Monogenea

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Monogenea
Echinoplectanum laeve body.jpg
Echinoplectanum laeve
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Superclass: Neodermata
Class: Monogenea
Carus, 1863
Subgroups

See text.

Monogeneans, members of the class Monogenea, are a group of ectoparasitic flatworms commonly found on the skin, gills, or fins of fish. They have a direct lifecycle and do not require an intermediate host. Adults are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive structures. [1]

Contents

Some monogeneans are oviparous (egg-laying) and some are viviparous (live-bearing). Oviparous varieties release eggs into the water. Viviparous varieties release larvae, which immediately attach to another host. The genus Gyrodactylus is an example of a viviparous variety, while the genus Dactylogyrus is an example of an oviparous variety. [1]

Signs and symptoms

Diplozoon paradoxum Dobbeltdyr.gif
Diplozoon paradoxum

Freshwater fish that become infected with this parasite become lethargic and end up swimming towards the surface of the water. In addition, some may be seen rubbing the bottom or sides of their skin where the parasite is located. Infected skin where the parasite is attached may show areas of scale loss and may produce a pinkish fluid. Gills that are infected may appear swollen and pale. "Pipping", which is gulping for air at the water surface, could indicate severe respiratory distress. [2]

In salt water fish, Monogeneans can infect the skin and gills, resulting in irritations to the host. Heavy infections could result in erratic swimming behavior. Affected gills may become irritated and swollen. [2]

Characteristics

Monogenea are small parasitic flatworms mainly found on skin or gills of fish. They are rarely longer than about 2 cm. A few species infecting certain marine fish are larger, and marine forms are generally larger than those found on freshwater hosts. Monogenea are often capable of dramatically elongating and shortening as they move. Biologists need to ensure that specimens are completely relaxed before measurements are taken. [3]

Monogeneans lack respiratory, skeletal, and circulatory systems and have no or weakly developed oral suckers. [4] Like other flatworms, Monogenea have no true body cavity (coelom). They have a simple digestive system consisting of a mouth opening with a muscular pharynx and an intestine with no terminal opening (anus).

Monogenea are Platyhelminthes, so are among the lowest invertebrates to possess three embryonic germ layers—endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm. In addition, they have a head region that contains concentrated sense organs and nervous tissue (brain).

Like all ectoparasites, monogeneans have well-developed attachment structures. The anterior structures are collectively termed the prohaptor, while the posterior ones are collectively termed the opisthaptor, or simply haptor. The posterior opisthaptor with its hooks, anchors, clamps etc. is typically the major attachment organ.

Generally, monogeneans also are hermaphroditic with functional reproductive organs of both sexes occurring in one individual. Most species are oviparous, but a few are viviparous.

Phylogeny

The following cladogram depicts the phylogenetic relationships of the different monogenean orders: [5] [6]

Monogenea
Monopisthocotylea

Monocotylidea

Capsalidea

Lagarocotylidea

Montchadskyellidea

Gyrodactylidea

Dactylogyridea

Polyonchoinea
Polyopisthocotylea

Polystomatidea

Oligonchoinea

Chimaericolidea

Diclybothriidea

Mazocraeidea

Heteronchoinea

Systematics and evolution

The ancestors of Monogenea were probably free-living flatworms similar to modern Turbellaria. According to the more widely accepted view, "rhabdocoel turbellarians gave rise to monogeneans; these, in turn, gave rise to digeneans, from which the cestodes were derived. Another view is that the rhabdocoel ancestor gave rise to two lines; one gave rise to monogeneans, which gave rise to digeneans, and the other line gave rise to cestodes". [1]

About 50 families and thousands of species are described[ citation needed ].

Some parasitologists divide the Monogenea into two (or three) subclasses based on the complexity of their haptor: the Monopisthocotylea have one main part to the haptor, often with hooks or a large attachment disc, whereas the Polyopisthocotylea have multiple parts to the haptor, typically clamps. These groups are also known as Polyonchoinea and Heteronchoinea, respectively. Polyopisthocotyleans are almost exclusively gill-dwelling blood feeders, whereas monopisthocotyleans may live on the gills, skin, and fins.

Monopisthocotylea include:

All of these can cause epizootics in freshwater fish when raised in aquaculture.

