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Volume 15
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10.3390/d15090965
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Article

Integrative Morphological and Genetic Characterisation of the Fish Parasitic Copepod Ergasilus mirabilis Oldewage & van As, 1987: Insights into Host Specificity and Distribution in Southern Africa

by
Precious P. Fikiye
1,
Nico J. Smit
1,2,
Liesl L. Van As
3,
Marliese Truter
1,2 and
Kerry A. Hadfield
1,*
1
Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
2
South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Private Bag 1015, Makhanda 6140, South Africa
3
Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Diversity 2023, 15(9), 965; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090965
Submission received: 21 July 2023 / Revised: 18 August 2023 / Accepted: 19 August 2023 / Published: 26 August 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Taxonomy and Systematics of Fish Parasites)
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Abstract

Ergasilids are external parasites typically found on the gills and fins of their hosts. In Africa, 19 species of Ergasilus von Nordmann, 1832 are reported. Of those, Ergasilus mirabilis Oldewage & van As, 1987 is one of the least host-specific, with a wide distribution range in southern Africa. As with most species in the genus, genetic data are not available to support the morphological placement of this species within the genus. Specimens representing E. mirabilis were obtained from the gills of Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) collected from several localities in South Africa and Zambia. Fish were dissected and gills screened using standard techniques. Following a comprehensive morphological study using light and scanning electron microscopy, additional morphological characters are reported. Furthermore, novel data on partial 18S, 28S (rRNA), and COI (mtDNA) gene regions are presented. This is the first integrative study on the morphology of E. mirabilis with supporting genetic data, as well as new distribution records from the KuShokwe Pan in the Phongolo River floodplain and the Vaal River in South Africa, and from the Barotse floodplain in Zambezi River, Zambia. An updated overview is provided for the species of Ergasilus from Africa, including hosts, distribution, and genetic information.
Keywords: freshwater biodiversity; integrative taxonomy; parasitic copepod; sharptooth catfish; Vaal River; Zambezi River freshwater biodiversity; integrative taxonomy; parasitic copepod; sharptooth catfish; Vaal River; Zambezi River

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MDPI and ACS Style

Fikiye, P.P.; Smit, N.J.; Van As, L.L.; Truter, M.; Hadfield, K.A. Integrative Morphological and Genetic Characterisation of the Fish Parasitic Copepod Ergasilus mirabilis Oldewage & van As, 1987: Insights into Host Specificity and Distribution in Southern Africa. Diversity 2023, 15, 965. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090965

AMA Style

Fikiye PP, Smit NJ, Van As LL, Truter M, Hadfield KA. Integrative Morphological and Genetic Characterisation of the Fish Parasitic Copepod Ergasilus mirabilis Oldewage & van As, 1987: Insights into Host Specificity and Distribution in Southern Africa. Diversity. 2023; 15(9):965. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090965

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fikiye, Precious P., Nico J. Smit, Liesl L. Van As, Marliese Truter, and Kerry A. Hadfield. 2023. "Integrative Morphological and Genetic Characterisation of the Fish Parasitic Copepod Ergasilus mirabilis Oldewage & van As, 1987: Insights into Host Specificity and Distribution in Southern Africa" Diversity 15, no. 9: 965. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090965

APA Style

Fikiye, P. P., Smit, N. J., Van As, L. L., Truter, M., & Hadfield, K. A. (2023). Integrative Morphological and Genetic Characterisation of the Fish Parasitic Copepod Ergasilus mirabilis Oldewage & van As, 1987: Insights into Host Specificity and Distribution in Southern Africa. Diversity, 15(9), 965. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090965

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