Evolution of host specificity in monogeneans of Cichlidogyrus/Scutogyrus group parasitizing African cichlid fish.
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| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Citation | |
| Description | Evolution and determinants of host specificity in gill monogeneans of Cichlidogyrus and Scutogyrus species parasitizing African Cichlidae were investigated. More specifically, we analyzed (1) the link between host specificity and parasite phylogeny, (2) potential morphometric correlates of host specificity (i.e. parasite body size and morphometric variables of attachment apparatus), (3) potential determinants of host specificity following the hypothesis of ecological specialization and the hypothesis of speciation on predictable resources, and (4) the role of brooding behavior of cichlids in determining host specificity. We showed that host specificity of Cichlidogyrus and Scutogyrus species is not linked to parasite phylogeny suggesting that specificity may reflect other than historical constrains. The mapping of host specificity onto the parasite phylogenetic tree suggests that intermediate specialist parasitizing congeneric hosts represents the ancestral state of host specificity for Cichlidogyrus/Scutogyrus group. Our results suggest that morphometry of the attachment apparatus reflects only partially (if at all) parasite adaptation to the host species likely because of morphological similarity and phylogenetic relatedness of rapidly evolved cichlids. Our study did not support the ecological specialization and specialization on predictable resources hypotheses. However, we demonstrated that phylogeny and brooding behavior of cichlids are the important life traits in cichlid fish determining the host specificity of their gill monogenean parasites. |
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