Update of parasitofauna of fishes in the middle Zambezi River and Lake Kariba
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| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | In an on-going study to update the parasitofauna of Lake Kariba and the Zambezi River which started in February 2011, 22 fish species belonging to 10 families were sampled and examined for internal and external parasites. Thirty three parasite groups have so far been isolated from the fishes, of which 27 have been idnetified at leas to genus level. Of these nine new monogeneans belonging to the genus Gyrodcatylus have been identified on six host species and we are currently working on their specific taxonomy. The African catfish Clarias gariepinus hosts the greatest diversity of parasites (17 species), followed by the squeaker Synodontis zambezensis (5) and the tigerfish Hydrocinus vittatus (4). Could this be an indicator tha carnivorous fish are more susceptible to parasitism as a result of trophic transmission? This remians unaswered as more data are being gathered. The possible role of introduces species such as the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus and the exotic smail Melanoides tuberculata in the transmission of novle parasites to the Zambezi fishes is also being investigated. Current data sugget that the Monogenea (14 species) is the most specious group, and these have a direct life cycle where parasites actually „jump“ from one fish to the next. Impacts of global environmental change are also hypothesized to affect the distribution of parasites and their host fishes in the middle Zambezi and this study will hopefully provide information that will be vital in unravelling this mystery. |
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