FIRST REPORT OF Neoechinorhynchus rutili IN Cobitis faridpaki (Cobitidae) FROM THE SOUTHERN CASPIAN SEA BASIN

Sa？etak Members of the Cobitidae family are not economically important, thus few studies have been made on their parasitology and there is not a single report on their parasites in Iran. In the present study, a total of 225 individuals of Cobitis faridpaki were collected from the Babolrud River around the southeast of the Caspian Sea basin (Mazandaran province, north of Iran) on 12 separate occasions between May 2009 and April 2010. After recording biometric characteristics, common necropsy and parasitology methods were used. In this study, a total of 193 individuals of an acanthocephalan parasite, Neoechinorhynchus rutili were found in C. faridpaki. The prevalence, mean intensity of infection ± standard deviation (SD), range and mean abundance ± SD of the parasite are as follows, respectively: 63.11, 1.36±0.61, 1-4 and 0.86±0.82. The prevalence, mean intensity of infection and abundance of N. rutili were significantly different in various age classes, but it was not the case for different seasons and the sexes. The occurrence of N. rutili is reported for the first time from C. faridpaki in Iran