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Freshwater fish fauna of North Africa and its biogeography
... These two zones, located between the African and European tectonic plates, are characterized by a very poor fish fauna, of which Cyprinidae Rafinesque, 1815 is the most widespread family. In the Maghreb province cyprinid fishes have the highest species diversity (70.7%) (Doadrio, 1994), with 20 valid species in Morocco alone (Rahmouni, 2020). ...
... Another family, with a mostly tropical distribution, is also present: Cichlidae Heckel, 1840 (Doadrio, 1994;Lévêque & Paugy, 2006). This family is one of the most species-rich fish taxa, with conservative estimates citing about 3000 extant species on earth (Takahashi & Koblmüller, 2011). ...
... The Sahara acts as a barrier to dispersal between the Palearctic and the Afro-tropics. This is why freshwater fish species of Afrotropical origin are poorly represented in North Africa and we therefore encounter a fauna that is mainly of European origin, dominated by cyprinid species (Doadrio, 1994). The North of the Sahara receives little water and currently only has a few residual permanent aquatic environments: the gueltas, some lakes and some sebkhas. ...
In Morocco, no work has been carried out on parasitic monogeneans of cichlid fish as far. An examination of the gills of 375 fish from three native species of Cichlidae: Oreochromis aureus, Coptodon zillii and Coptodon guineensis from different localities, revealed the presence of two monogenean species (1328 monogenean specimens were recovered from 56 fish specimens) belonging to the family Dactylogyridae and to the genus Cichlidogyrus: three morphotypes of C. cirratus were identified from O. aureus and C. zillii; and C. cubitus was identified from C. guineensis. This is the first time that these monogeneans were collected and identified in Morocco. In addition, O. aureus was revealed as a new host for C. cirratus. The low parasite species richness and intensity, appear to support the enemy release hypothesis, and have probably promoted the lateral transfer of parasites in natural populations between O. aureus and C. zillii, and the synxenic diversification of C. cirratus.
... Male copulatory organ diameter (MCO) 18.4 (16.5-19.5) 4 21.2 18.9 (16.5-21.2) 5 Principal spine length 6.5 (6.3-6.6) 3 6.5 6.5 (6.3-6.6) 4 Small spine length 3.3 (3.1-3.5) 3 5. ...
... When comparing the relative length of the root to the hamulus total length respectively, G. nyingiae n. sp. Due to the important biogeographical connections between the Middle East and the Maghreb region during the Cenozoic period in the dispersal of freshwater fish fauna, it is interesting to compare the Gyrodactylus fauna of the Iranian region with the North African ones [4,36]. The freshwater species of Gyrodactylus mentioned by [37] and [38] were either known to be from Europe or Central Asia, or undescribed. ...
Simple Summary
Monogenean flatworms are mainly parasitic in lower aquatic vertebrates including fish, anurans and chelonians. Gyrodactylus is one of the 23 genera of Gyrodactylidae. With only 41 species described, the total number of Gyrodactylus species described from African freshwater fish still remains low. The known species represent only a fraction of the expected species richness of Gyrodactylus in Africa. In this study, we examined the gills of 738 cyprinid specimens. We isolated 26 individuals belonging to Gyrodactylus from these hosts. Twelve of these from two host species were morphologically characterized and proposed to belong to one single newly described species. In view of the importance of the cyprinid–monogenean system in studying the aquatic biodiversity and biogeography of North Africa, the present study is a substantial contribution to the parasite species inventory of these fishes.
Abstract
To date, 41 species of Gyrodactylus have been described from Africa. However, none of these have been reported in Morocco. After identifying and examining 738 cyprinid host specimens, 26 specimens belonging to Gyrodactylus were found to parasitize the gills of nine species of Luciobarbus, Carasobarbus, and Pterocapoeta. The current study provides new information about the presence of a new parasitic species in Morocco, the first to be characterized on a species level in the Maghreb region. It describes in detail 12 specimens of Gyrodactylus isolated from the gills of Luciobarbus pallaryi (Pellegrin, 1919) and Luciobarbus ksibi (Boulenger, 1905). Based on morphoanatomical observations, the characterization of the specimens collected indicates a species of Gyrodactylus that is new to science, described here as Gyrodactylus nyingiae n. sp. The new species is different from previously described gyrodactylids infecting African cyprinid hosts because it has a longer hamulus total length, a longer hamulus root, a downward projecting toe of the marginal hook, and a trapezium-shaped ventral bar membrane with a slightly striated median portion and small rounded anterolateral processes. This study increases the total number of Gyrodactylus spp. found in African cyprinids to four.
... The cyprinid family includes 152 genera and within freshwater fishes, this family stands out as the most diverse, comprising a remarkable 1695 species [1]. Within the cyprinid fishes, the genus Luciobarbus Heckel, 1843 includes 51 medium to large-sized species distributed along rivers draining into the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean, the Black, Caspian, and Aral Seas and into the Atlantic Ocean, from the Iberian Peninsula in Europe to Central Asia and North Africa [2][3][4]. ...
