Owing to the largely unexplored diversity of metazoan parasites, their speciation mechanisms and the circumstances under which such speciation occurs - in allopatry or sympatry - remain vastly understudied. Cichlids and their monogenean flatworm parasites have previously served as a study system for macroevolutionary processes, e.g., for the role of East African host radiations on parasite communities. Here, we investigate the diversity and evolution of the poorly explored monogeneans infecting a West and Central African lineage of cichlid fishes: Chromidotilapiini, which is the most species-rich tribe of cichlids in this region. We screened gills of 149 host specimens (27 species) from natural history collections and measured systematically informative characters of the sclerotised attachment and reproductive organs of the parasites. Ten monogenean species (Dactylogyridae: Cichlidogyrus and Onchobdella) were found, eight of which are newly described and one redescribed herein. The phylogenetic positions of chromidotilapiines-infecting species of Cichlidogyrus were inferred through a parsimony analysis of the morphological characters. Furthermore, we employed machine learning algorithms to detect morphological features associated with the main lineages of Cichlidogyrus. Although the results of these experimental algorithms remain inconclusive, the parsimony analysis indicates that West and Central African lineages of Cichlidogyrus and Onchobdella are monophyletic, unlike the paraphyletic host lineages. Several instances of host sharing suggest occurrences of intra-host speciation (sympatry) and host switching (allopatry). Some morphological variation was recorded that may also indicate the presence of species complexes. We conclude that collection material can provide important insights on parasite evolution despite the lack of well-preserved DNA material.

TITLE: À l’Ouest, rien de nouveau ? L’histoire évolutive des monogènes (Dactylogyridae : Cichlidogyrus, Onchobdella) infectant une tribu de poissons cichlidés (Chromidotilapiini) d’Afrique occidentale et centrale. ABSTRACT: En raison de la nature largement inexplorée de la diversité des parasites métazoaires, leurs mécanismes de spéciation et les circonstances dans lesquelles cette spéciation se produit—allopatrie ou sympatrie—restent très peu étudiés. Les cichlidés et leurs parasites Plathelminthes monogènes ont déjà servi de modèle pour l’étude des processus macro-évolutifs, par exemple pour le rôle des radiations d’hôtes de l’Afrique de l’Est sur les communautés de parasites. Ici, nous étudions la diversité et l’évolution des monogènes peu étudiées qui infestent une lignée de poissons cichlidés d’Afrique occidentale et centrale : les Chromidotilapiini, qui est la tribu de cichlidés la plus riche en espèces dans cette région. Nous avons examiné les branchies de 149 spécimens hôtes (27 espèces) provenant de musées d’histoire naturelle et mesuré systématiquement les caractères informatifs des pièces sclérifiées du hapteur et des organes copulateurs des parasites. Dix espèces de monogènes (Dactylogyridae : Cichlidogyrus et Onchobdella) ont été trouvées ; huit sont nouvelles pour la science et une est redécrite. Les positions phylogénétiques des espèces de Cichlidogyrus infectant les chromidotilapiines ont été déduites par une analyse de parcimonie des caractères morphologiques. En outre, nous avons utilisé des algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique pour détecter les caractéristiques morphologiques associées aux principales lignées de Cichlidogyrus. Bien que les résultats de ces algorithmes expérimentaux restent peu concluants, l’analyse de parcimonie indique que les lignées de Cichlidogyrus et d’Onchobdella de l’Afrique de l’Ouest et Central sont monophylétiques, contrairement aux lignées d’hôtes qui sont paraphylétiques. Plusieurs cas de partage d’hôtes suggèrent des occurrences de spéciation synxénique (sympatrie) et de changement d’hôte (allopatrie). Certaines variations morphologiques ont été enregistrées et peuvent également indiquer la présence de complexes d’espèces. Nous concluons donc que le matériel de collection peut fournir des informations importantes sur l’évolution des parasites malgré le manque d'ADN exploitable.

