Co-existence of Dactylogyrus anchoratus Dujardin, 1845 and D. extensus Mueller & Van Cleave, 1932 (Monogenea), parasites of common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Abstract

Co-existence between potentially competing species, Dactylogyrus anchoratus and D. extensus parasitising common carp (Cyprinus carpio L) from the two localities in northern Turkey has been studied. The distribution of these two dactylogyrids on mirror and scaled varieties of common carp according to season and the sex of the host at two environmentally different sampling stations is presented. D. anchoratus was recorded with an infestation prevalence of 21.8% at Çobanlar (farm) and 34% at Bektaşağa (lake), whilst D. extensus, the dominant species, was recorded with infestation prevalences of 98.7% at Çobanlar (farm) and 85.1% at Bektaşağa (lake). A possible competitive exclusion by Dactylogyrus extensus over D. anchoratus was determined.