| Affiliation: | 1.Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science,Masaryk University,Brno,Czech Republic;2.Department of Fish Ecology, Institute of Vertebrate Biology,Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic,Brno,Czech Republic;3.Laboratory of Animal Diversity and Systematics, Department of Biology,Katholieke Universiteit Leuven,Leuven,Belgium;4.Ichtyology Unit, African Zoology Department,Royal Museum for Central Africa,Tervuren,Belgium |
| Abstract: | An overview of Gyrodactylus infecting catfishes from the African continent is provided, including new data from Sudan, Senegal, Kenya and Mozambique. Haptoral sclerite morphometry and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences revealed the presence of eight Gyrodactylus species. On Senegalese Synodontis nigrita, Gyrodactylus synodonti n. sp. and Gyrodactylus nigritae n. sp. are described. These are the first reports of gyrodactylid parasites from mochokid hosts. From the fins of North African catfish Clarias gariepinus collected in Mozambique, Gyrodactylus alekosi n. sp. and Gyrodactylus rysavyi were identified. G. rysavyi was also reported from Kenyan C. gariepinus and Senegalese Clarias anguillaris. From the fins of C. anguillaris studied in Senegal, two more species, Gyrodactylus transvaalensis and Gyrodactylus gelnari n. sp. were recognised. In addition, Gyrodactylus turkanaensis n. sp. from the gills of Kenyan C. gariepinus was described and an undescribed Gyrodactylus sp. was recorded from Sudanese representatives of the same host. Detailed morphometrical and molecular comparisons of the species are presented and discussed. The study highlights the hitherto understudied diversity of viviparous monogenean parasites throughout Africa. |
