Chibwana, F. D.; Nkwengulila, Gamba
Description:
The nervous systems of three Tylodelphys metacercariae (T. mashonense,
Tylodelphys spp. 1 and 2) co-occurring in the cranial cavity of the catfish, Clarias
gariepinus, were examined by the activity of acetylthiocholine iodide (AcThI),
with the aim of better understanding the arrangement of sensillae on the body
surface and the nerve trunks and commissures, for taxonomic purposes. Enzyme
cytochemistry demonstrated a comparable orthogonal arrangement in the three
metacercariae: the central nervous system (CNS) consisting of a pair of cerebral
ganglia, from which anterior and posterior neuronal pathways arise and interlink
by cross-connectives and commissures. However, the number of transverse
nerves was significantly different in the three diplostomid metacercariae:
Tylodelphys sp. 1 (30), Tylodelphys sp. 2 (21) and T. mashonense (15). The observed
difference in the nervous system of the three metacercariae clearly separates
them into three species. These findings suggest that consistent differences in the
transverse nerves of digenean metacercariae could enable the differentiation of
metacercariae to the species level in the absence of molecular techniques. This,
however, might require further testing on a larger number of species of digenean
metacercariae.