Infectious Parasites in Coral Reef Fish and Their Potential Use for Habitat Quality Assessment in Jordan’s Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

Incidents of parasitic infections of coastal (0–40m deep) fish species were investigated to assess ecosystem health and stability along Jordan’s Gulf of Aqaba (GoA). The aim was to compare sites of probable anthropogenic impacts using the extent of infections and species richness indices. A total of 828 fish belonging to 60 species were collected and examined from 7 sites. Fish were brought to laboratory and examined for skin and gill lesions and/or parasites. Fish necropsy was undertaken to assess organ-specific parasitic infections. The infection prevalence (IV) of 8 disease agents pooled from all sites was Psuedodactylogyrus sp., Dactylogyrus sp., Copepod (Gnathia sp.), Ergasilus sp., Maxillopoda, Nematodes (Anisakis sp), Isopods and Platy helminthes. The highest IV was reported in fish gills by Flukes (helminthes), and Isopods and monogeneans were recorded in 88% of the examined fish. However, the highest % of infection was the copepods, Ergasilus sp. and Psuedodactylogyrus sp., while the lowest % was the helminthes (fish flukes). The gut parasites pseudodactylogyrus sp. and dactelogyrus sp. prevailed highest in fish collected at northern sits of GoA. These together with one nematode dominated sites of increasing urban activities. By comparing species richness indices of heteroxenous vs. monoxenous parasites in some fish, results suggest increased incidents of monoxenous parasite in fish collected at areas likely impacted by human activities along the coast.