Diversity of oviparous monogeneans (Dactylogyridae) parasitising African tetras (Characiformes: Alestidae)
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| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | The order Characiformes is one of the largest and most diverse components of the Neotropical and African ichthyofaunas. African freshwaters harbour more than 200 characiform species currently arrayed in 4 families, from which the Alestidae (“African tetras”) is the most speciose (with about 120 species). African tetras are known to be parasitized by monogenean platyhelminths representing 3 genera: Annulotrema (44 species), Characidotrema (10 species) and Afrocleidodiscus (1 species). Current evidence based on morphological data suggests that species of the two former genera have evolutionary relationships with species from Neotropical characiform fishes. The results of a systematic survey of monogeneans collected from the gills of 4 species (3 genera, i.e. Alestes, Hydrocynus and Brycinus) of African tetras (Characiformes: Alestidae) from the Turkana Lake, Kenya, are presented in the topic which will be submitted in 2014: • Maria Lujza Kičinjaová, Eva Řehulková & Milan Gelnar. Dactylogyrids (Platyhelminthes: Monogenea) from the gills of four species of African tetras (Characiformes: Alestidae) from Turkana lake, Kenya, with description of four new species of Annulotrema. Four of the species found by us represent previously described species: Annulotrema alestesnursi Paperna, 1973, A. besalis Řehulková, Musilová and Gelnar, 2014, A. elongata Paperna and Thurston, 1969 and A. nili Paperna, 1973. Four species of Annulotrema are new for science. Four Annulotrema spp.: A. besalis Řehulková, Musilová and Gelnar, 2014, A. elongata Paperna and Thurston, 1969 and two new species of Annulotrema share the same type of haptoral configuration and male copulatory organ, which may indicate a close relationship among these species. Our current research dealing with the taxonomic evaluation of monogeneans collected from alestids (Hydrocynus and Brycinus) from Kariba Lake and Zambezi River in Zimbabwe revealed the presence of 6 species of Annulotrema and 1 species of Afrocleidodiscus. Three of the parasite species are probably new for science. Morphological analysis of sclerotized structures of Annulotrema spp. collected by us from Kenya and Zimbabwe 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). We have parasitological material in 96% ethanol from two species of Alestids: Hydrocynus forskahlii from Kenya (2008) and Brycinus imberi from Zimbabwe ( 2012). This material was processed for species determination (Hoyer´s medium) and DNA isolation. Samples are now prepare for PCR. We participated in the collection of monogenean material from Alestids in field campaign in Sudan (31. 10. – 20. 11. 2014) . |
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