Three Poorly Known and Rarely Reported Bucephalid Species (Digenea) in Fishes from the Western Mediterranean

Three poorly known bucephalid species are described from off Corsica, in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Bucephalus gorgon (Linton, 1905) (syn. B. introversus Manter, 1940) from Seriola dumerili is reported for only the third time in the Mediterranean Sea. Prosorhynchoides arcuatus (Linton, 1900) from Sarda sarda is reported for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. P. tergestinum (Stossich, 1883) n. comb. (originally in Gasterostomum von Siebold 1848; has also been in Bucephalopsis Diesing, 1855 and Bucephalus von Baer, 1827) from Gobius geniporus is reported for only the second time.     

Prosorhynchoides gracilescens (Rudolphi, 1819) (Digenea: Bucephalidae) from Lophius piscatorius L. is a species complex: a redescription of this species (sensu stricto) from the western Mediterranean and the description of P. borealis n. sp. from the northern North-East Atlantic

The bucephalid digenean Prosorhynchoides gracilescens (Rudolphi, 1819) is a common intestinal parasite of the angler fish Lophius piscatorius in European marine waters. Detailed studies of new material collected off the coasts of both Marseilles and Corsica in the western Mediterranean, and comparison with museum material from the northern North-East Atlantic, indicated that the accepted concept of this species comprises two distinct taxa. The Mediterranean form occurs in relatively small numbers and has small eggs, a large rhynchus and a vitelline distribution that finishes well short of the rhynchus, whereas the NE Atlantic form, which comprises the majority of records, occurs often in large numbers, has larger eggs, a relatively smaller rhynchus and a vitelline distribution that tends to reach the rhynchus. Since the type-material is from the Mediterranean and resembles the Mediterranean form, there was little option but to consider the latter as P. gracilescens (sensu stricto) and to describe the NE Atlantic form as a new species, for which the name P. borealis n. sp. is coined to reflect its northerly distribution. Both species are described and figured in detail, and a table and illustration of the diagnostic features are presented. In addition, some discussion is included on the distribution of these two species and whether P. gracilescens (s. str.) might be a relict species, and on non-European records of P. gracilescens (sensu lato).     

Saturnius minutus n. sp. and S. dimitrovi n. sp. (Digenea: Hemiuridae) from Mugil cephalus L. (Teleostei: Mugilidae), with a multivariate morphological analysis of the Mediterranean species of Saturnius Manter, 1969

Three species of the bunocotyline genus Saturnius Manter, 1969 are described from the stomach lining of mugilid fishes of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Two of the species are new: S. minutus n. sp. occurs in Mugil cephalus off the Mediterranean coast of Spain; and S. dimitrovi n. sp., a parasite of M. cephalus off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and the Spanish Mediterranean coast, was originally described as S. papernai by Dimitrov et al. (1998). In addition, S. papernai Overstreet, 1977 is redescribed from M. cephalus off the Spanish Mediterranean coast and from Liza aurata and L. saliens off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The three species are distinguished morphometrically using univariate and multivariate analyses. These results were verified using Linear Discriminant Analysis which correctly allocated all specimens to their species designations based on morphology (i.e. 100% successful classification rate) and assigned almost all specimens to the correct population (locality). The following variables were selected for optimal separation between samples: the length of the forebody, ventral sucker and posterior testis, the length and width of the posteriormost pseudosegment, and the width of the muscular flange at ventral sucker level.     

The Opecoelidae (Digenea) of sparid fishes of the western Mediterranean. I. Pachycreadium Manter, 1954

Problems of the systematics of the Opecoelidae in the Mediterranean region are discussed. The genus Pachycreadium Manter, 1954 is redefined and its validity commented upon. Pachycreadium carnosum (Rud., 1819) is described from Sparus pagrus and Pagellus erythrinus off Corsica (Scandola) and compared with P. gastrocotylum (Manter, 1940) and P. lerneri Sogandares-Bernal, 1959.

