Some nematodes from freshwater fishes in central Africa

Twenty species (sixteen adult and four larval) of parasitic nematodes belonging to the Ascaridoidea, Camallanoidea, Cosmocercoidea, Dioctophymatoidea, Habronematoidea, Oxyuroidea, Seuratoidea, and Thelazioidea were collected from freshwater fishes of the Congo River basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic in 2008 and 2012, respectively. Based on light and scanning electron microscopical examination, many species are redescribed in detail. This material also contained four previously unknown species, Labeonema longispiculatum sp. n. from Synodontis acanthomias Boulenger, Gendria longispiculata sp. n. from Schilbe grenfelli (Boulenger), G. sanghaensis sp. n. from Schilbe marmoratus Boulenger, and Cucullanus congolensis sp. n. from Auchenoglanis occidentalis (Valenciennes). The new species L. longispiculatum is mainly characterised by conspicuously long (210-228 µm) spicules, approximately twice as long as those in other congeners, the length (45-48 µm) of the gubernaculum and the host family (Mochokidae), whereas G. longispiculata by very long (1.2 mm) spicules, the shape of the oesophagus and cephalic vesicle, distribution of postanal papillae and the host family (Schilbeidae). Main characteristic features of G. sanghaensis are the presence of a hexagonal oral aperture surrounded by lip-like structures, the posterior portion of the oesophagus moderately expanded, spicules and the gubernaculum 414-438 µm and 54-57 µm long, respectively, deirids located at the level of the posterior end of the oesophagus and the absence of cervical alae. Cucullanus congolensis differs from congeneric species parasitising African freshwater and brackish-water fishes mainly in the absence of a ventral precloacal sucker and lateral preanal papillae, the presence of a large median precloacal papilla-like formation, spicules 480-489 µm long and the location of the excretory pore in the region of the oesophago-intestinal junction. Chabaudus Inglis et Ogden, 1965 is considered a junior synonym of Gendria Baylis, 1930 and, consequently, species listed in the former genus are transferred to the latter as G. alaini (Alfonso-Roque, 1981) comb. n., G. chabaudi (Inglis et Ogden, 1965) comb. n., G. dehradunensis (Rizvi, Bursey et Maity, 2016) comb. n., G. thysi (Puylaert, 1970) comb. n. and G. williamsi (Puylaert, 1970) comb. n. The findings represent many new host and geographical records.