Parasites of pelagic fishes in Lake Tanganyika: a marine phenomenon in a freshwater lake
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| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Lake Tanganyika, the biggest freshwater ecosystem in Africa, is famous for its species richness. While the global diversity of parasites is assumed to be impressive, only some parasite species have been described in the lake to date including 28 mostly specialist monogenean species, mainly from the littoral. But have monogeneans also specialised to the hosts inhabiting the pelagic zone? We examined 14 pelagic fish species including cichlids, clupeids and latids. Samples originated from localities including all three subbasins of the lake. Parasites were analysed using morpholometric, geomorphometric, phylogeographic and phylogenetic approaches. The analyses revealed a lower monogenean host specificity (compared to the littoral) in all examined fish families. Reported parasite species belong to two families (Dactylogyridae, Diplectanidae). The results correspond with previous studies performed in marine systems suggesting a broader parasite host range in the pelagic habitat. They also indicate some typically marine parasites adapted to freshwater environments. |
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