Polyopisthocotylea include:

Ecology and lifecycle

Eggs of the monogenean Protopolystoma xenopodis, a parasite of the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis Parasite130103-fig1 Protopolystoma xenopodis (Monogenea, Polystomatidae) egg.tif
Eggs of the monogenean Protopolystoma xenopodis , a parasite of the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis

Monogeneans possess the simplest lifecycle among the parasitic platyhelminths. They have no intermediate hosts and are ectoparasitic on fish (seldom in the urinary bladder and rectum of cold-blooded vertebrates). Although they are hermaphrodites, the male reproductive system becomes functional before the female part. The eggs hatch releasing a heavily ciliated larval stage known as an oncomiracidium. The oncomiracidium has numerous posterior hooks and is generally the life stage responsible for transmission from host to host.
No known monogeneans infect birds, but one ( Oculotrema hippopotami ) infects mammals, parasitizing the eye of the hippopotamus.

See also

Gastrocotylinae  – Family of worms

Related Research Articles

<i>Diplozoon paradoxum</i> Species of flatworm

Diplozoon paradoxum is a flatworm (platyhelminth) from the class Monogenea. It is found in freshwater fishes in Asia and Europe and known for its complete monogamy. This parasite is commonly found on the gills of European cyprinid fishes. It is usually around 0.7 centimeters long and has bilateral symmetry. It has several hooks at its mouth which it uses to grab on to the gills of a fish. From there it feeds on the blood of the cyprinid.

Dactylogyrus is a genus of monogeneans in the Dactylogyridae family.

<i>Dactylogyrus vastator</i> Species of flatworm

Dactylogyrus vastator is a species of hermaphroditic flatworms of class Monogenea. It is an ectoparasite of fish which infests the gills. It is problematic on fish farms. It is otherwise non-hazardous to humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyopisthocotylea</span> Subclass of parasitic flatworms in the class Monogenea

Polyopisthocotylea is a subclass of parasitic flatworms in the class Monogenea.

<i>Microcotyle</i> Genus of flatworms

Microcotyle is a genus which belongs to the phylum Platyhelminthes and class Monogenea. Species of Microcotyle are ectoparasites that affect their host by attaching themselves as larvae on the gills of the fish and grow into adult stage. This larval stage is called oncomiracidium, and is characterized as free swimming and ciliated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monopisthocotylea</span> Subclass of parasitic flatworms in the class Monogenea

The Monopisthocotylea are a subclass of parasitic flatworms in the class Monogenea.

Lethacotyle is a genus of polyopisthocotylean monogeneans, included in the family Protomicrocotylidae.
The genus includes only two species: Lethacotyle fijiensisManter & Price, 1953 , the type-species of the genus, and Lethacotyle veraJustine, Rahmouni, Gey, Schoelinck, & Hoberg, 2013 . Both species are parasitic on the gills of jacks in the Pacific Ocean. They are known only from three localities: off Fiji, Andaman Islands, and New Caledonia.
The genus Lethacotyle is special in that its members have no clamps on their posterior attachment organ or haptor, in contrast to most polyopisthocotylean Monogenean which have clamps. This is reflected in the etymology of the name, which, according to Manter & Price is "from letha = forgetting, and cotyle = cup, and refers to the absence of clamps".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haptor</span>

The haptor is the attachment organ of the monogeneans, a group of parasitic Platyhelminthes. The haptor is sometimes called opisthaptor to emphasize that it is located in the posterior part of the body, and to differentiate it from the prohaptor, a structure including glands located at the anterior part of the body. According to Yamaguti (1963), the chief adhesive organ of the monogeneans, the haptor, is posterior, more or less discoid, muscular, may be divided into alveoli or loculi, is usually provided with anchors, has nearly always marginal larval hooklets, or is in a reduced form with anchors. The haptor may consist of symmetrical or asymmetrical, sessile or pedunculate, muscular suckers or clamps with or without supporting sclerites; accessory adhesive organs may be present in form of armed plaques, lappets or appendices.

<i>Pseudorhabdosynochus</i> Genus of flatworms

Pseudorhabdosynochus is a genus of monopisthocotylean monogeneans, included in the family Diplectanidae. The type-species of the genus is Pseudorhabdosynochus epinepheli .

