title: Description of a new actinosporean type from South African freshwaters.
abstract: Actinospore infection of oligochaetes collected from the mud of 2 freshwater biotopes in South Africa was studied. Using the 'cell-well plate method', a new aurantiactinomyxon type was found in 1.1% of the examined Branchiura sowerbyi oligochaete specimens from the Rietvlei River, north of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. In 1.5% of B. sowerbyi collected in a pond (Padda Dam), near the Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg, the same aurantiactinomyxon type was found. Infected oligochaetes were found only after collection and no actinosporean release was recorded in Branchiura specimens kept alive for several weeks. Actinospore infection showed a high intensity in oligochaetes in both positive cases. Until now, no actinosporean stages of myxosporeans have been described from South Africa. The aurantiactinospore type presented in this communication differs from the known types already described in the literature.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, PO Box 18, 1518 Budapest, Hungary. szekely@vmri.hu
authors.forename: Csaba
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Székely
authors.forename: Annemarie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avenant-Oldewage
authors.forename: Kálmán
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Molnár
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000431:Ethanol; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005618:Fresh Water; D006652:Histological Techniques; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000469:parasitology*; D013019:South Africa; D033761:Spores, Protozoan / Q000166:cytology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol