First Record of Lernaea cyprinacea L. 1758 (Copepoda: Cyclopoida

BIHAREAN BIOLOGIST 9 (1): 44-46
Article No.: 141130
©Biharean Biologist, Oradea, Romania, 2015
http://biozoojournals.ro/bihbiol/index.html
First Record of Lernaea cyprinacea L. 1758 (Copepoda: Cyclopoida)
on Cyprinion macrostomus Heckel, 1843 from Eastern Anatolia, Turkey
Mustafa KOYUN1,*, Mehmet ULUPINAR2 and Abdullah MART1
1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Bingöl University, 12000, Bingöl, Turkey.
2. Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture, Bingöl University, 12000, Bingöl, Turkey.
* Corresponding author, M. Koyun, E-mail: [email protected]
Received: 26. August 2014 / Accepted: 22. September 2014 / Available online: 10. April 2015 / Printed: June 2015
Abstract. This study was conducted while working on the fish population in the Murat River in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. During
the field surveys, Lernaea cyprinacea L. 1758, an ectoparasitic copepod species was detected on the soft parts the dorsal and anal fins
of Cyprinion macrostomus. It was concluded from a review of the literature that no data on the parasite host was not reported in
previous studies conducted in the all over the world.
Key words: Murat River, Cyprinion macrostomus, Lernaea cyprinacea, Copepoda.
Introduction
Anchor worm, Lernaea cyprinacea L. 1758, is a parasitic copepod that burrows into the skin of freshwater fishes. It has
anchors that can penetrate the tissues below the skin of the
host fish. In summer and spring, when water temperatures
exceed 14–15 °C, copepod larvae attach to the gills of fish
and may cause their death (Ekingen 1983, Koyuncu & Donmez 2006). Lernaea species have nine stages in the life cycle,
including three free-living naupliar stages, five copepodid
stages and one adult stage. After mating on the fish host, the
males die and females metamorphose and insert their anterior body into the host tissue and then produce eggs (Nagasawa et al. 2007, Barson et al. 2008).
Anchor worm can cause lernaeosis, also known as anchor worm disease, which results in hemorrhagic ulcers at
the attachment site. The species can thereby cause the death
of the host due to secondary infections and massive bleeding
(Wellborn & Lindsey 1970, Khalifa & Post 1976, Kabata 1985,
Hoffman 1999, Kupferberg et al. 2009). L. cyprinacea is the
most common species that belongs to genus Lernaea among
approximately 40 species in North America, South- and
Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe (Acosta et al. 2013). The
species is also known to parasitize more than 100 hosts (Kabata 1979, 1985, Hoffman 1999). L. cyprinacea recorded in
Turkey and some European countries as Germany, France,
Italy and Scandinavia. The parasite probably originates from
Asia and spread to different parts of the world via the
movement of aquarium species (Robinson & AvenantOldewage 1996, Innal & Oldewage 2012). It has also spread
from the south of West Siberia to Japan throughout Central
Asia. L. cyprinacea can grow in water temperatures of 23–30
°C displaying slightly thermophilic characteristics. Mature
female parasites also reported in freshwater fish, frog and
salamander in North America (Bauer 1959, Yashuv 1959,
Hoffman 1967, Kupferberg et al. 2009).
Cyprinion macrostomus, which is stated as a host in our
study, is a Cyprinid fish that is used in thermal springs to
treat dermatological diseases (Arkhipchuk 1999). It has a
limited natural range, but has been reported in one part of
Euphrates River which is within the borders of Iran (Coad
1996); Topardici and Kalkim Rivers in Sivas; Kangal thermal
source; Diyarbakır, Karakaya, Devegeçidi Dams; and the Tigris River from Turkey (Kuru 2004, Daştan et al. 2012). This
species known as Tigris king fish and Beni fish in Turkish
which was recorded from Turkey by Kuru (2004) under the
name C. macrostomus. Distribution on South-eastern Turkey
and endemic to eastern Mediterranean, Asi River, Euphrates
and Tigris river systems. Conservation status is endangered
and sensitive to human activities (Fricke et al. 2007).
No faunistic record exists in the Murat River. This parasite was not encountered in previous studies on fish parasites in Murat River (Koyun 2011a,b,c, 2012). And also this
study is the first record of L. cyprinacea parasitizing C. macrostomus.
Materials and Methods
Samples of C. macrostomus was caught with gill nets (22 mm width)
and casting nets, from the area of Garip village (Bingöl, 380 77´ 74”
N, 40o 57´ 70” E, 992 m) on one of the small stream reaches of Murat
River. L. cyprinacea was detected on the dorsal and anal fins on only
five samples. It has been examined with stereoscopic microscope to
identify the occurrence of Lernaea. The parasites were removed with
a sharp implement. First, they were killed in formaldehyde solution
of 4% (not boiled) then preserved in 70% ethanol. The parasite was
photographed as totally (supplementary material 1).
Results
During this study, L. cyprinacea was observed on the skin of
5 fishes (5% prevalence) captured at one station on the Murat River at on January, 2012. Infection intensity was one,
and Abundance 0.05, and located at soft part of the dorsal
and anal fins regions. This parasite was not found on the
Murat River at any of the remaining sampling stations
where this fish was captured.
Despite a lot of fish examination only 5 specimens lernaepodid were found. In present study we focused on the lernaepodid copepod (L. cyprinacea) an ectoparasite on the dorsal and anal fins of C. macrostomus.
