Haya: The Saudi Journal of Life Sciences (SJLS)
Volume-3 | Issue-04 | 391-404
Original Research Article
Prevalence of Sympatric Parasites in the Flathead Grey Mullet Mugil cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Arabian Gulf - Saudi Arabia
Gaber Ahmed Ibrahim, Naif Abdullah AlQurashi, Saeed Mujahid Hashimi
Published : April 30, 2018
Abstract
A total number of 1042 flathead mullet Mugil cephalus were searched for
parasites during summer & autumn 2015 and winter & spring 2016. Six different
parasite taxa belonging to Microsporidia, Myxozoa, Ciliophora, Anisakidae and
Gnathostomatidae were identified. The total number of infested mullets along the
study period with one or more parasites was 396 representing a percentage of 38.0%.
Mullets were infested with Microsporum velveticum through ingesting the
intermediate host. This parasite was observed in the intestinal epithelia, adipose
tissue, liver, stomach epithelia, muscles and air bladder. Myxidium depressum was
observed in the liver and gall bladder of infested mullets in a plasmid stage that had
undergone sporogony forming multicellular myxospores. Trichodina murmanica was
observed on the gill surface, the operculum and respiratory epithelium where
superficial to deep ulcerative lesions were visible. Third Larval stages of Anisakis
simplex, Raphidascaris acus and Gnathostoma spinigerum were observed free in the
duodenum and ileim or encapsulated in the stomach epithelia, liver, and muscles.
The infra-community of protists was highest in winter and fall while for parasitic
nematodes was during spring and summer. Seasonal fluctuation of the parasite
community was demonstrated by using standard calculations.