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Résumé Les problèmes concernant la systématique des Opécoelidés de la région méditerranéenne sont abordés. Les auteurs redéfinissent et discutent la validité du genre Pachycreadium Manter, 1954. Pachycreadium carnosum (Rudolphi, 1819) est décrit à partlr d'exemplaires parasites de Sparus pagrus et de Pagellus erythrinus des côtes de Corse (Scandola), puis comparé à P. gastrocotylum (Manter, 1940) et à P. lerneri Sogandares-Bernal, 1959.

     

Intraspecific sterility barrier confirms that introduction of Sphaerotrichia divaricata (Phaeophyceae,Chordariales) into the Mediterranean was from Japan

Crossing studies revealed an intraspecific sterility barrier on the level of zygote formation between Japanese Sphaerotrichia divaricata and isolates of the same species from the Northeast Pacific and the North Atlantic. Because no consistent morphological differences exist between sporophytes from Japan and other areas, we propose not to distinguish the intersterile populations as different species. Japanese Sphaerotrichia and isolates from a recently detected population in the Étang de Thau, French Mediterranean coast, are interfertile. The crossing studies support the assumption that this Mediterranean population is a recent introduction from Japan.     

Descriptions of digeneans from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sardina pilchardus</Emphasis> (Walbaum) (Clupeidae) off the Algerian coast of the western Mediterranean,with a complete list of its helminth parasites

Five species of digeneans parasitic in the pilchard Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum), a little studied host, from off the Algerian coast of the western Mediterranean are redescribed. These are Parahemiurus merus (Linton, 1910) Manter, 1940, Aphanurus stossichii (Monticelli, 1891) Looss, 1907, Aphanurus virgula Looss, 1907, Lecithaster confusus Odhner, 1905 and Pronoprymna ventricosa (Rudolphi, 1819) Poche, 1926. One of these, A. virgula, is a new record for this host. One other digenean, Hemiurus luehei Odhner, 1905, was also recorded from this host. A complete checklist of the helminth parasites of S. pilchardus throughout its distributional range, comprising 104 host-parasite records of 39 taxa, is presented.     

The Pseudoplagioporinae,a new subfamily in the Opecoelidae Ozaki, 1925 (Trematoda) for a small clade parasitizing mainly lethrinid fishes,with three new species

The Pseudoplagioporinae n. subf. (Opecoelidae) is proposed for species of Pseudoplagioporus Yamaguti, 1938, Fairfaxia Cribb, 1989, and Shimazuia Cribb, 2005, a small group of relatively distinctive, Indo-West Pacific taxa reliably known almost entirely from emperor fishes (Perciformes: Lethrinidae). These taxa were previously recognized in the Plagioporinae Manter, 1947, but that subfamily has recently been restricted to a clade of Holarctic, freshwater taxa, whereas analyses of new genetic data find the pseudoplagioporines to form a distinct clade among a larger assemblage of marine taxa. New material was sourced from fishes collected mainly in Queensland waters, Australia, but with some specimens from off Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Japan. Orthodena tropica Durio & Manter, 1968 is transferred to Pseudoplagioporus as P. tropicus (Durio & Manter, 1968) n. comb., and Orthodena Durio & Manter, 1968 thus becomes a synonym of that genus. Three new species of Pseudoplagioporus are proposed. One, P. mediocris n. sp., like other species of Pseudoplagioporus, occurs in several species of Lethrinus. The other two new species, P. labiatus n. sp. and P. roseovulatus n. sp., apparently do not infect species of Lethrinus and were instead found only in the Bigeye emperor Monotaxis grandoculis (Forsskål) and the Redfin emperor M. heterodon (Bleeker), respectively. New host-locality combinations and the first genetic data, for the ribosomal ITS2 DNA region, and the 28S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and cox1 mtDNA genes, are reported for Pseudoplagioporus lethrini Yamaguti, 1938, P. interruptus Durio & Manter, 1968, P. tropicus, Fairfaxia lethrini Cribb, 1989, Fairfaxia cribbi Hassanine & Gibson, 2005, and Shimazuia lethrini (Yamaguti, 1938) Cribb, 2005.     

