Parvicapsula bicornis n. sp. and P. limandae n. sp. (Myxozoa, Parvicapsulidae) in Pleuronectidae (Teleostei, Heterosomata) from Denmark

Two species of Parvicapsula were found in the kidney tubules and the urinary bladder of 2 pleuronectid fish from the northern Oresund, Denmark. The coelozoic, spherical, disporic trophozoites of both species are 10 to 12 pm in diameter. The myxospores of both species are elongate, asymmetrical and slightly curved, and have spherical polar capsules. Parvicapsula bicornis n. sp. (6-8 x 5-6 microm, polar capsule 2.5 microm in diameter) occurs in Pleuronectes platessa. The polar capsules of P. bicornis are arranged symmetrically on either side of the longitudinal axis and its spores differ from other species of Parvicapsula in having two 2-3 microm long posterior processes of different length. Parvicapsula limandae n. sp. (8-11 x 4-5 pm, polar capsule 1.6 microm in diameter) is found in Limanda limanda. The polar capsules are arranged along the longitudinal axis. It differs from Parvicapsula unicornis Kabata, 1962, recorded from L. limanda, in the arrangement of the polar capsules and in the absence of a posterior horn-like projection. The phylogenetic relationship between P. bicornis n. sp., P. limandae n. sp. and other Parvicapsula spp. was examined with their partial small subunit rDNA (SSU rDNA) sequences. P. limandae n. sp. and P. asymmetrica appear to be closely related, while P. bicornis n. sp. and P. minibicornis are the most divergent members of the genus.     

Palaearctic species of the genus Confluaria Ablasov (Cestoda,Hymenolepididae): a redescription and synonymy of C. capillaris (Rudolphi, 1810)

Four species of actinosporeans are described from marine oligochaetes (all Tubificidae) from the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia. They developed in the coelom of the oligochaete and produced spores in groups of eight in the pansporocysts. The new genus Endocapsa is proposed within the family Sphaeractinomyxidae Janiszewska, 1957 on the basis that mature spores have small valve cell processes and non-protruding polar capsules. The type-species, Endocapsa rosulata n. sp., has three valve cell processes, which resemble a rosette, and submerged polar capsules. It infected Heterodrilus cf. keenani from Heron Island and morphologically similar parasites occurred in Thalassodrilides cf. gurwitschi and Heronidrilus sp. from Lizard Island. E. stepheni n. sp. has asymmetrical valve cell processes and submerged polar capsules. It was found in H. cf. keenani and H. queenslandicus from Heron Island. Sphaeractinomyxon leptocapsula n. sp. has thin widely spaced polar capsules and is described from Heronidrilus sp. from Lizard Island. S. ersei Hallett, O'Donoghue & Lester, 1998 infected Tubificidae gen. sp. from Heron Island and S. cf. ersei occurred in Bathydrilus sp., Thalassodrilides cf. gurwitschi and Limnodriloides lateroporus from Lizard Island.     

Two new species of Myxozoa, Myxobolus inaequus sp. n. and Henneguya theca sp. n. from the brain of a South American knife fish, Eigemannia virescens (V.)

Two new species of Myxozoa from the brain of the green knife fish Eigemannia virescens are described: Myxobolus inaequus sp. n. has an unusually large spore body and extremely unequal polar capsules, and Henneguya theca sp. n. has an attenuated spore encased in a sheath not previously described in other Myxozoa . Only spores of the two species were observed, and infections caused no obvious pathological changes in the brain.     

Myxobolus goensis n. sp. (Myxozoa, Myxosporea, Myxobolidae), a parasite of the gills of Mugil cephalus (Osteichthyes, Mugilidae) from Goa, India

