Maria Lujza Kičinjaová

The phylogenetic position of the enigmatic Balkan Aulopyge huegelii (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the perspective of host-specific Dactylogyrus parasites (Monogenea), with a description of Dactylogyrus omenti n. sp.

BackgroundThe host specificity of fish parasites is considered a useful parasite characteristic with respect to understanding the biogeography of their fish hosts. Dactylogyrus Diesing, 1850 (Monogenea) includes common parasites of cyprinids exhibiting different degrees of host specificity, i.e. from strict specialism to generalism. The phylogenetic relationships and historical dispersions of several cyprinid lineages, including Aulopyge huegelii Heckel, 1843, are still unclear. Therefore, the aims of our study were to investigate (i) the Dactylogyrus spp. parasites of A. huegelii, and (ii) the phylogenetic relationships of Dactylogyrus spp. parasitizing A. huegelii as a possible tool for understanding the phylogenetic position of this fish species within the Cyprininae lineage.ResultsTwo species of Dactylogyrus, D. vastator Nybelin, 1924 and D. omenti n. sp., were collected from 14 specimens of A. huegelii from the Šujica River (Bosnia and Herzegovina). While D. vastator is a typical species parasitizing Carassius spp. and Cyprinus carpio L, D. omenti n. sp. is, according to phylogenetic reconstruction, closely related to Dactylogyrus species infecting European species of Barbus and Luciobarbus. The genetic distance revealed that the sequence for D. vastator from A. huegelii is identical with that for D. vastator from Barbus plebejus Bonaparte, 1839 (Italy) and Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782) (Croatia). Dactylogyrus omenti n. sp. was described as a species new to science.ConclusionsOur findings support the phylogenetic position of A. huegelii within the Cyprininae lineage and suggest that A. huegelii is phylogenetically closely related to Barbus and Luciobarbus species. The morphological similarity between D. omenti n. sp. and Dactylogyrus species of Middle Eastern Barbus suggests historical contact between cyprinid species recently living in allopatry and the possible diversification of A. huegelii from a common ancestor in this area. On other hand, the genetic similarity between D. vastator ex A. huegelii and D. vastator ex C. gibelio collected in Balkan Peninsula suggests that A. huegelii was secondarily parasitized by D. vastator, originating from C. gibelio after introduction of this fish species from Asia to Europe.

Annulotrema (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) from the gills of African tetras (Characiformes: Alestidae) in Lake Turkana, Kenya, with descriptions of four new species and a redescription of A. elongata Paperna and Thurston, 1969.

Four new and four previously described species of Annulotrema were collected from the gills of four species (three genera, i.e. Alestes, Hydrocynus and Brycinus) of African tetras from Lake Turkana, Kenya: Annulotrema alestesnursi Paperna, 1973 from Brycinus nurse; Annulotrema ansatum n. sp., Annulotrema besalis Řehulková, Musilová and Gelnar, 2014, Annulotrema bipatens n. sp., Annulotrema cucullatum n. sp., Annulotrema nili Paperna, 1973, and Annulotrema pontile n. sp. from Hydrocynus forskahlii; and Annulotrema elongata Paperna and Thurston, 1969 from Alestes baremoze and Alestes dentex. A. elongata is re-described on the basis of new material from A. baremoze. The sclerotized structures of the haptor and male copulatory organ of A. alestesnursi and A. elongata are illustrated from their type material. H. forskahlii is a new host record for A. besalis. The findings of A. besalis and A. elongata in Kenya represent a new locality records for these helminths. Three Annulotrema spp., namely A. besalis, A. elongata and A. pontile n. sp., share the same type of male copulatory organ, which may indicate a close relationship among these species.