Dactylomyza gibsoni n. g., n. sp. (Digenea: Opecoelidae) from Schuettea woodwardi (Waite) (Monodactylidae) from off Western Australia

An opecoelid digenean, Dactylomyza gibsoni n. g., n. sp. is described and figured from Schuettea woodwardi (Waite), a monodactylid from off the coast of Western Australia. The new genus conforms to the concept of the opecoelid subfamily Opecoelinae. The resemblance of the new genus to three other opecoelid genera, Pseudopecoeloides Yamaguti, 1940, Opecoeloides Odhner, 1928 and Poracanthium Dollfus, 1948, is discussed. Dactylomyza n. g. is distinguished from these morphologically similar worms on the basis of its median genital pore, ventral sucker appendages, uroproct and the absence of an accessory sucker. Pseudopecoeloides equesi Manter, 1947 is transferred to the new genus as Dactylomyza equesi (Manter, 1947) n. comb.     

Sagum posteli Delamare-Deboutteville & Nunes-Ruivo, 1954 (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida: Lernanthropidae) parasitic on Epinephelus aeneus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire) in Turkish waters, with a key to the species of Sagum Wilson, 1913

Sagum posteli Delamare-Deboutteville & Nunes-Ruivo, 1954 (Copepoda: Lernanthropidae) is reported from the white grouper Epinephelus aeneus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire caught off the Turkish Mediterranean coast. This documents the first discovery of this species in the Mediterranean and is only the second record. The species is redescribed from adult females and the cephalothoracic limbs are described for the first time. The valid species of the genus Sagum Wilson, 1913 are reviewed, and the poorly described species S. poeyi Ortiz, Lalana & Suarez, 2003 is relegated as a junior synonym of S. texanum Pearse, 1952, described from the same host. A key is provided to females of the ten valid species of Sagum and the known hosts for all species are summarised.     

Phylogeographic analysis of the brown alga Cutleria multifida (Tilopteridales,Phaeophyceae) suggests a complicated introduction history

In depth genetic comparisons of populations of Cutleria multifida (Tilopteridales, Phaeophyceae) collected from Europe, the northwestern Pacific Ocean, Australia and New Zealand using the DNA sequences of four gene regions (the mitochondrial cox2 and cox3 genes, the intergeneric spacer region adjacent to cox3, and the open reading frame) suggested that the northwestern European and Japanese populations were considerably greater in terms of their genetic divergence than Mediterranean, Australian or New Zealand populations. The haplotypes of the populations in northwestern European (distribution range including the type locality, seven haplotypes) and Japanese populations (seven haplotypes) were unique except for one shared haplotype. There were weak but positive correlations between the geographical distance and the genetic divergence among northwestern European and Japanese populations. Moreover, both female and male gametophytes occurred in eight of the nine Japanese localities, suggesting Japanese populations showed normal sexual heteromorphic life history of the species. In light of these results, it appears that Japanese populations were native to the area despite earlier hypothesis. In contrast, Australian and New Zealand populations were composed of only one haplotype that is very close to those found in northwestern Europe and Japan, suggesting a recent introduction history from Europe (or from northeastern Asia via Europe) by ship transport to Australia and New Zealand. The Mediterranean populations included two haplotypes identical to those found in northwestern Europe and Japan, and it is suggestive of transoceanic introductions of some populations between Mediterranean and Japanese coasts.     

Spraguea lophii (Microsporidia) parasite of the teleost fish,Lophius piscatorius from Tunisian coasts: Evidence for an extensive chromosome length polymorphism

A microsporidian of the genus Spraguea was found parasitizing the nervous tissues of Lophius piscatorius collected from various localities in the Mediterranean coastal areas of Tunisia. The tissue localization, the infection focus aspect and sporal dimorphism are characteristics of Spraguea lophii species. Molecular data based on partial sequence of SSUrRNA encoding gene shows few nucleotide polymorphisms, compared to all described Spraguea isolates. Molecular karyotype obtained on pulsed field gel electrophoresis (1D-PFGE) shows a profile with 14 stained bands in the range of 230–880 kbp and a genome size estimated to 6.700 kbp. The rare cutter endonuclease MluI KARD 2-D-PFGE fingerprint shows an extensive chromosome length polymorphism, but the number of chromosome is unchanged and consists of 15 different molecules. The extensive chromosome length polymorphism is associated to a reduced number of genetic events.     