Two species of Myxobolus are reported from the gills of Mugil cephalus collected at Goa, India: M. goensis n. sp. and M. parvus Shulman, 1962. Myxobolus goensis n. sp. forms digitiform or rounded plasmodia between the gill rakers. Their spores are oval in frontal view, with tapered anterior extremity, and lemon-shaped in lateral view, measuring 9.7 (9.5-10.5) microm in length, 6.6 (6-7.5) microm in width, and 5.2 (5-6) microm in thickness. The polar capsules are pyriform and unequal in size. The larger ones are 5.3 (4.5-6) microm long and 2.4 (2-3) microm wide; the smaller ones are 2.4 (2-3) microm long and 1.8 (1.5-2) microm wide. The polar filament forms five turns aligned perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the larger polar capsules. Within the smaller polar capsules the polar filament is difficult to observe and, apparently, forms three coils. The spores are distinctly different from other Myxobolus species infecting M. cephalus and other Mugil spp. Furthermore, the present material is also different from 204 Myxobolus species presenting differently sized polar capsules, representing nearly all the known species with this characteristic. The fact that only the M. cephalus specimens were infected among a sample of 206 fish specimens, comprising 27 different species, strongly suggests that this parasite is specific to M. cephalus.     

Actinosporeans (Myxozoa) from marine oligochaetes of the Great Barrier Reef

Four species of actinosporeans are described from marine oligochaetes (all Tubificidae) from the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia. They developed in the coelom of the oligochaete and produced spores in groups of eight in the pansporocysts. The new genus Endocapsa is proposed within the family Sphaeractinomyxidae Janiszewska, 1957 on the basis that mature spores have small valve cell processes and non-protruding polar capsules. The type-species, Endocapsa rosulata n. sp., has three valve cell processes, which resemble a rosette, and submerged polar capsules. It infected Heterodrilus cf. keenani from Heron Island and morphologically similar parasites occurred in Thalassodrilides cf. gurwitschi and Heronidrilus sp. from Lizard Island. E. stepheni n. sp. has asymmetrical valve cell processes and submerged polar capsules. It was found in H. cf. keenani and H. queenslandicus from Heron Island. Sphaeractinomyxon leptocapsula n. sp. has thin widely spaced polar capsules and is described from Heronidrilus sp. from Lizard Island. S. ersei Hallett, O'Donoghue & Lester, 1998 infected Tubificidae gen. sp. from Heron Island and S. cf. ersei occurred in Bathydrilus sp., Thalassodrilides cf. gurwitschi and Limnodriloides lateroporus from Lizard Island.     

Microsporidium goeldichironomi n. sp. and Microsporidium chironomi n. sp. (Microsporida: Apansporoblastina): Two new microsporidia from Florida chironomids

Two new species of Microsporida belonging to the genus Microsporidium are described. Microsporidium goeldichironomi n. sp. parasitizes the fat body of Goeldichironomus holoprasinus and Microsporidium chironomi n. sp. infects Chironomus attenuatus. Both microsporidia form uninucleate spores from rosette-shaped sporonts. M. goeldichironomi sporonts form 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, and possibly more spores. Two shapes of spores are produced, oval, or slightly pyriform spores measuring 3.70 ± 0.09 × 2.49 ± 0.13 μm and pyriform spores measuring 3.74 ± 0.44 × 2.04 ± 0.17 μm. Electron micrographs show that both types of spores are uninucleate, have 8 to 11 polar filament coils and a lamellate polaroplast showing several distinct regions. M. chironomi spores are pyriform and are often joined at the posterior end in groups of two or four. They measure 4.12 ± 0.37 × 2.45 ± 0.26 μm. The spores are uninucleate, have six to seven polar filament coils and a lamellate polaroplast showing two distinct regions. Neither species can be transmitted per os and thus are assumed to be transovarially transmitted. No pansporoblastic membrane is present in either species.     

A new genus Gadimyxa with three new species (Myxozoa, Parvicapsulidae) parasitic in marine fish (Gadidae) and the two-host life cycle of Gadimyxa atlantica n. sp

The myxozoans Gadimyxa atlantica n. sp. and G. sphaerica n. sp., and G. arctica n. sp. (Myxozoa, Parvicapsulidae), are described from Gadus morhua L. and Arctogadus glacialis (Peters) (Gadidae), respectively. They develop coelozoic in bisporic plasmodia in the urinary systems. Two morphological forms of spores were found in all 3 species, i.e., wide and (sub)spherical forms. Both spore types are bilaterally symmetrical along the suture line. The wide spores, semicircular in frontal view and elliptical in apical view, have 2 spherical polar capsules, which open in the sutural or median plane mid on the flat side of the spore. Mean widths of the wide spores of G. atlantica, G. sphaerica, and G. arctica are 7.5, 10.0, and 10.0 microm, respectively. The older, more thick-walled, (sub)spherical spores with binucleate sporoplasm are 8.0, 5.3, and 7.3 microm in mean width, respectively. The mean diameters of the polar capsules of (sub)spherical spores are 2.4, 1.7, and 2.2 microm, respectively. The (sub)spherical forms of Gadimyxa are most similar to Ortholinea within the Ortholineidae, but they differ in the development of the spores and in the arrangement of the polar capsules. The polychaetes Spirorbis spp. (Spirorbidae) act as invertebrate hosts of G. atlantica. The previously described actinospores of the tetractinomyxon type develop to myxospores in Gadus morhua within 8 wk. This is the second known myxozoan 2-host life cycle in the marine environment. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial small subunit rDNA sequences places Gadimyxa spp. among Parvicapsula spp. in the Parvicapsulidae.     

