A study of the metazoan parasite fauna of Cyprinus carpio L. (common carp) linked to seasonal changes and host ages in Lake Manyas, Turkey

Abstract

In the current study, the metazoan parasite fauna of Cyprinus carpio L. in Lake Manyas, Turkey, was determined by on-site surveys carried out between January 1997 and November 1998. Five parasite species were found: Dactylogyrus extensus (Monogenea) on the gills; Bothriocephalus acheilognathi (Cestoda); Caryophyllaeus laticeps, (Cestoda) and Pseudocapillaria tomentosa (Nematoda) in the intestine; and Argulus foliaceus (Crustacea) on oral cavity, gills, fins and skin. Among these species, P. tomentosa was recorded for the first time in Turkey. Changes in prevalence and mean intensity of the parasites were found as follows: for D. extensus 41.5%, 20.20 +/- 17.71; for B. acheilognathi 13.2%, 3.43 +/- 2.52; for C. laticeps 7.54%, 1.67 +/- 0.65; for R tomentosa 19.4%, 4.29 +/- 3.23; for A. foliaceus 22.0%, 13.03 +/- 10.69. The infection levels were higher in 1997 for D. extensus, P. tomentosa and A. foliaceus but higher in 1998 for C. laticeps and B. acheilognathi. The infection levels were higher in summer for all the parasite species, except for C. laticeps. D. extensus, B. acheilognathi and A. foliaceus were found on all host fish ages with erratically changing levels. The others were observed only on some of the host fish age.