Morphological and molecular characterization of Solostamenides mugilis (Vogt, 1879) (Monogenea: Microcotylidae) parasitizing long spine Scraper Fish, Capoeta trutta

This study aimed to investigate the morphometric and molecular characterizations of Solostamenides Mugilis in Capoeta trutta in Iraq. Capoeta trutta was captured from Lesser Zab River, Erbil Province, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The specimens were studied morphologically with a dissecting microscope, with fixation in 5% formaldehyde. For molecular analysis specimens were preserved in absolute ethanol. Following DNA extraction, the region of 28S rRNA was amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and the order of the nucleotides was determined by the genetic analyzer. Morphological properties, as well as DNA analyses of collected specimens, showed that the collected specimens belong to Microcotylidae, namely Solostamenides mugilis, with the prevalence of infection and mean intensity (9.37% and 4.1) respectively. During this examination, the monogenetic species S. mugilis was documented on the cyprinid fish (Capoeta trutta) as the first occurrence in Iraq. Therefore, C. trutta is regarded as a new host for this genus within the Cyprinid family.