Afrogyrodactylus Paperna, 1968 (Gyrodactylidae: Monogenea) parasites of alestid fishes
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| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Until recently, taxonomical status of Afrogyrodactylus Paperna, 1968 has been unclear. During parasitological surveys of freshwater fishes in several African countries, parasites of this genus have been recorded on alestid fish only. In 2004, one specimens of Afrogyrodactylus was recorded on the fin of nurse tetra, Brycinus nurse (Ruppell, 1832) in Niokolo Koba National Park, Eastern Senegal and in 2010, many of them were collected from the fins of the same host collected from Nile River in Sudan. In March 2012, during an addditional sampling in South Africa, has discovered these parasites on the gill arches of the silver robber, Micralestes acuditens (Peters, 1853) in the Nwanedi River, Limpopo Province. Parasites of the genus Afrogyrodactylus are small viviparous gyrodactylids which can be easily identified based on the typical morphological character of the haptoral sclerites, simple ventral bar without membrane without any lateral processes and hamuli with well developped inner processes - root. Additional particular characteristic is the tubularly shaped male copulatory organ with a spinous reinforcement and with the internal duct opening into the parasite s body surface. Morphometrical and molecular analyses confirmed finding of two undescribed species, Afrogyrodactylus sp. 1 from B. nurse and Afrogyrodactylus sp. 2 from M. acuditens. |
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