Lernaea Cyprinacea Linnaeus, 1758 (Cyclopoida: Lernaeidae) in Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) from a Commercial Fish Farm in the Rearing Ponds of Shushtar, Khuzestan Province

Background and aim: Lernaea cyprinacea is an important ectoparasitic copepod, commonly known as an Anchor-worm. It is most likely native to Asia, including Iran, but has a wide global distribution including Europe, Africa, Australia, North and South America. It can infects more than 100 species of teleost fish and amphibians. This study was performrd in order to survey on the incidence of Lernaea cyprinacea on the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), in the rearing ponds of Shushtar, in Khuzestan province. Materials and Methods: Two hundred seventy five fish were captured from four ponds by fishing net and transferred to laboratory of veterinary medicine, Kazerun Branch of Islamic Azad University by containers of formaldehyde 10%. After identifying the Lernaea cyprinacea by key identification, biometric operations were performed on fishes. Results: The results showed that from 275 fish, 63 fish were infected to Lernaea cyprinacea which formed 23 % of the captured fish. The statistical results base on Pearson correlation showed that there was no significant relationship between total length or weight and number of lesions on the body (p>0.05). Conclusion: Lernaea cyprinacea infected the population of grass carp in Shushtar region of Khuzestan province. Due to the biological and economic damages, it is necessary to take appropriate actions to eradicate the parasite.

Lernaea Cyprinacea Linnaeus, 1758 (Cyclopoida: Lernaeidae) in Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) from a Commercial Fish Farm in the Rearing Ponds of Shushtar, Khuzestan Province Keywords:

Lernaea cyprinacea , Grass carp , Shushtar , Iran , لرنه آ , کپور علفخوار , شوشتر , ایران