Gill ectoparasites of goldfish ( Carassius auratus, pearl scale variety) imported into Iran

Over a ten-month period, the gills of one-hundred imported pearlscale goldfish (Carassius auratus) were examined for ectoparasites, before released from quarantine in Iran. Of the nine species of ectoparasites isolated in this study, six were monogeneans (Dactylogyrus vastator, D. baueri, D. formosus, Dactylogyrus sp., Gyrodactylus chinensis and Gyrodactylus. sp.) and three were protistans (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Trichodina sp. and Cryptobia sp.).The isolated parasites were fixed and stained by appropriate methods. The fish were imported from south-Asia. The highest and the lowest levels of parasitism were from D. baueri and I. multifiliis respectively. Though shipments came from up to three exporting regions, all shipments were found to have high prevalence and intensity of parasites. It is suggested that exact quarantine is not performed before retail selling for imported fish. We recommend that before transporting internationally, fish should be examined for high risk parasites and other pathogens to prevent the spread of disease and parasites.