Parasitic worms of the Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) in Chabahar region (Oman Sea)

According to the importance and position of fish for human protein supply, studying pathogens and more familiarity with their parasitic diseases can be a step towards improving the knowledge of parasitology in the country. The aim of this study was to identify the metazoan parasites of the Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) caught from the coasts of the Oman Sea in the Chabahar region. In the present study, 61 pieces of R. kanagurta were caught in summer 2019. The fish were transported to the laboratory and their length and weight were measured. Different organs of the fish such as gills, eyes, stomach, pyloric caeca, gonads, and intestines were examined for isolated parasites were stabilized in alcohol 70% and/or formalin 10%. The identified parasites were from the digene category and including Lecithocladium angustiovum and prodistomum orientale with frequency of 100% and 26.4%, respectively, from the category of monogenic parasites, Indomazocraes sp. And another example of the family Mazocraeidae, both with prevalence of 1.9% and from the nematode genus, the larvae of the parasite Anisakis sp. were identified with a prevalence of 1.9%.The results showed that the digenean parasite Lecithocladium angustiovum had the highest severity of infection in the stomach (16.1±17.3). In this study, according to the results, the identified parasites included two digens at the genus and species levels, a monogenean at the genus level and another in the family of flatworm branches, a nematode at the genus level in roundworm branch. This is the first report of the Indian mackerel parasites from the Oman Sea coast. Also, the parasites of Prodistomum orientale, Indomazocraes sp. and a specimen belonging to the family Mazocraeidae are reported for the first time of this fish from the coasts of Iran.