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An overview of the Gyrodactylus (Monogenea: Gyrodactylidae) species parasitizing African catfishes, and their morphological and molecular diversity

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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.

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Acknowledgements

Collection of material was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (Ichthyoparasitology Research Centre—Project no. LC522). The sampling in Kenya was supported by KMRI (Kenyan Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Lake Turkana Station, Kalokol), namely by Dr. John Malala and David Lotuliakou. The sampling in Sudan was organised with the help of Prof. Zuheir N. Mahmoud, Faculty of Science, University of Khartoum. I.P. received financial support from the research project of Masaryk University (MSM 0021622416) and from the grant P505/11/P470 from the Grant Agency of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Dr. Tine Huyse and Prof. Filip Volckaert (K.U.Leuven) are acknowledged for useful suggestions and for hosting and scientifically supporting the phylogenetic analyses. M.P.M.V. is recipient of a Ph.D. fellowship of the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen).

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  1. Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 61137, Brno, Czech Republic

    Iva Přikrylová & Radim Blažek

  2. Department of Fish Ecology, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic

    Radim Blažek

  3. Laboratory of Animal Diversity and Systematics, Department of Biology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Charles Deberiotstraat 32, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Maarten P. M. Vanhove

  4. Ichtyology Unit, African Zoology Department, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, 3080, Tervuren, Belgium

    Maarten P. M. Vanhove

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  1. Iva Přikrylová
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Correspondence to Iva Přikrylová.

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Přikrylová, I., Blažek, R. & Vanhove, M.P.M. An overview of the Gyrodactylus (Monogenea: Gyrodactylidae) species parasitizing African catfishes, and their morphological and molecular diversity. Parasitol Res 110, 1185–1200 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2612-0

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