Biodiversity conservation entails not only the preservation of specific taxa but also genetic diversity. Despite the crucial role of molecular data in freshwater fish conservation management, there is a scarcity of information regarding the genetic diversity of Luciobarbus Heckel, 1843 (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) populations in the Aral system. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to provide genetic information on two native species of the Luciobarbus genus found in the Aral system: L. conocephalus (Kessler, 1872) and L. brachycephalus (Kessler, 1872). These species, like many others in the Aral system, confront the imminent threat of extinction due to system alterations. However, genetic studies on these species at the nuclear level are challenging because Luciobarbus is an allotetraploid genus. Consequently, genetic investigations thus far have focused mainly on sequencing mitochondrial genes due to their haploid nature. This study has successfully developed fifteen new polymorphic microsatellite loci, which can prove to be valuable for population genetics, conservation, and other pertinent research on these species.
... Indeed, as a result of geographical position, sister species and the Ibero-Moroccan chorotype are strongly represented in the animal biodiversity of Morocco, especially in the freshwater invertebrate fauna (including molluscs), which is highly related to Iberian fauna Mabrouki et al., 2019b, c;Mabrouki et al., 2020;Taybi et al., 2018;Taybi et al., 2019). Until 5.3 million years ago, together with Spain, the north of Morocco formed the Betico-Rifian massif, Spain (Doadrio, 1994;Krijgsman et al., 1999a, b;Taybi et al., 2020;Boulaassafer et al., 2021). ...
In this paper, we present new data on the distribution of Theodoxus spp. in Morocco, providing new records of three known species, in addition to a record of an unknown species resembling the extinct T. valentinus (Graells, 1846) recorded only from Spain, where it is endemic to the Valencia region. Identification key and photos of the species are also presented.
... Gyrodactylus kyogae, in contrast to the other three species, lacks a ventral bar membrane. Gyrodactylus ivindoensis has shorter marginal hooks and a marginal hook total length of 22 (21)(22)(23)(24) Due to the important biogeographical connections between the Middle East and Maghreb region during the Cenozoic period in the dispersal of freshwater fish fauna, it is interesting to compare the Gyrodactylus fauna of the Iranian region with the North African ones [3,30]. The freshwater species of Gyrodactylus mentioned by [31] and [32] were either known from Europe or Central Asia, or undescribed. ...
To date, 41 species of Gyrodactylus have been described from Africa. However, none of these have been reported in Morocco. After identifying and examining 738 cyprinid host specimens, 26 specimens belonging to Gyrodactylus were found to parasitize the gills of nine species of Luciobarbus, Carasobarbus, and Pterocapoeta. The current study describes in detail 12 specimens of Gyrodactylus isolated from the gills of Luciobarbus pallaryi (Pellegrin, 1919) and Luciobarbus ksibi (Boulenger, 1905). Based on morphoanatomical observations, the characterization of the specimens collected suggests a species of Gyrodactylus new to science, described here as Gyrodactylus nyingiae n. sp. The new species is different from previously described gyrodactylids infecting African cyprinid hosts because it has a longer hamulus total length, a longer hamulus root, a downward projecting toe, a trapezium shaped ventral bar membrane with slightly striated median portion and small rounded anterolateral processes. This study brings the total number of Gyrodactylus spp. found in African cyprinids to four.
... The teleosts belonging to Cyprinidae, Bagridae, Clariidae, and Channidae inhabited both Africa and Asia in the Miocene (Nelson, 1994(Nelson, , 2006Singh et al., 2019). The dispersal history of different taxa of teleost families between Eurasia and Afro-Arabia is linked with the connection and separation of landmasses (Patterson, 1993;Doadrio, 1994;Nelson, 2006). The extant cyprinids represent the most diverse family of bony fishes in Eurasia and Africa (Nelson, 2006), and the records of fossil cyprinids have also been reported from Asia (Li et al., 1983;Tiwari et al., 1991;Lee, 2004;Cheng and Chen, 2008;Parmar and Prasad, 2012;Sharma et al., 2015;Singh et al., 2019), Europe (Gaudant and Rousset 1979;Cavender 1991;Gaudant et al., 2002) and the Afro-Arabian Plate (Otero, 2001). ...
... Generally, the species presenting such patterns have low dispersal ability. This can be observed in reptiles (Barata et al. 2008;Perera and James Harris 2010;Metallinou et al. 2015), amphibians (Recuero et al. 2007), scorpions (Sousa et al. 2012), freshwater fishes (Doadrio 1994;Machordom et al. 1998;Touil et al. 2019) and molluscs . The exact causes of such a historical barrier to the gene flow which caused speciation events in such varied groups are still not well studied. ...
