ABSTRACT

The aim of this study carried out from December 2000-November 2001 was to determine the endoparasites of pike (Esox lucius L., 1758) inhabiting the Işikli Dam Lake. A total of 160 samples were caught and investigated parasitologically. Bathybothrium rectangulum (Cestoda), Raphidascaris acus, Camallanus truncatus (Nematoda) and Neoechinorhynchus rutili (Acanthocephala) were detected as a result of this study. R. acus was the most prevalent species. The highest seasonal infection in the pike samples was determined to be 84.2% in the spring. The rates of infection are 40.4% in male pikes and 65.1% in females. According to age groups, the highest infection ratio has been determined to be 85.7% in pikes that were one year old. Investigations on samples caught during the same month and of the same age and gender showed that infected pikes were 2.5% shorter and 7.6% lighter than non-infected pikes. Among the parasites determined in this study, Bathybothrium rectangulum was detected for the first time in Turkish pike.