Additional morphological information on Oculotrema hippopotami Stunkard, 1924 (Monogenea: Polystomatidae) parasitic on the African hippopotamus

Abstract

Oculotrema hippopotami Stunkard, 1924, is the only monogenean known from a homoiotherm host, namely the African hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius Linnaeus, 1758). The original description was based on five shrunken, unflattened specimens. Initially O. hippopotami was not widely accepted as a valid species and the existence of this parasite was only confirmed four decades later. New specimens of O. hippopotami were collected during a hippopotamus culling operation in the KwaZulu Natal...