The distribution of monogenean parasites on aquatic vertebrates inhabitingChinese inland waters

The general distribution of monogenean parasites of aquatic vertebrates inh abiting Chinese inland waters is summarised. Five hundred and seventy-two o ut of a total of 581 species of monogeneans were discovered on fish, while only nine species were found on Amphibia and Reptilia. Most dactylogyrids a nd diplozoids parasitise cyprinids, while ancyrocephalids occur on silurids and cyprinids, and gyrodactylids are found mainly on cyprinids and cobitid s. Analyses of host-specificity and host-diversity suggests that the family Ancyrocephalidae should be divided into several families parallel with the Dactylogyridae. Of 12 subfamilies of the Cyprinidae, only the Gobiobotinae was found to be free of infection with monogeneans, and the genus Dactylog yrus has more species than any other monogenean genus associated with every cyprinid subfamily.