Ectoparasites fauna of goldfish (Carassius auratus) in north Iran

  The present studywas carried out to survey ectoparasites fauna of gold fish (Carassius auratus) in Mazandaran province (Iran) from April 2009 to March 2010. A total of 200 samples were obtained from 10 ornamental fish supply centers and transferred alive to the laboratory. In this study, the following ectoparasites were isolated: Ichthyophthirius multifillis , Trichodina spp., Gyrodactylus spp., Dactylogyrus vastator, Dactylogyrus baueri and Argulus coregoni. The results revealedthat 28.5% of sampled goldfish were infested with ectoparasites .The frequency of protozoan infestations were 15% (9%I. multifillis and 6% Trichodina spp.), the frequency of monogenean ectoparasite was 12.5% (5% Gyrodactylus spp., 5% D. vastator and 2.5% D. baueri) and that of crustaceans (A. coregoni) was 1%. The most frequently reported infestation was due to I. multifillis causative agent of white spot disease.Enhancing the health management through improving water quality and bio-security is the most effective way to prevent the parasite infestations.