Infection in a Native Leuciscid Hybrid ( x ) in The Kürtün Dam Lake, Northeast Anatolia.

Taxonomic evaluations are needed to accurately determine the host selection of fish parasites. The present study is a multidisciplinary research in the field of basic and fish diseases sciences. The description of the hybrid species of and and infection of in these hybrid fish were reported for the first time from the Kürtün Dam Lake in northeast Turkey. A total of 450 fish were sampled in March, August, and October in 2020 using gillnets. Detailed morphological characteristics (n = 24) were compared to determine the difference among ancestors and hybrid species. The prevalence of between the sampling periods and the size groups of fish (0 - 10, 11 - 15, and ≥16 cm in length) were examined. Moreover, the highest prevalence of the parasite was observed in October (78.94 %), with a size range of 0 - 10 cm in length (77.8 %). In addition, the total prevalence of the parasite was 48.44 %. The results revealed that most of the diagnostic metric and meristic features of hybrid fish were ranging between the data of and . According to previous reports, when hybrid individuals were compared with their ancestors in terms of prevalence, hybrid individuals were more susceptible to infections. This study was unique as it provided the first record of in a hybrid fish population.