Document of bibliographic reference 396738

BibliographicReference record

Type

Bibliographic resource

Type of document

Journal article

BibLvlCode

AS

Title

A new species of Neoergasilus Yin 1956 (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Ergasilidae) parasitic on the catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) (Siluriformes: Clariidae) from South Africa

Abstract

Twenty-one specimens of an ergasilid were collected from the gills of the sharptooth catfsh, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell), from the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The frst leg and antennae morphol?ogy conformed to the genus Neoergasilus Yin, 1956. While the invasive Neoergasilus japonicus (Harada, 1930) is the only Neoergasilus species that has been reported from Africa, the combination of several characteristics, separates the Eastern Cape specimens from N. japonicus and the other eight Neoergasilus congeners. These include an infated cephalothorax; the presence of an oval dorsal ornamentation anterior to the cephalosome; a spine on the posterodistal mar?gin of the frst antennal segment; a cone-like process at the proximal margin of the second antennal seg?ment; a knob-like process on the inner distal margin of the frst exopodal segment of leg 1 and two forked spines on the third exopodal segment; leg 4 bearing a 2-segmented exopod and 3-segmented endopod; a single-segmented ffth leg with a seta extending from the base of the pedigerous somite and three unequal setae on its free segment; and a median caudal rami seta with an array of spines. Supporting genetic data were generated using two partial ribosomal RNA genes, 18S and 28S, and one partial mitochondrial DNA gene, COI. The Eastern Cape species is here proposed as new to science and described as Neoer?gasilus africanus n. sp. (Ergasilidae: Cyclopoida). This is the frst Neoergasilus species described from the sharptooth catfsh and from the southern hemi?sphere. Additionally, a key to all the species of this genus is provided.

Bibliographic citation

Fikiye, P.; Van As, L.L.; Truter, M.; Smit, N.J.; Hadfield, K.A. (2024). A new species of Neoergasilus Yin 1956 (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Ergasilidae) parasitic on the catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) (Siluriformes: Clariidae) from South Africa. Syst. Parasitol. 101(5). https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11230-024-10189-6

Topic

Fresh water

Is peer reviewed

true

Access rights

open access

Is accessible for free

true