stages of fish and eggs [1,3] .…”

“…The genus Argulus (Crustacea: Branchiura), or fish louse, are common parasites of freshwater fish [2,5] . Nearly 15 spp.…”

“…Nearly 15 spp. are found on freshwater fishes and several of the species are parasitic on marine fishes [2,6] . Argulus foliaceus (A. foliaceus) have a direct life cycles that because of not need to the intermediate hosts for whole its life cycle and transports rapidly among the fishes [7] .…”

“…A. foliaceus is an obligatory blood sucker and can survive for only a little day without the host fish, depending on size and ambient temperature [8] . A lot of researches have been done on prevalence of A. foliaceus, nonetheless the researches on prevalence of this ectoparasite in Iran are limited [2,[5][6][7]9] . Consequently, this study was designed to find the prevalence A. foliaceus and some fungal diseases of ornamental fishes (discus, dwarf gourami and guppy) in Isfahan, Iran.…”