Monogenean Parasites of Cyprinidae Fish in the Foum El-Khanga Dam: Biodiversity and Parasitism

A parasitological study of 887 fish specimens belonging to the Cyprinidae family (B. callensis and C. carpio) inhabiting the Foum El-Khanga Dam allowed us to collect 7,830 ectoparasites belonging to the class Monogènea. The parasitic community identified comprises a total of 17 species belonging to the subclass Monopisthocotylea (D.heteromorphus, D.prostea, D.ksibii, D.ksibiodes, D.borjensis, D.atlasensis, D.minitus, D.lenkoranoide, D.akaraicus, G.kobayashii, D. formosus, D. arcuatus, D. cyclocirrus, D. anchoratus, P. pavlovskii, D. vastator, D. extensus). The results of the study on the distribution of parasite indices show that infestation rates and parasite loads differ from one Monogenea species to another. Furthermore, the species D. heteromorphus and D. extensus exhibit the highest parasite loads in B. callensis and C. carpio, respectively. The application of the SHANNON-WEAVER, SIMPSON, and evenness diversity indices showed that the species C. carpio is the most diverse fish. In contrast, the species B. callensis exhibits the greatest species richness (13 species).