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Abstract

Three species of metazoan parasites of Cyprinid fishes were collected and identified for the first time from Tajen and Babol rivers in Iran. Two hundreds twenty fishes from four species, family Cyprinidae, were collected. 36, 63, 56 and 65 from Rutilus frisii kutum (from estuary), Alburnoides bipunctatus, Leuciscus cephalus and Capoeta capoeta grasilis (from upstream) were collected respectively. The collected parasites from each host fish were counted. The parasitic nematode were fixed in 4% formalin and preserved in 70% alcohol for identification. Acanthocephala were preserved in 4% formalin and few drops Bouin's fluid. Among the identified parasites in this study, two species of nematodes: Hepaticola petruschewskii from C.c. grasilis , L. cephalus and A. bipunctatus and Capilria sp from R.f.kutum were collected. One species of Acanthocephala, Corynosoma villosum also were collected and identified from R.f.kutum from which they are reported for the first time in Iran. Intensity and preuatence of infection for each parasitic species was calculated and were compared between different stations, seasons and sexes of host species. There were some differences between them which were not significant. Hepaticola petruschewskii have been collected from three species of the fishes, therefore, the host specificity level were low.

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