Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Potchefstroom Campus, North-West University, 11 Hofmann Street, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
Dr. Aline Angelina Acosta
Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Potchefstroom Campus, North-West University, 11 Hofmann Street, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
Heteropriapulus Kritsky, 2007 (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae), which originally included only two species from the gills of loricariid catfishes, is reviewed and six newly described species from loricariids in the Paraná River basin in Brazil are added. Diagnosis of the genus is amended and a key to the species identification is provided. Heteropriapulus anchoradiatus n. sp. from Pterygoplichthys ambrosettii (Holmberg) (Hypostominae) differs from its congeners by having a long sclerotized vagina, ventral anchors with short shaft and conspicuous superficial root, and a conspicuous and robust postero-medial process on the dorsal bar; H. bitomus n. sp. from the same fish host differs by the presence of two pairs of sclerotized patches associated with the ventral anchors; H. falxus n. sp. from Hypostomus strigaticeps (Regan) (Hypostominae) and Hypostomus ancistroides (Ihering) (Hypostominae) is unique by the shape of the accessory piece composed of two strongly sclerotized subunits; H. microcleithrus n. sp. from P. ambrosettii differs by presenting the smallest length of the dorsal bar and unique shape of the longer subunit of the accessory piece resembling the ‘hammer and sickle’ shape; H. pterygoplichthyi n. sp. from the same host presents unique shape of the longer subunit of the accessory piece of the cirrus, which is represented by ‘two sickles’ jointed by the base; and H. semitortus n. sp. from Rhinelepis aspera Spix & Agassiz (Rhinelepinae) can be distinguished by the accessory piece composed of a single straight unit and a cirrus tube with the highest number of spiral rings at the proximal end (2½). First molecular data for this genus (partial sequences of the 28S rRNA gene) are provided including the type species H. heterotylus (Jogunoori, Kritsky & Venkatanarasaiah, 2004).
Nanayella gen. n. is proposed to accommodate four new species of dactylogyrid monogeneans found on the gills of two species of pimelodid catfishes (Siluriformes) from the Amazon River basin in Peru and the Upper Paran? River basin in Brazil. Nanayella gen. n. is mainly characterised by the presence of modified hook pairs 5 and 6, which have a slender shank with slightly enlarged base, inconspicuous thumb, and straight point. Nanayella aculeatrium gen. n. et sp. n. (type species) from Sorubim lima (Bloch et Schneider) (type host) differs from its congeners mainly by possessing seven sclerotised spines on one side of circular ornamentation of the vaginal atrium. Nanayella fluctuatrium gen. n. et sp. n. is characterised by the presence of sclerotised undulations surrounding the circular ornamentation of the vaginal atrium. Nanayella amplofalcis gen. n. et sp. n. is typified by possessing hook pairs 1 and 2 with a robust, wide shank and a round, weakly sclerotised subunit at the base. Nanayella processusclavis gen. n. et sp. n. differs from congeners by the presence of a conspicuous posterior medial process on the dorsal bar. Urocleidoides megorchis Mizelle et Kritsky, 1969 described from the gills of S. lima in Brazil is transferred to Nanayella gen. n. as Nanayella megorchis comb. n. based on morphological and molecular evidence. Analyses of partial sequences of the 28S rRNA gene revealed all five species of the new genus to form a monophyletic clade within a bigger clade comprised of dactylogyrids of South American pimelodids.
A complete morphological description, supported by molecular data, of Clinostomum detruncatum metacercariae is reported in this study. The metacercariae were found infecting Synbranchus marmoratus from the Paraná River, municipality of GuaÃra, Paraná State, Brazil. The taenioidean uterus is the main morphological characteristic of this species. Both Neighbour-Joining (NJ) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) trees showed 2 clear separate clusters grouping together the species from the Palearctic region (Clinostomum complanatum, Clinostomum cutaneum, Clinostomum phalacrocoracis, Clinostomum philippinense) and from the Nearctic/Neotropical regions (Clinostomum marginatum, Clinostomum tataxumui, C. detruncatum, Clinostomum sp. 7). The latter clade is divided into 2 subclades grouping species from North America and Mexico (C. marginatum and C. tataxumui), and from Brazil (C. detruncatum and Clinostomum sp. 7).