Multifaceted taxonomy of two Dactylogyrus species on Enteromius paludinosus: Integrating light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and molecular approaches.

Dactylogyrus Diesing, 1850 is the most speciose genus of platyhelminths with more than 900 species, and over a hundred species recorded from Africa. Of the latter, six are from the straightfin barb, Enteromius paludinosus (Peters). Dactylogyrus teresae Mashego, 1983 and Dactylogyrus dominici Mashego, 1983 were collected from E.

First isolation and scanning electron microscopy of haptoral sclerites of (Monogenea).

Macrogyrodactylus congolensis (Prudhoe, 1957) is one of six species of Macrogyrodactylus, all of which are endemic to Africa. This monogenean is a host-specific ectoparasite of the African sharptooth catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822). It attaches to the host with a posterior haptor armed with sclerites.

Light and scanning electron microscopy of the effects of Macrogyrodactylus congolensis (Prudhoe, 1957) on the skin of the African sharptooth catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822).

Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) is one of the two most actively cultured freshwater fish in Africa and therefore, economically important. Specimens of this species were purchased from a fish farm near Hartbeespoort Dam (North West, South Africa) and introduced into the tanks of the research aquarium in the Department of Zoology at the University of Johannesburg. However, the skin of these fish was infected with Macrogyrodactylus congolensis (Prudhoe, 1957), which proliferated profusely in the favourable conditions of the aquarium, posing a potential threat to its host.