<i>Lagenivaginopseudobenedenia</i> Genus of flatworms

Lagenivaginopseudobenedenia is a genus of monopisthocotylean monogenean, included in the family Capsalidae. The type-species of the genus is Lagenivaginopseudobenedenia etelisYamaguti, 1966. The genus includes only 2 species, which are both parasitic on the gills of marine fish of the family Lutjanidae.

Alexandr Vladimirovich Gussev, sometimes spelled Gusev in the literature, was a Russian helminthologist specialist of monogeneans.

Calydiscoides is a genus of monopisthocotylean monogeneans, included in the family Diplectanidae.

Gyrodactylus turnbulli is an ectoparasite from the class Monogenea, is part of the phylum Platyhelminthes, and from the genus Gyrodactylus. It only requires one host to transmit an infection; however, since this parasite lacks oncomiracidium, it must rely on either the adult or subadult for spread of infection. Found in freshwater, this flatworm is commonly found on the gills and fins of the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. G. turnbulli was said to be host specific, but an experiment where parasitologists artificially infected guppies suggests that the parasite can infect a wider range of species. This ability is achievable by host switching, which promotes speciation.

Gyrodactylus leptorhynchi is a small monogenean obligate ectoparasite which parasitizes freshwater bay pipefish. Gyrodactylus leptorhynchi is the seventh Gyrodactylus species known to infect bay pipefish and the first characterized along the Pacific coast of North America. The parasite can get into captive fish environments, such as fish farms and aquariums, where it may spread in as little as 10 days. Gyrodactylus species are known to centralize on the brood pouch in male fish, this may allow for transmission to newly hatched young. However, in Gyrodactylus leptorhynchi the parasite was found mostly found attached to body surfaces such as the dorsal fins.

Diclidophora nezumiae is a species of monogenean flatworm that parasitizes the gills of the rattail fish Nezumia bairdii. Due to a highly localized host habitat parasite incidence is relatedly localized to the Hudson Submarine Canyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oncomiracidium</span>

An oncomiracidium is the ciliated and free-living larva of a monogenean, a type of parasitic flatworm commonly found on fish. It is similar to the miracidium of Trematoda, but has sclerotised (hardened) hooklets not found in the latter.

<i>Sparicotyle chrysophrii</i> Species of worms

Sparicotyle chrysophrii is a species of monogenean, parasitic on the gills of the marine fish. It belongs to the family Microcotylidae. Its type-host is the gilt-head seabream.

<i>Microcotyle sebastis</i> Species of worms

Microcotyle sebastis is a species of monogenean, parasitic on the gills of a marine fish. It belongs to the family Microcotylidae.

<i>Pseudaxine trachuri</i> Species of worms

Pseudaxine trachuri is a species of monogenean, parasitic on the gills of a marine fish. It belongs to the family Gastrocotylidae.

<i>Sibitrema poonui</i> Species of worms

Sibitrema poonui is a species of monogenean flatworm, which is parasitic on the gills of a marine fish. It belongs to the family Gastrocotylidae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 L.A. Tubbsa et al. (2005). "Effects of temperature on fecundity in vitro, egg hatching and reproductive development of Benedenia seriolae and Zeuxapta seriolae (Monogenea) parasitic on yellowtail kingfish Seriola lalandi". International Journal for Parasitology(35), 315–327.
  2. 1 2 Reed, Peggy et al. Monogenean Parasites of Fish. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. . http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/education/ras/publications/Update/Monogenean%20Parasites%20of%20Fish.pdf
  3. Roberts, S. Larry & John Janovy, Jr. Foundations of Parasitology
  4. flatworm :: Annotated classification - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
  5. Olson PD, Littlewood DTJ (March 2002), "Phylogenetics of the Monogenea – evidence from a medley of molecules" (PDF), International Journal for Parasitology, 32 (3): 233–244, doi:10.1016/S0020-7519(01)00328-9 , retrieved May 19, 2022
  6. Boeger, Walter A.; Kritsky, Delane C. (2001). "Phylogenetic relationships of the Monogenoidea". In Littlewood, D.T.J.; Bray, R.A. (eds.). Interrelationships of the Platyhelminthes (1st ed.). CRC Press. ISBN   9780367397852.
  7. Theunissen, M., Tiedt, L. & Du Preez, L. H. 2014: The morphology and attachment of Protopolystoma xenopodis (Monogenea: Polystomatidae) infecting the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis. Parasite, 21, 20. doi : 10.1051/parasite/2014020