• Klíčová slova
• Allopatric speciation, Host-parasite evolution, Machine learning, Maximum parsimony, Sympatric speciation,
• MeSH
• cichlidy * parazitologie   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• paraziti * MeSH
• ploštěnci * genetika   MeSH
• Trematoda * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Ergasilus (von Nordmann, 1832) (Ergasilidae) is a species-rich group of parasitic copepods with a wide distribution in freshwater, marine and brackish environments. Up to now, 9 species of Ergasilus are known from cichlid fishes in Africa. In this study, 5 species, including 3 new, were collected from the gills of 12 cichlid species (11 genera: Bathybates, Ctenochromis, Eretmodus, Gnathochromis, Lamprologus, Neolamprologus, Ophthalmotilapia, Perissodus, Simochromis, Spathodus and Tanganicodus) of the northeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika in Burundi, namely E. macrodactylus (Sars, 1909), E. megacheir (Sars, 1909), E. caparti n. sp., E. parasarsi n. sp. and E. parvus n. sp. All species found were identified and described on the basis of adult female specimens using an integrative taxonomy approach mixing morphological characterization and molecular analyses of 2 ribosomal DNA markers (partial 18S and 28S rDNA sequences). An identification key for Ergasilus species from Lake Tanganyika is included. This study provides the first molecular data for Ergasilus species in Africa. The phylogenetic analyses suggest that the Ergasilus species parasitizing Lake Tanganyikan cichlids form a well-supported clade within the Ergasilidae. However, their phylogenetic relationships with other congeners still remain unclear due to a lack of molecular data for this diverse genus.

• Klíčová slova
• Africa, Tanganyika, cichlids, diversity, parasitic crustaceans,
• MeSH
• cichlidy * genetika   parazitologie   MeSH
• Copepoda * genetika   MeSH
• druhová specificita MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• jezera MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Tanzanie MeSH

Little phylogeographic structure is presumed for highly mobile species in pelagic zones. Lake Tanganyika is a unique ecosystem with a speciose and largely endemic fauna famous for its remarkable evolutionary history. In bathybatine cichlid fishes, the pattern of lake-wide population differentiation differs among species. We assessed the congruence between the phylogeographic structure of bathybatine cichlids and their parasitic flatworm Cichlidogyrus casuarinus to test the magnifying glass hypothesis. Additionally, we evaluated the use of a PoolSeq approach to study intraspecific variation in dactylogyrid monogeneans. The lake-wide population structure of C. casuarinus ex Hemibates stenosoma was assessed based on a portion of the cox1 gene combined with morphological characterisation. Additionally, intraspecific mitogenomic variation among 80 parasite samples from one spatially constrained metapopulation was assessed using shotgun NGS. While no clear geographic genetic structure was detected in parasites, both geographic and host-related phenotypic variation was apparent. The incongruence with the genetic north-south gradient observed in H. stenosoma may be explained by the broad host range of this flatworm including eupelagic bathybatine host species that form panmictic populations across the lake. In addition, we present the first parasite mitogenome from Lake Tanganyika and propose a methodological framework for studying the intraspecific mitogenomic variation of dactylogyrid monogeneans.

• Klíčová slova
• Bathybatini, Cichlidogyrus, PoolSeq, cox1, monogenea,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: Lake Tanganyika is considered a biodiversity hotspot with exceptional species richness and level of endemism. Given the global importance of the lake in the field of evolutionary biology, the understudied status of its parasite fauna is surprising with a single digenean species reported to date. Although the most famous group within the lake's fish fauna are cichlids, the pelagic zone is occupied mainly by endemic species of clupeids (Actinopterygii: Clupeidae) and lates perches (Actinopterygii: Latidae, Lates Cuvier), which are an important commercial source for local fisheries. In this study, we focused on the lake's four lates perches and targeted their thus far unexplored endoparasitic digenean fauna. METHODS: A total of 85 lates perches from four localities in Lake Tanganyika were examined. Cryptogonimid digeneans were studied by means of morphological and molecular characterisation. Partial sequences of the nuclear 28S rRNA gene and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene were sequenced for a representative subset of the specimens recovered. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted at the family level under Bayesian inference. RESULTS: Our integrative approach revealed the presence of six species within the family Cryptogonimidae Ward, 1917. Three out of the four species of Lates were found to be infected with at least one cryptogonimid species. Two out of the three reported genera are new to science. Low interspecific but high intraspecific phenotypic and genetic diversity was found among Neocladocystis spp. Phylogenetic inference based on partial 28S rDNA sequences revealed a sister group relationship for two of the newly erected genera and their close relatedness to the widely distributed genus Acanthostomum Looss, 1899. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides the first comprehensive characterisation of the digenean diversity in a fish family from Lake Tanganyika which will serve as a baseline for future explorations of the lake's digenean fauna. Our study highlights the importance of employing an integrative approach for revealing the diversity in this unique host-parasite system.

