DAO 120:251-254 (2016) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03033
NOTE
Larvae of Contracaecum sp. (Nematoda: Anisakidae) in the threatened freshwater fish Sandelia capensis (Anabantidae) in South Africa
František Moravec1,*, Candice Jansen van Rensburg2, Liesl L. Van As2
ABSTRACT: Third-stage larvae of the nematode genus Contracaecum Railliet et Henry, 1912 (Contracaecum sp.) were, for the first time, recorded from the abdominal cavity of the threatened endemic freshwater fish Sandelia capensis (Cuvier) in South Africa. The larval morphology indicated that they belong to a species of which the adults are parasitic in fish-eating birds. Although the nematode seems to be a common parasite of S. capensis in the locality under study (prevalence 23%), the low intensity of infection recorded (1 to 4) and the generally known low pathogenicity of Contracaecum larvae in fish indicate that this parasite probably does not represent a danger to the local population of this threatened fish species.
KEY WORDS: Parasitic nematode · Third-stage larva · Paratenic host · Endangered fish species · Africa
| Full text in pdf format | Cite this article as: Moravec F, van Rensburg CJ, Van As LL
(2016) Larvae of Contracaecum sp. (Nematoda: Anisakidae) in the threatened freshwater fish Sandelia capensis (Anabantidae) in South Africa. Dis Aquat Org 120:251-254. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03033
Export citation Share: Facebook - - linkedIn |
| Previous article Next article |