African gyrodactylid monogeneans in phylogenetic and morphological focus
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| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Representatives of different genera of Gyrodactylidae infect a wide range of hosts from diverse aquatic environments. Recently undertaken parasitological surveys of the monogean fauna of fishes in several countries throughout Africa demonstrate a high morphological diversity and species richness. The aim of this study was to investigate the phylogenetic relationships between gyrodactylid monogeneans of African freshwater fishes and other representatives of Gyrodactylidae, including a wide range of species/genera from both freshwater and marine systems. The phylogenetic analyses, based on SSU and ITS rDNA sequences, point to a polyphyletic origin of African Gyrodactylus. Interestingly, African Gyrodactylus spp. make up two well-supported clades possibly indicating speciation within host orders: 1) parasites of cichlids (Cichlidae); 2) parasites of catfishes (Siluriformes), consisting of a lineage infecting mochokids and one infecting clariids. Macrogyrodactylus spp. firmly cluster into a monophyletic group. The phylogenetic position of Diplogyrodactylus and Afrogyrodactylus were not well resolved. We found that Swingleus and Fundulotrema form a clade with Gyrodactylus species belonging to the G. wageneri-group. |
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