Study of external parasites infesting Carcharhinus Melanopterus fish from the Red Sea in Jeddah ,Saudi Arabia

Areej O. Bakhraibah

Volume : V, Issue : VII, July - 2016

Study of external parasites infesting Carcharhinus Melanopterus fish from the Red Sea in Jeddah ,Saudi Arabia

Areej O. Bakhraibah

Abstract :

Parasitic diseases are harmful and limiting factors in eeding and re� ornamental fish industry, such as the Monogenea (Dactylogyrus sp and Erpocotyle tiburonis) and copepod (Pandarus sinuatus and Anchistrotos tangi). The copepod and the monogenean are gill parasites found on the shark; Carcharhinus Melanopterus. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the parasitic infections of sharks in red sea in Jeddah. For this purpose, 19 female C. Melanopterus and 14 male C. Melanopterus were first examined for ectoparasites using wet mount under a light microscope. All male sharks had Monogenea and/or copepod in their gill and only 3 females haven�t infections. Then, we aimed to find a combination of copepod and monogenea infection in C. Melanopterus gills. 50% of male and 42% of female were infected by copepod and monogenea. Our findings revealed that the protozoan infections are very common among sharks. Although, no gross pathology was observed among infected shark, but it is likely that in case of any changes in the environment, then parasitic infections could be harmful.