Previous reports of the parasite fauna of C. macrostomus
include trematodes, nematodas and monogeneans, (Rahemo
& Kasim 1979, Rahemo1980). However, C. macrostomus has
not been recorded previously as a host for L. cyprinacea. As
such this finding represents the first record of L. cyprinacea
parasitizing C. macrostomus at its natural range (Table 1). The
Murat River, Cyprinion macrostomus, Lernaea cyprinacea, Copepoda
45
Table 1. List of Lernaea cyprinacea records from different host species from all over the world.
Host(s) of Lernaea cyprinacea
Country
References
Carassius carassius, ornamental fish, Chondrostoma nasus,
Gambusia affinis
Turkey
Tekin & Kir 2005, Koyuncu & Dönmez 2006,
Kir 2007, Demir & Karakişi 2014, Innal &
Oldewage 2012
Labeo altivelis, Oreochromis macrochir, Ctenopharyngodon idella,
Oreochromis mossambicus, Oreochromis placidus, Tilapia rendalli
Zimbabwe
Dalu et al. 2012
Alburnus alburnus, Barbus lacerta, Capoeta aculeate, Capoeta damascina, Iran
Capoeta aculeate gracilis,Carassius carassius, Chalcalburnus chalcoides,
Chalcalburnus mossulensis, Chondrostoma orientalis, Ctenopharyngodon
idella, Cyprinus carpio, Leuciscus cephalus, Hypophthalmichthys
molitrix, Mastacembelus mastacembelus, Pseudorasbora parva, Aphanius
vladykovi, Aristichthys nobilis, Chondrostoma regium, Gobio sp.,
Leuciscus persidis, Schizothorax sp., Pseudorasbora parva
Jalali 1987, Jalali et al. 1995,
Barzegar & Jalali 2009,
Pazooki & Masoumian 2012
Natropis girardi, Macrhybobsis tetranema
Mexico
Durham, et al. 2002
Cyprinus carpio, Carassius carassius, Idus idus, Rutilus rutilus
Britain
Fryer 1968
Barbus graellsii, Barbus haasi, Cyprinus carpio , Leuciscus cephalus,
Chondrostoma toxostoma, Parachondrostoma miegii
Spain
Sterling et al. 1995,
Gutiérrez-Galindo & Lacasa-Millán 2005
Gambussia affinis
Italy
Benedetti et al. 1989
Astyanax bimaculatus
Brazil
Magalhães 2006
Silurus asotus Arapaima gigas, Anguilla japonica, Carassius auratus,
Japan
Carassius auratus langsdorfii , Carassius auratus subsp., Carassius
cuvieri, Ctenopharyngodon idellus, Cyprinus carpio, Gnathopogon
elongatus suwae, Hemibarbus labeo, Oncorhynchus mykiss,
Pseudobagrus tokiensis, Silurus asotus , Plecoglossus altivelis, Pungitius
pungitius, Lepomis macrochirus , Micropterus salmoides, Pterophyllum
scalare, Chaenogobius macrognathos, Gymnogobius Tridentiger obscurus
Ogawa 2004, Nagasava et al. 2007
Mugil cephalus, Gambussia affinis, Clarias lazera
Israeli
Yashuv 1959, Paperna 1964
Barbus altianalis, Lates albertianus
Uganda
Thurston 1969, 1970
Ctenopharyngodon idella
Pakistan
Tasawar et al. 2009
Catla catla, Labeo rohita, Catla catla, Ctenopharyngodon idella,
Hypophthhalmichthys moltrix
Pakistan
Iqbal et al., 2012, Kanwal et al. 2012
Galaxias occidentalis, Edelia vittata , Bostockia porosa, Tandanus
bostocki, Carassius auratus, Gambusia holbrooki, Phalloceros
caudimaculatus
W. Australia
Marina et al. 2008
copepods that recorded in our study were adult female; they
were anchored to host fins and feeds on the epithelial cells
and mucus of the host, characteristically raising blisters on
the fin surface.
Discussion
According to Coad (1996) C. macrostomus is a native and endemic fish for Tigris-Euphrates basin, especially in Turkey,
Iran and Syria freshwater system. This present report is the
first diagnosis of Lernaea cyprinacea in Murat River at Euphrates
basin. The implication of this parasitosis for C. macrostomus is
not known in Turkey and is the first report of L. cyprinacea in
mentioned fish. This parasite was not previously encountered
in C. macrostomus in studies conducted in Turkey and other
at all; previous studies did not focus on this parasite, and C.
macrostomus is present only in the East and Southeast Anatolia regions in Turkey.
In literature, there are two species known as doctor fish
and C. macrostomus is one of these species. Therefore, it is
important to investigate the characteristics of C. macrostomus
in detail. This study will provide significant contribution to
determination of these fish parasites. The critical situation of
this fish, which has medical importance, is given as an endangered in Turkey (Dagli & Erdemli 2009).
This species of parasite shows a cosmopolitan distribution; it mostly parasitizes Cyprinidae, whereas other fresh-
water fish species host other parasites. However, as is seen
in Table 1, there is no data on C. macrostomus recorded in
various countries at different times. According to Koyuncu
& Dönmezer (2006) this parasite was reported on the gills of
the fish, but in our study observed on the fins. This means,
place of this parasite sometime changing. Anchor worm infections usually result in a single parasite per host fish in
flowing rivers and streams, causing a little damage, but in
closed environments severe infestations often result (Demaree 1967). Findings of our study (a single parasite per host
fish in flowing rivers and streams) are consistent with Demaree (1967) data.
In conclusion, this research on the parasite fauna of C.
macrostomus is the first conducted on an ectoparasitic copepod species was detected on the soft parts the dorsal and
anal fins of this host. The authors think that the results obtained here will provide the basis for further scientific studies on copepodits.
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+ One page supplementary material, available exclusive online
(Anchor worm, L. cyprinacea - photo by Koyun 2012)