Aim
Freshwater ecosystems host a rich biodiversity, including freshwater crabs. The family Potamidae is a diverse group of freshwater crabs with a Palearctic and Oriental distribution. Specifically, the genus Potamon is found in the Middle East, Southern Europe, and Northern Africa. Potamon species are considered true freshwater crabs due to their total independence from the marine environment, which makes them idea organisms to study historical freshwater connectivity dynamics. In this study we aim to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Potamon and discuss the historical freshwater connectivity in the Mediterranean region.
Methods
Here we use up to eleven genetic markers to reconstruct a robust phylogenetic tree of the group and use Bayesian methods to time-calibrate the tree. We further use historical biogeography methods implemented in a Bayesian framework to assess the ancestral distribution ranges of the group.
Results
In this study we generate the most complete dataset for the group, covering practically the whole distribution range of the genus. We obtained a robust phylogenetic hypothesis and evaluated the times of divergence of the group. The result of the historical biogeography shows the evolution of historical distribution ranges of species of Potamon.
Main conclusions
The Mediterranean Sea is placed in a key intersection for the exchange of fauna and flora. Here we present evidence for the potential of freshwater fauna exchange, through the Mediterranean Sea after a period of desiccation and the loss of contact with the ocean. The origin of Potamon genus is found to be in Western Asia, probably Eastern Iran.
... According to Doadrio (1994), there are three biogeographical zones in North Africa: ...
A total of 81 samples captured between November 2017 to September 2019 were morphometrically analyzed as part of this study. In this latter we tried to compare between the population of the dam (artificial environment) and the population of the river (natural environment) in two watersheds for two different species of Luciobarbus in western Algeria. Sites A (natural) and B (artificial) are located at almost the same altitude (285-571 m) whereas sites C (artificial) and D (natural) are located in two different altitudes (285-571 m) and (1078-1821 m) respectively. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out to test the significance of the variations of each morphometric character between the 4 populations (A, B, C and D). The values of all the external morphometric parameters were the highest in the population of the Boughrara dam followed by El-hammam river and Bouhanifia dam while the population of Chouly river showed the lowest morphometric measurements. The mean of total length (TL) and weight (Weight), for example, of the Boughrara dam were the largest of the four populations (33.03 ± 2.02 cm and 474.46 ± 116.76 g respectively) while those of the river Chouly were the smallest (15.44 ± 1.23 cm and 55.55 ± 13.01 respectively). The sex ratio analysis was performed by studying the overall sex ratio. Females were more abundant than males (1: 1.7). The graphical representation of Quantitative Variables by PCA showed that the morphometric variables are all positively correlated with each other by quite different rates. The Shannon and Weaver index was calculated from the different characters in the four regions studied: A, B, C and D. The region of site B (Bouhanifia dam) had the highest average diversity index with 0.92, followed by the region of site A (El-hammam river) (0.88). The lowest mean value was found in site C (Chouly river) (0.29).
Knowledge on the diversity of parasitic flatworms of Western Mediterranean cyprinids is extremely scarce. In the present study, we parasitologically investigated 12 cyprinid species across the Strait of Gibraltar inhabiting watersheds in northwest Africa (Morocco) and Iberia (Portugal and Spain). Taxonomically relevant features of the attachment organ and sequences of the 18S rDNA and ITS regions were used for species delineation and to investigate their phylogenetic relatedness. Among the Gyrodactylus collected from Morocco and Spain, we identified specimens with an unusual T-shaped dorsal bar observed herein for the first time. In contrast, the membranous patch-like structure surrounding the twisted inner roots of hamuli and the median ridge of the ventral bar have been generally observed in Eurasian relatives. Our analyses suggest vicariant speciation of Gyrodactylus across the Strait of Gibraltar. We describe herein G. gibraltarensis sp. nov. from Iberian Luciobarbus graellsii; G. moroccensis sp. nov. from northwest African cyprinids, i.e., L. maghrebensis, L. rabatensis, L. rifensis, L. yahyaouii, and L. zayanensis; and finally, G. pseudomoroccensis sp. nov. from Moroccan L. ksibi, all possessing a new haptoral configuration. The genetic divergence and conservative morphologies in populations of G. moroccensis sp. nov. from five cyprinid species support its ongoing speciation in Northwest Africa. The West Mediterranean lineage was revealed to be monophyletic, with Eurasian species forming a sister group. Morphologically, West Mediterranean Gyrodactylus also appeared to be of Middle Eastern origin. Gyrodactylus spp. possessing an unusual T-shaped dorsal bar have most likely speciated, allowing for the appearance of a haptoral morphology that is restricted to the region across the Strait of Gibraltar. To conclude, viviparous Gyrodactylus reflect parasite speciation across the Strait of Gibraltar and the historical biogeography of cyprinids in the West Mediterranean.
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