Title: Monogeneans (Dactylogyridae) from the gills of African tetras (Characiformes: Alestidae) in Kenya and Zimbabwe
Abstract: The Alestidae, often called African characids (or tetras), is
the most speciose (with about 120 species) family of
characiform fishes in Africa. These fish hosts are known to
harbor monogeneans representing 3 genera of the Dactylogyridae,
namely Afrocleidodiscus Annulotrema and Characidotrema. Current
evidence based on morphological data suggests that species of
the two last genera have evolutionary relationships with
species parasitizing Neotropical characiform fishes, i.e. those
of Annulotrematoides and Jainus, respectively. During several
field campaigns (2005 – 2012) in Kenya, Senegal, Sudan and
Zimbabwe, a total of 15 species of the Alestidae have been
examined for monogeneans and more than 30 species (3 genera) of
the Dactylogyridae were found. Our current research deals with
the taxonomic evaluation of monogeneans collected in Turkana
Lake (Kenya) and Kariba Lake and Zambezi River (Zimbabwe).
Examination of the material from Kenya revealed the presence of
8 species of Annulotrema on the gills of 4 species (3 genera,
i.e. Alestes, Brycinus and Hydrocynus) of the Alestidae. Two
species, namely Annulotrema besalis and A. nili, represent
previously described taxa and other 6 species are probably new
for science. Investigation of monogeneans found on the gills of
2 alestid species (2 genera, i.e. Brycinus and Hydrocynus) from
Zimbabwe showed the presence of 6 species of Annulotrema and 1
species of Afrocleidodiscus. Morphological analysis of
sclerotized structures of the Annulotrema species found in the
two regions suggests that there are at least 3 groups within
the dactylogyrids parasitizing these fishes, with regard to the
basic structure of the male copulatory organ (MCO). The first
group includes 5 species; the second group contain 2 species;
the third group consists of 3 species. The shared characters
mentioned above may indicate a close relationship among the
respective Annulotrema spp.
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-05-27
Language: en
Type: article
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