Checklists of Species of Ancylodiscoidid and Ancyrocephalid Monogeneans from Fishes of Iraq

Abstract

Surveying 59 references concerning the occurrence of the monogeneans of the families Ancylodiscoididae and Ancyrocephalidae parasitizing fishes of Iraq showed the occurrence of 11 taxa of the family Ancylodiscoididae (genera Ancylodiscoides, Bychowskyella, Chauhanellus, Hamatopeduncularia and Thaparocleidus) and 19 taxa of the family Ancyrocephalidae (genera Ancyrocephalus, Cichlidogyrus, Cleidodiscus, Haliotrema, Ligophorus and Mastacembelocleidus). These monogeneans were reported from 19 valid fish host species in Iraq. Apart from five parasite species which were recorded from marine habitats (Ancyrocephalus sp., Chauhanellus australis, Haliotrema mugilis, Hamatopeduncularia sp. and Ligophorus mugilinus), the remaining parasite species were recorded from freshwater habitats. Among the infected fishes with these parasites, the Tigris catfish Silurus triostegus was infected with the highest number of parasite species (11 species), the mugilid fishes (Planiliza abu and P. subviridis) were infected with eight and seven parasite species, respectively, while 11 fish species were infected with only one parasite species each. Among the parasite species, Thaparocleidus vistulensis was reported from nine fish host species, while 22 parasite species were reported from one host species each. So far, eight synonymous names were applied for seven valid names of parasites of these two families in Iraq.

Keywords

• Ancylodiscoididae
• Ancyrocephalidae
• Monogenea
• Fishes
• Iraq