Structure and Development of a Marine Actinosporean, Sphaeractinomyxon ersei n. sp. (Myxozoa)

ABSTRACT This is the first ultrastructural study of the development of a marine actinosporean and of a species belonging to the genus Sphaeractinomyxon Caullery & Mesnil, 1904. S. ersei n. sp. is described from a limnodriloidine oligochaete, Doliodrilus diverticulatus Erséus, 1985, from Moreton Bay. Queensland, Australia. Development is asynchronous, there being all stages from two-celled pansporoblasts through to mature spores present simultaneously within a host. Spores develop in groups of eight within pansporoblasts in the coelom and when mature are located also in the intestinal lumen. The primordial spore envelope and sporoplasm develop separately in the pansporoblast until the polar filament is formed within the polar capsule and the capsulogenic cell cytoplasm has begun to degrade. The sporoplasm then enters the spore through a separated valve junction. Mature spores are triradially symmetrical with three centrally located polar capsules and a single binucleate sporoplasm with about 46 germ cells. Swellings or projections of the epispore do not occur when spores exit the host and contact sea water.     

Ceratomyxa hungarica n. sp. and Chloromyxum proterorhini n. sp. (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) from the freshwater goby Proterorhinus marmoratus (Pallas)

When studying the parasite fauna of freshwater gobies Proterorhinus marmoratus collected from the reaches of the River Danube around Budapest, two species of Myxosporea were recovered, a renal and a gall-bladder form. Previously no myxosporeans had been reported from this fish species. The spores and pseudoplasmodia of the parasite described as Ceratomyxa hungarica n. sp. were found in the convoluted tubules of the kidney and in the cavity of Bowman's capsule. The pseudoplasmodia were loosely attached to the wall of the tubules, causing their distention. Within each pseudoplasmodium two spores were formed. In the case of Chloromyxum proterorhini n. sp. only spores floating freely in the contents of the gall-bladder were found. Since Ceratomyxa species are typically marine fish parasites, Proterorhinus marmoratus, a fish species which has adapted to freshwater, appears to have retained some of its marine myxosporean fauna.     

Two New Species of Myxozoa, Myxobolus inaequus sp. n. and Henneguya theca sp. n. from the Brain of a South American Knife Fish, Eigemannia virescens (V.)

Two new species of Myxozoa from the brain of the green knife fish Eigemannia virescens are described: Myxobolus inaequus sp. n. has an unusually large spore body and extremely unequal polar capsules, and Henneguya theca sp. n. has an attenuated spore encased in a sheath not previously described in other Myxozoa. Only spores of the two species were observed, and infections caused no obvious pathological changes in the brain.     

Henneguya tunisiensis n. sp. (Myxosporea: Bivalvulida), a new gill parasite of Symphodus tinca (L.) (Teleostei: Labridae) off Tunisia

Henneguya tunisiensis n. sp., a new myxosporean, is described from the gill-arches of the East Atlantic peacock wrasse Symphodus tinca (L.) collected from off the Kerkennah Islands, Tunisia. It is characterised by the presence of elongate white plasmodia of 1–1.5 × 1.5–2 mm in size. The mature spores are rounded in frontal view and have two identical polar capsules and two caudal appendages which taper considerably at the end. Both light and electron microscopical data show that this species differs in several morphological features from all previously described Henneguya spp. A molecular analysis, based on 18S rDNA sequence data, indicates that H. tunisiensis n. sp. is readily distinguishable from other myxozoan DNA sequences in GenBank. Phylogenetically, the new species is placed in the marine Henneguya clade, which is a sister group of marine Myxobolus spp. from perciform fishes in Tunisian waters.     

