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Browsing Natural and Agricultural Sciences by Subject "28S rDNA"
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Item Open Access Phylogeny of the African genus Ergasilus (Copepoda: Poecilostomatoida)(University of the Free State, 2014-01) Schlebusch, Ruaan; Van As, L. L.; Van As, J. G.English: The exactness of species descriptions in taxonomy, taking only morphology into account, has long been debated over. This is evident in the systematics of parasitic copepods that are mostly based on morphological characteristics. The gap in molecular information of the class Copepoda leaves a hole in the understanding of crustacean systematics and their ecological importance. Due to work done in China by a group of Chinese scientists on the genus Ergasilus (Family Ergasilidae). molecular studies on genera of this family from Africa were used to do the same analysis. Although only some representatives of the family is a threat to the fish populations of Africa, the availability of samples and information on morphological traits make this family a good starting point in the use of molecular work on the parasitic copepods of Africa. The focus of this study is the phylogeny of southern African ergasilids, based on the morphological characteristics coupled with the 28S rDNA sequences, with specifically designed primers (used in the Chinese study). The family Lernaeidae (using the genus Lernaea), closely related to the genus Ergasilus, was used as the out-group. Using the morphological analysis four new species of Ergasilus from southern Africa were found, i.e. Ergasilus sp. A from Synodontis leopardinus Pellegrin, 1914; Ergasilus sp. B from Rhabdalestes maunensis (Fowler, 1935); Ergasilus sp. C from Micropterus punctulatus Rafinesque, 1819 and Ergasilus sp. D from Petrotilapia tridentiger Trewavas, 1935. The molecular study proved to be a challenge and only results for Ergasilus sp. A could be obtained and were used in a tree-building analysis with the sequences from the Chinese study.