The First Record of Two Monogeneans: Dactylogyrus dogieli Gussev, 1953 and Octomacrum europaeum Roman Bykhovskii, 1956 from Fishes of Iraq

During the period from July 2006 till the end of June 2007, a total of 471 fish specimens belonging to 24 species from the Euphrates River at Al-Musaib city were inspected for parasites. Among the 65 parasite species recorded from these fishes, two monogeneans were recorded for the first time in Iraq. These were: Dactylogyrus dogieli Gussev, 1953 from five fish species (Carassobarbus luteus, Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi, Alburnus sellal, Cyprinion kais and Ctenopharyngodon idella) and Octomacrum europaeum Roman Bykhovskii, 1956 from three fish species (C. kais, C. macrostomum and Garra rufa). Full description, measurements and illustrations of both monogenean species are given,in addition to the deposition of slides of these two parasites in the Iraq Natural History Research Center and Museum, University of Baghdad. With these two records, the total number of valid Dactylogyrus species from freshwater fishes of Iraq reached 77 and the total number of monogeneans of freshwater fishes of Iraq reached 144 species.