Two unusual myxozoans,Kudoa quadricornis n. sp. (Multivalvulida) from the muscle of goldspotted trevally (Carangoides fulvoguttatus) and Kudoa permulticapsula n. sp. (Multivalvulida) from the muscle of Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) from the Great Barrier Reef,Australia

Two unusual myxozoan parasites are described from the somatic muscle of 2 reef fishes from Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Kudoa quadricornis n. sp. from the somatic muscle of Carangoides fulvoguttatus is morphologically consistent with other Kudoa sp., having 4 polar capsules and 4 shell valves. Kudoa quadricornis n. sp. is unique in that it has a pyriform spore body with a greater length than width (7.82-9.95 and 5.94-8.66 microm, respectively) and distinct posterolateral projections. Spores of Kudoa permulticapsula n. sp. observed within pseudocysts of the somatic muscle tissue of Scomberomorus commerson are different from those of all other myxozoans. The ovoid spores (length, 4.69-6.65 microm; width, 8.42-9.92 microm; thickness, 6.36-8.33 microm) contain 13 polar capsules with an equal number of shell valves. Phylogenetic analysis using small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences of K. quadricornis n. sp. and K. permulticapsula n. sp. showed that these parasites cluster within a clade comprised of Kudoa species. This brings into question the division of parasites of the Multivalvulida into genera based solely on polar capsule numbers.     

Ortholinea nupchi n. sp. (Myxosporea: Ortholineidae) from the urinary bladder of the cultured olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus,South Korea

A new myxosporean parasite, Ortholinea nupchi n. sp. (Myxozoa; Bivalvulida), was isolated from the urinary bladder of the olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus cultured on Jeju Island, Korea. Mature spores were subspherical in the valvular and apical views and ellipsoidal in the sutural view. The spores measured 7.6 ± 0.5 μm in length, 6.7 ± 0.3 μm in thickness, and 7.3 ± 0.5 μm in width. Two pyriform polar capsules measured 3.2 ± 0.1 μm in length and 2.7 ± 0.1 μm in width and were located at the same level at the anterior half of the myxospores. The suture line was straight in the middle of the spores, and the surface ridges ranged between five and seven, forming an intricate pattern. The result of the 18S rDNA comparison showed ≤ 93.0% similarity with other Ortholinea species. The phylogenetic tree demonstrated that O. nupchi n. sp. was closest to O. auratae and clustered with oligochaete-infecting myxosporeans (OIM) having urinary system infection tropism. Based on the comparison of environmental and host factors in the phylogenetic groups of the OIM clade, we propose that the infection of O. nupchi n. sp. originated from marine oligochaetes.     

Nosema tyriae n.sp. and Nosema sp., microsporidian parasites of Cinnabar moth Tyria jacobaeae.

Nosema tyriae n.sp. was found in 63% of a population of Cinnabar moth larvae (Tyria jacobaeae). The infection was found in the gut wall, silk glands, and fat body and was probably generalized but appeared to be of low pathogenicity. Merogony and sporogony were by binary fission of diplokaryotic stages. Fresh spores were elongate, slightly pointed at the anterior end, and measured 4.7 x 2.0 microm. Ultrastructural features of special interest were 20-nm tubules connecting the surface of sporonts with host cell cytoplasm and, in the spores, a deeply domed polar sac, polaroplast consisting of closely packed longitudinally arranged membranes and loosely packed horizontally arranged membranes, and 10.5-14 coils of the polar tube in a single rank. The 16S rRNA genes of N. tyriae and Nosema bombycis from silkworms, Bombyx mori, differed by only six nucleotides and N. tyriae spores gave a moderately positive reaction with a monoclonal antibody raised to N. bombycis. N. tyriae was infective to B. mori but was less virulent than N. bombycis. However, no amplification product was obtained by PCR using N. tyriae DNA and primers considered to be specific for N. bombycis. Also, the spores of the two species are of entirely different shapes. A second diplokaryotic microsporidium, Nosema sp., found as a light infection in only one of the larvae had much smaller developmental stages and spores measuring 3.8 x 2.0 microm (fixed). Ultrastructurally it was distinguished by an abundance of dense membranes in cytoplasmic vesicles in both meronts and sporonts. Spores with up to 15 coils of the polar tube in irregular clusters or with about 12 coils in a single rank were observed in the tissues fixed from the one larva infected with this parasite. As this larva had been kept with N. tyriae-infected larvae for a few days before examination, it is possible that the two types of spores resulted from a double infection.     

