ABSTRACT
A new species, Paradiplozoon ichthyoxanthon (Monogenea: Diplozoidae) is described from the gills of Labeobarbus aeneus (Cyprinidae) in the Vaal Dam and Vaal River Barrage in the Vaal River, South Africa. This species is the first in this genus from southern Africa; Paradiplozoon aegtyptense and Paradiplozoon ghanense have been described from northern Africa. The new species differs from all other Paradiplozoon species on the basis of the combination of morphological characteristics, namely disk-like haptor, eggs without filaments, clamp and central hook morphology and size of specimens. The species description is accompanied by a description of the reproductive organs. The internal transcribed spacer of the ribosomal gene (ITS2) was studied and the South African individuals formed a distinct clade, supporting the establishment of a new species.
Subject(s)
Cyprinidae/parasitology , Platyhelminths/classification , Platyhelminths/isolation & purification , Animals , Cluster Analysis , DNA, Helminth/chemistry , DNA, Helminth/genetics , DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/chemistry , DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/genetics , Gills/parasitology , Microscopy , Molecular Sequence Data , Phylogeny , Platyhelminths/anatomy & histology , Rivers , Sequence Analysis, DNA , South AfricaABSTRACT
Neodiplozoon polycotyleus Paperna, 1973 is recorded from Barbus marequensis Smith, 1841, Barbus neefi Greenwood, 1862, and Barbus trimaculatus Peters, 1852 in the Limpopo River System, Northern Province, South Africa.
Subject(s)
Cyprinidae/parasitology , Fish Diseases/parasitology , Platyhelminths/isolation & purification , Trematode Infections/veterinary , Animals , Fish Diseases/epidemiology , Host-Parasite Interactions , Platyhelminths/anatomy & histology , Platyhelminths/classification , Prevalence , South Africa/epidemiology , Trematode Infections/epidemiology , Trematode Infections/parasitologyABSTRACT
Three different species of the genus Macrogyrodactylus Malmberg, 1957, collected from the gills and skin of Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) from the Middle Letaba Dam and Mokgoma-Matlala Dam in South Africa were examined and identified. This is the first record of a species of the genus in South Africa. The three species are M. congolensis (Prudhoe, 1957)--found on the skin, M. clarii Gussev, 1961 and M. karibae Douellou & Chishawa, 1995--found on the gills. The last species is elevated to the status of a species having been described previously as a subspecies of M. congolensis. The present study presents and discusses the value of some of the taxonomic characters which can be used to differentiate the species of the genus. The shape and size of the sclerites of the haptor are found to be the most reliable characters. Only four species of the genus, namely M. polypteri and the three above-named species are regarded to be valid. Three species, namely M. latesi Paperna, 1969, M. anabantii Paperna, 1973 and M. ctenopomii Paperna, 1973 are regarded as species inquirenda. Generic diagnoses, measurements and illustrations of the sclerites of the four valid species are presented and a key for their differentiation is provided. The development of the gyrodactylid population on C. gariepinus during the filling of the Middle Letaba Dam in South Africa is discussed.
