Identification of parasites of Aphanius vladykovi from Shalamzar and Salm Lakes, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Province, Iran

Zagros tooth-carp (Aphanius vladykovi) which belongs to cyprinodontidae family is one of the most important native fish species of Iran. In this study which was conducted in summer 2015, a total of 50 individuals of A. vladykovi were caught from Shalamzar and Salm Lakes in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Province and were examined for parasites. The results of this study indicated that all the examined fish were infested by parasites. Different parasite species including Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Ichthyobodo necator, Gyrodactylus sp., Allocreadium isoporum and metacercaria of Ornithodiplostomum sp. were found in the examined fish. Among them, the highest infestation rate belonged to Ornithodiplostomum sp. as 68 percent of the studied fish were infested by this parasite. The infestation rate of Ornithodiplostomum sp.in fishes from Shalamzar and Salm Lakes were 41.66 and 92.3 percent, respectively. The results of this study indicated that Zagros tooth-carp fish is highly infested with different parasite species affecting population of this fish.