Ceratomyxa aegyptiaca n. sp. (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) from the gall-bladder of Solea aegyptiaca Chabanaud (Pleuronectiformes: Soleidae) in a Tunisian coastal lagoon

A new marine myxosporean species, Ceratomyxa aegyptiaca n. sp. is described from the gall-bladder of Solea aegyptiaca Chabanaud collected from the Ghar El Melh Lagoon in northeastern Tunisia. Mature spores are elongate and crescent-shaped, measuring 8-11?μm in length and 48-58?μm in width. The polar capsules are spherical, 3.2-4?μm in diameter and equal in size. Trophozoites are polysporous and float free in the bile or are attached on the epithelium of the gall-bladder. Morphological data and molecular analysis based on 18S rDNA sequences are provided. The 18S rDNA of C. aegyptiaca is readily distinguishable from that of other myxozoan species, as the genetically most similar myxozoan parasite, C. seriolae Yokoyama & Fukuda, 2001 (AB530265) collected from Seriola quinqueradiata Temminck & Schlegel in Japanese waters, shares with it only 67.5% identical nucleotides over a 1,680-bp long fragment of 18S rDNA.     

Kudoa cerebralis sp. n. (Myxosporidea,Chloromyxidae) from the Striped Bass,Morone saxatilis (Walbaum)*

Kudoa cerebralis sp. n. is described from connective tissue of the nervous system in the striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), from the southern Chesapeake Bay area. This is the first time the genus Kudoa has been found in association with the nervous system. The polar view mean diameter of the spores was 7.0 μm and the polar capsule mean length was 3.7 μm.     

Euplotespora binucleata n. gen., n. sp. (Protozoa: Microsporidia), a parasite infecting the hypotrichous ciliate Euplotes woodruffi, with observations on microsporidian infections in ciliophora

A new microsporidian species, Euplotespora binucleata n. gen., n. sp., from the brackish-water ciliate Euplotes woodruffi is described and defined on the basis of life history characteristics, light and electron microscopic features, and small subunit (SSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing. The life cycle of E. binucleata n. sp. probably has rather short merogonic and relatively long sporogonic phases. Some uninuclear meronts and sporonts, along with diplokaryotic sporoblasts and spores, were found in experimentally infected host cells. Such a peculiar life cycle has been induced experimentally in Euplotes eurystomus and constitutively microsporidian-free stocks of E. woodruffi. Spores of E. binucleata n. sp. are monomorphic, ovoid-cylindrical in shape, 3.44+/-0.17 x 1.65+/-0.22 microm in size, and characterized by a diplokaryotic condition and a large posterior vacuole. The polar tube is isofilar, 4.5-5.5 microm in length when ejected, and lacking a distinctive coiled region (half-coiled). The polaroplast is divided into two regions: the anterior part has a few lamellae close to the anchoring disc; and the posterior part is a rounded body (sack), about one-quarter of the spore length. Spores do not appear to cluster together as a group. Each spore is surrounded by a sporophorous membrane closely adjacent to the exospore layer. A phylogenetic analysis of SSU rDNA sequences by different methods placed E. binucleata n. sp. in a clade with representatives of the microsporidian genera Cystosporogenes and Vittaforma. Observations of microsporidia in several other ciliates are discussed in view of the microsporidian infection frequency in the phylum Ciliophora.     

Oenothorachona ectenolaemus n.g., n.sp. and Spirochona halophila n.sp., Two New Marine Chonotrichous Ciliates

SYNOPSIS. Two new species of chonotrichous ciliates, Oenophorachona ectenolaemus n.g., n.sp. and Spirochona halophila n.sp. were found on Anisogammarus sp. collected from the waters of Humboldt County, California and Argyle Bay, San Juan Island, Washington. This is the 1st reported occurrence of 2 genera of chonotrichous ciliates on a single host species as well as the 1st of the occurrence of Spirochona in marine and brackish water environments.