Study of the Endoparasites for the Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Fish from Mosul Dam Lake in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq.

The study highlights the importance of common carp in the Tigris River, especially in Mosul Dam, and the internal parasites that infect it. The study of 70 samples of common carp from Mosul Dam Lake, Nineveh governorate, aims to examine the prevalence of internal carp parasites in Mosul Dam Lake, Iraq. The study was conducted in 2023, and fish samples were collected between April and September. The fish were immediately transferred to the research laboratory within the Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Duhok. Each sample was carefully dissected to determine the presence of internal parasites in various internal organs, including the body cavity, urinary bladder, intestine, stomach, kidney, liver, and muscles. All collected parasite samples were carefully identified and fixed in 70% hot ethanol for further analysis. The infection rate in this study was 31% (22/70). Four types of internal parasites, a kind of protozoan, and three types of tapeworms were identified: Balantidium polyvacuolum (21%), Schyzocotyle acheilognathi (4.2%), Khawia armeniaca (5.7%), and Khawia sinensis (1.4%). The study emphasizes the critical importance of monitoring fish parasites, enhancing aquaculture efficiency and their care, and preventing the discharge of pollutants into the water, noting that parasitic infections did not show any noticeable pathological effects or changes in the infected fish.