Parasites of South African freshwater fish. VI. Nematode parasites of some fish species in the Kruger National Park

Abstract

The nematode parasites of 30 spot-tailed robbers, Brycinus imberi, five tiger-fish, Hydrocynus vittatus, 77 large-scaled yellowfish, Barbus marequensis, two mudsuckers, Labeo molybdinus, 114 catfish, Clarias gariepinus, 46 silver barbel, Schilbe intermedius , 66 squeakers, Synodontis zambezensis, three eels, Anguilla spp., 83 Mozambique bream, Oreochromis mossambicus, 81 red-breasted bream, Tilapia rendalli swierstrae and 321arge-mouthed bream, Serranochromis meridianus, caught in the Sabie, Crocodile and Olifants Rivers in the southern and central regions of the Kruger National Park, were collected, identified and counted. A single Camallanus sp. male was recovered from one of the mudsuckers; Capillaria spp. from three catfish and one squeaker; philometrid nematodes from two silver barbel, 15 squeakers and a largemouthed bream; Paracamallanus cyathopharynx from one tiger-fish, 80 catfish, 28 silver barbel and one squeaker; Procamallanus laeviconchus from a single catfish; Rhabdochona esseniae from six largescaled yellowfish; Rhabdochona versterae from 14 spot-tailed robbers; Rhabdochona spp. from 20 catfish, 17 silver barbel, eight squeakers, two eels, one large-mouthed bream and two red-breasted bream; Raillietnema synodontisi from 33 squeakers; Spinitectus petterae from 37 catfish; Spinitectus zambezensis from 55 squeakers; Spinitectus spp. from one tiger-fish and four silver barbel, and Spirocamallanus daleneae and Synodontisia thelastomoides from 33 and 35 squeakers, respectively. Second- and third-stage Contracaecum spp. larvae were recovered from 26 spot-tailed robbers, five tiger-fish, one large-scaled yellowfish, 53 catfish and ten silver barbel and unidentified nematode larvae from two spottailed robbers, 57 large-scaled yellowfish, both mudsuckers, 105 catfish, 45 silver barbel, 58 squeakers, all three the eels, 29 Mozambique bream, 33 red-breasted bream and 26 large-mouthed bream. Camallanus sp. in mudsuckers, Capillaria spp. in catfish and squeakers, Rhabdochona spp. in eels, catfish, silver barbel, squeakers, large-mouthed bream and red-breasted bream, Spinitectus spp. in tiger-fish and silver barbel, Paracamallanus cyathopharynx in silver barbel, tiger-fish and squeakers, Raillietnema synodontisi and Synodontisia thelastomoides in squeakers, constitute new parasite records for the respective hosts in South Africa. With few exceptions, the fishes harboured more nematode larvae than adult nematodes but no pattern of seasonal abundance of either of the developmental stages was evident for any of the fish species examined.