The bony fishes are an important food resource for the humans that is why the recognition of their diseases and pathogens is important. The helminth parasites are one of the most common parasites in fish, creating problems for some of them. The bony fish hosted by seven out of 19 orders of tapeworms with more than 460 species. The aim of this study was to investigate the morphological and molecular characteristics of tapeworms from freshwater fishes from the Gawshan reservoir, South of Kurdistan province. A total of 30 fish specimens belonging to three species including Capoeta damascina, Capoeta trutta and Squalius cephalus were collected from Gawshan reservoir from August 2018 to September 2019. The specimens were identified using morphological and molecular data and scanning electron microscopy. The obtained specimens were from two orders, Caryophyllidea and Bothriocephalidea. The carophyllidean specimens were isolated from the intestine of C. damascina, C. trutta, and S. cephalus, and the bothriocephalidean from the intestines of S. cephalus. They were morphologically correspond with Khawia armeniaca in characters such as ovary shape, scolex morphology and vitelline follicles distribution and Schyzocotyle sp. The phylogenetic analysis with cox1 and 18S rDNA approved the morphological data. Capoeta damascina had the highest prevalence of infection (77%) and C. trutta with lowest (11%). The current study was the first parasitological investigation on the fish of Gawshan reservoir.
