Fish blood flukes (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) from marine fishes of South Africa, including proposal of a new genus
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Novel records of marine fish-infecting blood flukes (Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912) were obtained from several locations across the South African coastline. These constitute the first records of aporocotylid flukes from the region. A new genus, Paraskoulekia , is proposed for two new species of aporocotylids found in the hearts of Hottentot seabream, Pachymetopon blochii (Valenciennes) and bronze seabream, Pachymetopon grande Günther (Sparidae). The two species show close morphological affinities to the sparid-infecting genus Skoulekia Alama-Bermejo, Montero, Raga & Holzer, 2011 and are phylogenetically sister to species of that genus, but are genetically distant from them and differ in key aspects of morphology, namely in having a medially-positioned ovary, the uterine coils not lateral or anterior to the ovary and the cirrus-sac being posterior or at least lateral to the rest of the genitalia. Cardicola mediterraneus Palacios-Abella, Montero, Merella, Mele, Raga & Repullés-Albelda, 2021 is reported from the heart of zebra seabream, Diplodus hottentotus (Smith) (Sparidae), and Skoulekia meningialis Alama-Bermejo, Montero, Raga & Holzer, 2011 from the eyes of musselcracker seabream, Sparodon durbanensis (Castelnau) (Sparidae), marking the first time these species have been reported outside the western Mediterranean Sea. In addition, a species of Deontacylix Linton, 1910 is recorded from blue seachub, Kyphosus cinerascens (Forsskål) (Kyphosidae) and is contextualised within the global understanding of species of that genus.
Institutions: North-West University, Nature Research Centre
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,930
Awards: G5013291499, G8677965603
OpenAlex ID: W4416702802