MOLECULAR STUDIES AND SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE OF Pomphorhynchus laevis (ACANTHOCEPHALA: POMPHORHYNCHIDAE) FROM CYPRINID FISHES IN SULAIMANI GOVERNORATE

A total of 100 fishes (65 of Squalius lepidus and 35 of Carasobarbus luteus) have been collected in Sirwan River in Sulaimani city, Kurdistan region-Iraq. Light and scanning electron microscopy, as well as the sequencing and analysis of (18S rDNA), were used to describe Pomphorhynchus laevis in this study. Molecular analyses results indicate that the PCR product of Pomphorhynchus laevis was 528 bp recorded lowest genetic distance with P. laevis (AY218124.1, AY423346.1 and KF559309.1), P. kashmirensis (MZ381411.1, MZ381412.1 and MZ381413.1) and P. tereticollis (AY423347.1) is 0.000, recorded highest genetic distance with Echinorhynchus gymnocyprii (MT162047.1 and MT162051.1) is 0.017. Our phylogenetic analyses showed that taxonomic position of the species P. laevis is closely related with P. kashmirensis (MZ381411.1, MZ381412.1 and MZ381413.1) and P. laevis (AY218124.1, AY423346.1, KF559309.1 and JX014223.1) and P. tereticollis (AY423347.1) in the phylogenetic trees. The P. laevis identified in our study has the same morphological characteristics as the P. laevis which was found for the first time in Iraq.