Study on the parasites of Pseudorhombus elevatus, Psettodes erumei and Brachirus orientalis from the Persian Gulf, Iran

The Persian Gulf is of great economical, environmental and political importance, and includes around 205 species of fishes that only some of them have been studied parasitologically. From the order Pleuronectiformes (ray-finned fishes), Psettodes erumei (Psettodidae), Pseudorhombus elevatus (Bothidae) and Brachirus orientalis (Soleidae) were selected for the survey. One hundred and forty eight fishes including 97 P. erumei, 43 P. elevatus and 8 B. orientalis were provided from two different regions of Iranian waters of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. From P. erumei, 4 species of nematodes, one cestode and one acanthocephal species are reported including: Philometra sp., Contracaecum sp., Pseudoterranova sp., Raphidascaris sp., Dasyrhynchus sp. (Trypanorhyncha) larvae and Serrasentis sagittifer. This is the first report of S. sagittifer in P. erumei from the Persian Gulf. P. elevatus had fewer species of parasites including one nematode, Contracaecum, one copepod, Heterochondria pillai and one digenea metacercaria Stephanostomum sp. Brachirus orientalis harbored one copepod and two digenea species, Allocreadium sp. and Lepocreadioides zebrini. Our research provides evidences that Indian spiny turbots have larger diversity of parasites than the deep flounders.