INFECTION OF THREE-SPINED STICKLEBACK GASTEROSTEUS ACULEATUS (L.) WITH CORYNOSOMA STRUMOSUM IN GOMISHAN LAGOON

To study Infection of Three-Spined Stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus (L.), we sampled 530 specimens of the fish during November 2000 till October 2001 in Gomishan Lagoon, southeast of Caspian Sea. The fish were collected using beach seines with 3mm mesh size. The specimens were transferred to lab fresh or fixed in 10% formalin and examined by standard methods. Numbers of parasites for each male or female were recorded and intensity, frequency and prevalence of the parasite for each month and sex were calculated. Maximum infection occurred in late winter and early spring and the maximum number of parasites was 82, obtained from a female fish in early spring.