Bull. Eur. Ass. Fish Pathol., 29(1) 2009, 25

Parasites of ornamental fish in TurkeyC. Erkin Koyuncu*

1Mersin University, Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Aquaculture,Yenisehir Kampüsü, 33169Mersin, Turkey.

AbstractSix commonly freshwater ornamental fish, namely Poecilia rediculata (guppy); Poecilia sphenops(black molly); Cichlosoma sp. (Cichlidae); Xiphophorus maculatus (platy); Carassius auratus (goldfish)and Symphisodon discus (discus) were examined for parasites during a four years study (1998-2002) in Turkey. The parasites species found included: Ichthyobodo sp., Ichthyophthirius multifiliis,Chilodonella sp., Trichodina sp., Dactylogyrus extensus, Gyrodactylus bullatarudis, Lernaea cyprinacea,Argulus foliaceus, Argulus japonicus and Capillaria sp. Among the fish that were studied, goldfishhad highest infections.

*Corresponding author’s E-mail: ekoyuncu@mersin.edu.tr

The ornamental fish industry in Turkey hasgrown in recent years. Most of these fish areimported from Asian countries. Theoccurrence of parasites in ornamental fish inTurkey has not previously been well studied.In this study we aimed to diagnose theparasites in freshwater ornamental fish andso determine the prevalence of some of theseparasites within the Turkey industry.

Materials and methodsSamples of fish were taken at two ornamentalfish farms every month between 1998 and2002. Routine laboratory examinations, aswell as examination of wet mount of skin andgills direct examination were performed.Subsequently, fish were anaesthetized in asolution of MS222, pithed, killed andcomplete parasitological examination

Fish species Fish family No. Fish examined No. Fish infected

Poecilia rediculata Poecilidae 130 75

Xiphophorus maculatus Poecilidae 125 25

Poecilia sphenops Poecilidae 110 55

Cichlosoma sp. Cichlidae 74 18

Carassius auratus Cyprinidae 245 155

Symphisodon discus Cichlidae 75 24

Total 759 371

Table 1. Ornamental Fish examined for parasites.

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undertaken. Parasites were counted andmeasured fresh, then permanently mountedwhere possible. Ciliates and flagellates werepreserved in Bouin’s fixative. Monogeneawere fixed in ammonium picrate or glycerinjelly and stained using carmine.

ResultsSix of the most frequently importedornamental fish species were studied: Poeciliarediculata (guppy); Poecilia sphenops (blackmolly); Cichlosoma sp. (Cichlidae); Xiphophorusmaculatus (platy); Carassius auratus (goldfish)and Symphisodon discus (discus). Numbers andtypes of parasites found were determined aregiven in Tables 1 and 2. Ten species ofparasites were identified. The parasitesdetected represent two monogeneans, fourprotozoans, one copepod and twobranchiurans one nematode. Among the fishstudied goldfish showed highest parasiteinfestation and high stocking density, thushigh mortality was observed, particularlycaused by ichthyophthiriosis andgyrodactylosis.

DiscussionsGoldfish and carp are infected by a widevariety of parasites (Stoskopf, 1993). Fewstudies have demonstrated parasite infectionsassociated with mortality. Howeverichthyophthiriosis is one of the most commondiseases of freshwater fish. All freshwater fishare susceptible to infections (Woo, 1995). Themain cause of these infections and mortalityin studied fish overcrowding, malnutrition,poor water quality introduction of newinfected fish to the aquarium.

Many of the huge number of parasites thathave been isolated from aquarium fish inTurkey, are capable of including significantmortalities among captive and wild stocks,especially parasites which do not need andan intermediates host, such as protozoan andMonogenea (Wildgoose, 2001). Isolatedparasites in this study may be transferredfrom cultivated and wild fish to aquarium fishto Turkey with imported ornamental fish,especially Lernea cyprinacea, Chilodonella sp.,Dactylogyrus extensus, Argulus foliaceus andArgulus japonicus in fancy goldfish,Gyrodactylus bullatarudis in guppy, andCapillairia sp. in discus.

Few of the parasites from fish Asia andSouthern America have been described(Moravec et al., 1997). Thus manyundescribed parasites could be enteringimporting countries with imported fish.Exporting conditions in the aquariumindustry allow parasites with a direct – livecycle to attain a high prevalence of infection,assuming environmental conditions areconductive. Treatment of fish prior to exportor upon arrival in an importing country willminimise the risk of future parasite entry andfurther parasite dispersal.

Mousavi (2003) studied parasites ofornamental fish imported in Iran and reportedthirteen parasite species. Other investigationand authors (Stoskopf, 1993; Woo, 1995;Fairfield, 2000; Evans and Lester, 2001; Noga,2001) have been described many of isolatedparasites in this study, which can infectornamental fish of many species.

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ReferencesEvans B & Lester RJG (2001). Parasites ofornamental fish imported in Australia.Bulletin of the European Association of FishPathologists 21(2), 51-55.

Fairfield T (2000). A common sense guide toFish Health. Barrons 75-95.

Mousavi HAE (2003). Parasites of Ornamentalfish in Iran. Bulletin of the European Associationof Fish Pathologists 23(6), 297-300.

Moravec F, Prouza A & Royero R (1997). Somenematodes of freshwater fishes in Venezuela.Folia Parasitologica 36, 127-141.

Parasites Species Parasite Phylum (class) Fish species Mean prevalence (%)

Ichthyobodo sp. Protozoa (Ciliata) Carassius auratus 0.9

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis Poecilia rediculata 14.9

Poecilia sphenops

Cichlosoma sp.

Xiphophorus maculatus

Carassius auratus

Carassius auratus

Poecilia rediculata

Chilodonella sp. Poecilia sphenops 1.1

Trichodina sp. Cichlosoma sp. 13

Xiphorus maculatus

Carassius auratus

Symphisodon discus

Gyrodactylus bullatarudis Platyhelminthes (Monogenea) Poecilia rediculata 11

Dactylogyrus extensus Carassius auratus 1.5

Capillaria sp. Platyhelminthes (Monogenea) Symphisodon discus 1.5

Lernea cyprinacea Arthropoda (Copepoda) Carassius auratus 1.2

Argulus foliaceus Brancihiura Carassius auratus 0.7

Argulus japonicus Brancihiura Carassius auratus 0.8

Table 2. Parasites found in studied Ornamental fish.

Noga EJ (2001). Fish Disease, Diagnosis andTreatment. Mosby. 75-138.

Stoskopf MK (1993). Fish medicine. W.B.Saunders.

Thilakaratne IDSIP, Rajapaksha G,Hewakopara A, Rajapakse RPVJ, Faizal ACM(2003). Parasitic infections in freshwaterornamental fish in Sri Lanka. Diseases ofAquatic Organisms 54, 154-162.

Wildgoose HW (2001). Manual of OrnamentalFish. British Small Animal VeterinaryAssociation. 167-185.

Woo PTK (1995). Fish Diseases and Disorders.CAB International. 200-202.