Abstract
Chonopeltis australis is an ectoparasite of freshwater fishes and is endemic to Africa. It was collected in Boskop Dam in the North West Province from Labeo capensis and Labeo umbratus. Its prevalence on L. umbratus was always higher than 75%, but varied between 25% and 100% on L. capensis. Furthermore, L. umbratus carried a mean of between 2.4 and 5.5 (mean 3.3) parasites compared with 0.3 to 3.5 (mean 2.5) on L. capensis, indicating that L. umbratus is the preferred host. The parasites were more frequently attached to the unossified brim of the operculum, and larger hosts were more frequently and more intensely parasitized than smaller hosts. The distribution of this parasite species is limited to the Vaal River. Stage V larvae were observed, interspersed between adult specimens. This information is compared to information from other genera in this taxon.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 28-34 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | African Journal of Wildlife Research |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2008 |
Keywords
- Ectoparasite
- Fish parasites
- Freshwater fish
- South African dams
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology
- Animal Science and Zoology