RECORD OF TWO SPECIES OF THE MONOGENETIC TREMATODES GENUS DACTYLOGYRUS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN IRAQ ON GILLS OF THE CYPRINID FISH ALBURNUS CAERULEUS

Abstract

For the first time in Iraq, two species of monogenetic tretamtodes of the genus Dactylogyrus were recorded from gills of Alburnus caeruleus from Tigris river at Al-Zaafaraniya, south of Baghdad during June 1995. The first species, Dactylogyrus sphyrna is characterized by having the seventh pair of marginal hooklets almost twice as large as other marginal hooklets, powerful inner and outer processes of median hooks especially the inner one which is expanded terminally, one connecting bar and long spirally twisted copulatory organ. The second species, Daclytogyrus phoxini differs from the first one by having marginal hooklets of the same size, inner and outer processes of median hooks are not powerful, two connecting bars present, the second one of them is T shaped and tube of copulatory organ is curved and C shaped. With the present record, the total number of Dactylogyrus species in freshwater fishes of Iraq reached 51 species.