BIODIVERSITY AND STRUCTURE OF THE HELMINTH COMMUNITIES OF CARASSIUS GIBELIO (BLOCH, 1782) FROM THE TUNDZHA RIVER, BULGARIA.

In 2021, ecologoparasitological research was done based on the helminths and helminth communities of Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782)) from the freshwater ecosystem of the Tundzha River, Aegean Water Basin. As a result of the examined twenty-one specimens of Prussian carp, three taxa of helminths were found: Nicolla skrjabini (Iwanitzky, 1928) Dollfus, 1960; Pomphorhynchus laevis (Müller, 1776) Porta, 1908; Contracaecum sp. The dominant structure of the helminth communities was determined. N. skrjabini is a core species for helminth communities of C. gibelio (P% = 23.81). New data on the helminth communities of the Prussian carp from the studied area of the freshwater ecosystem are presented. The basic ecological indices of the helminth populations and communities were determined. The bioindication role of the established helminth species as well as an assessment of the ecological status of the studied biocenoses was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]