• Klíčová slova
• Grandifundilamena n. g., Neocladocystis bemba n. sp., Neocladocystis biliaris n. sp., Species complex, Tanganyikatrema n. g.,
• MeSH
• Bayesova věta MeSH
• biodiverzita MeSH
• biologická evoluce MeSH
• cichlidy parazitologie   MeSH
• druhová specificita MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• infekce červy třídy Trematoda epidemiologie   parazitologie   veterinární   MeSH
• jezera parazitologie   MeSH
• mitochondriální DNA genetika   MeSH
• respirační komplex IV genetika   MeSH
• ribozomální DNA MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 28S genetika   MeSH
• sekvenční analýza DNA MeSH
• sekvenční seřazení MeSH
• Trematoda anatomie a histologie   klasifikace   genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• žábry parazitologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Tanzanie epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• mitochondriální DNA MeSH
• respirační komplex IV MeSH
• ribozomální DNA MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 28S MeSH

BACKGROUND: Monogenea van Beneden, 1858 is a group of parasitic flatworms, commonly found infecting bony fish. Several genera, such as Cichlidogyrus Paperna, 1960, are reported to include potential pathogenic species that can negatively impact aquaculture fish stocks. They can switch from introduced to native fish and vice versa. In Africa (and all over the world), fish species belonging to Cichlidae are often kept in aquaculture and represent a major source of food. Thus, research on the biodiversity and occurrence of monogenean species on these fish is of importance for aquaculture and conservation. The present study is a survey of the diversity of species of Cichlidogyrus in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on three cichlid species: Orthochromis sp. 'Lomami', Serranochromis cf. macrocephalus, and Tilapia sparrmanii Smith, 1840. METHODS: Specimens of Cichlidogyrus were isolated from the gills and mounted on glass slides with Hoyer's medium. The genital and haptoral hard parts were measured and drawn using interference contrast. RESULTS: In total, six species of Cichlidogyrus were found, all new to science: C. bulbophallus n. sp. and C. pseudozambezensis n. sp. on S. cf. macrocephalus, C. flagellum n. sp. and C. lobus n. sp. on T. sparrmanii, C. ranula n. sp. on S. cf. macrocephalus and Orthochromis sp. 'Lomami', and C. maeander n. sp. found on Orthochromis sp. 'Lomami' and T. sparrmanii. The first four species are considered to be strict specialists, C. ranula n. sp. an intermediate generalist and C. maeander n. sp. a generalist. These parasite species show morphological similarities to species found in the Lower Guinea and Zambezi ichthyofaunal provinces, which might be explained by past river capture events between river systems of the Congo Province and both these regions. CONCLUSIONS: Serranochromis cf. macrocephalus and Orthochromis sp. 'Lomami' can harbour respectively three and two species of Cichlidogyrus, all described in this study. Tilapia sparrmanii can harbour seven species, of which three are described in the present study. These results highlight the species diversity of this parasite genus in the Congo Basin.

• Klíčová slova
• Africa, Cichlidae, Cichlidogyrus, DRC, Diversity, Monogenea, Orthochromis, Serranochromis, Tilapia,
• MeSH
• biodiverzita MeSH
• cichlidy parazitologie   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• klasifikace * MeSH
• koinfekce parazitologie   MeSH
• nemoci ryb parazitologie   MeSH
• řeky parazitologie   MeSH
• rybí výrobky parazitologie   MeSH
• ryby MeSH
• Tilapia parazitologie   MeSH
• Trematoda anatomie a histologie   klasifikace   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• vodní hospodářství MeSH
• žábry parazitologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH