Ancyrocephalidae (Monogenea) of Lake Tanganyika: III: Cichlidogyrus infecting the world's biggest cichlid and the non-endemic tribes Haplochromini, Oreochromini and Tylochromini (Teleostei, Cichlidae).

Lake Tanganyika is the deepest and oldest African Great Lake and of economic importance. While the diversity of its endemic cichlid radiations yielded scientific interest, a number of cichlid tribes have few representatives in the lake. Some of those, namely Oreochromini (ex-Tilapiini), Haplochromini and Tylochromini, reach higher species numbers in riverine systems. Conversely, the phylogenetic position of the monospecific and endemic Boulengerochromini is unclear. The oreochromines Oreochromis tanganicae and Oreochromis niloticus, the haplochromine Astatotilapia burtoni, the tylochromine Tylochromis polylepis and the boulengerochromine Boulengerochromis microlepis, the largest cichlid species worldwide, were surveyed for ancyrocephalid monogenean gill parasites. Five new species are proposed. Cichlidogyrus gillardinae sp. n. is described from A. burtoni, Cichlidogyrus mbirizei sp. n. from O. tanganicae and Cichlidogyrus nshomboi sp. n. from B. microlepis. T. polylepis harbours Cichlidogyrus mulimbwai sp. n., Cichlidogyrus muzumanii sp. n. and a third, presently undescribed species. Four species known from outside the Tanganyika Basin were retrieved on the oreochromines. The host species are scientific models or important in the sectors of fisheries or ornamental fish trade. Moreover, their phylogenetic positions render them well-suited to help elucidate the historic relationships between riverine and lacustrine African cichlids. In this framework, their Cichlidogyrus fauna is compared to congeners known from African rivers and to the few Tanganyika representatives described. While the parasites of Oreochromis, A. burtoni and T. polylepis are reminiscent of those infecting related hosts throughout Africa, B. microlepis hosts a Cichlidogyrus morphotype typical of Lake Tanganyika. This supports its placement within an endemic cichlid radiation.