Morphology of Emoleptalea nwanedi n. sp. from Schilbe intermedius from Nwanedi-Luphephe Dam, Limpopo Province, South Africa

• Published in: Helminthologia Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 70 - 76
• Main Authors: King, P. H., Smit, W. J., Baker, C., Luus-Powell, W. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg De Gruyter Open 01-03-2018; Walter de Gruyter GmbH; Sciendo
• Subjects: Acetabulum; Catfish; Emoleptalea; Fish; Fishing nets; Follicles; Freshwater fishes; Intestine; Intestines; Morphology; New records; New species; Ovaries; Parasites; Physical characteristics; Receptors; Schilbe; Schilbe intermedius; Shells; southern Africa; trematode; South Africa
• ISSN: 0440-6605; 1336-9083
• DOI: 10.1515/helm-2017-0051

A new species,
n. sp. is described from the intestine of
, the silver catfish or butter barbel, from the Nwanedi-Luphephe Dam in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Fish were collected using gill nets where after they were euthanised and dissected. The parasites were sampled, fixed in 70 % EtOH and stained with Van Cleave’s haematoxylin. This species represents an addition to the African cluster of
species previously described and differs from the known species due to its unique size, equal size of oral and ventral suckers, position of ovary and seminal receptacle, number of vitelline follicles and their size, as well as the unique ciliated receptors on the wall of the acetabulum. This is the first record of this parasite from the silver catfish and from southern Africa.