First Record of Five Larval Nematode Species from Fishes of Iraq

Abstract

Five larval nematode species belong to three different superfamilies, Ascaridoidea, Physalopteroidea and Gnathostomatoidea were recorded and described from five marine fishes from north-west Arabian Gulf near Khor Al-Ummiah and two freshwater fishes from Al-Huwazah marsh during the period from July 2004 until June 2006. Terranova sp. Type BA larva and Terranova sp. Type BB larva were recorded from three species of sharks, whitecheek shark Carcharhinus dussumieri (Müller et Henle, 1839); Spot-tail shark C. sorrah (Müller et Henle, 1839) and Milk Shark Rhizoprionodon acutus (Rüppell, 1837). Proleptinae gen. sp. BA larva from large scale tongue sole Cynoglossus arel (Bloch et Shneider, 1801); Proleptinae gen. sp. BB larva from Asian catfish Silurus triostegus Heckel, 1843 and stinging catfish Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch, 1794). Echinocephalus sp. larva from C. arel and Arabian carpetshark Chiloscyllium arabicum Goubanov, 1980. All these parasites were recorded and described for the first time in Iraq.