Polymorphic dinucleotide microsatellites for the Mediterranean angler species (Lophiidae)

A microsatellite‐enriched genomic library was obtained from black‐bellied angler Lophius budegassa and six polymorphic dinucleotide markers were successfully optimized. These markers showed levels of polymorphism ranging from 0.363 to 0.662 and allele numbers ranging from three to seven. These markers were also found to successfully amplify in the closely related Lophius piscatorius (angler) and thus appear to be useful for genetic stock structure analysis in both species.     

A revision of the Haploporinae Nicoll, 1914 (Digenea: Haploporidae) from mullets (Mugilidae): <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haploporus</Emphasis> Looss, 1902 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lecithobotrys</Emphasis> Looss, 1902

The status of the nominal species of Haploporus Looss, 1902 and Lecithobotrys Looss, 1902 is re-assessed by means of a comparative morphological study based on newly collected specimens from the western Mediterranean, the re-examination of museum material and a critical evaluation of published data. H. benedeni (Stossich, 1887) (type-species) is described and H. lateralis Looss, 1902 is considered to be its junior synonym. Additional data are given for H. pseudoindicus Rekharani & Madhavi, 1985, H. spinosus Machida, 1996 and H. magnisaccus Machida, 1996. Species parasitising Valamugil spp. from the Indo-West Pacific region, H. indicus Rekharani & Madhavi, 1985, H. spinosus, H. magnisaccus, H. mugilis Liu & Yang, 2002 and H. muscolosaccus Machida, 2003, are considered incertae sedis with respect to their generic affiliation. H. pacificus (Manter, 1963) (syn. Neohaploporus pacificus Manter, 1963), H. pseudoindicus and H. musculosaccus are designated as species inquirendae and H. lossii Al-Bassel, 1990 is considered to be a nomen nudum. Lecithobotrys putrescens Looss, 1902 is described based on newly collected material from Liza spp. Pseudolecithobotrys n. g. is erected to accommodate Lecithobotrys stomachicola Machida, 1996, as P. stomachicola (Machida, 1996) n. comb., from the North Pacific. L. aegyptiacus Hassan, El-Aziz, Khidr & Abu Samak, 1990 is considered to be a synonym of Saccocoelium tensum Looss, 1902, and L. brisbanensis (Martin, 1974) (syn. Paralecithobotrys brisbanensis Martin, 1974), L. vitellosus Sharma & Gupta, 1970 and L. suezcanali Nisreen Ezz El-Dien, Abdel-Rahman, El-Gawady, Imam & Fahmy, 1990 are regarded as species inquirendae. New generic diagnoses are presented for both Haploporus and Lecithobotrys.

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Revision of the genus Stichillus Enderlein of Japan (Diptera: Phoridae)

The genus Stichillus in Japan is revised. Three species are recognized: S. japonicus (Matsumura), S. spinosus Liu and Chou and S. cylindratus sp. nov. Stichillus brunneicornis Beyer is excluded from the Japanese fauna. These Japanese species are described and keyed. The male genitalia and the female terminalia are illustrated. Some unique characters of the male genitalia in the genus are reported, and morphology of the male genitalia and the female terminalia is discussed.     

First documentation of the otoliths of the species of Gouania (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae) in the Mediterranean Sea

Otolith morphology is a widely accepted tool for species identification in teleost fish, but whether this holds true for very small species remains to be explored. Here, the saccular otoliths of the cryptobenthic Mediterranean clingfish Gouania (Gobiesocidae) are described for the first time. The new data, although preliminary, indicate that otolith morphology and morphometry support the recognition of the recently differentiated five species of Gouania in the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, otoliths of phylogenetically closely related Gouania species resemble each other more than do those of the more distantly related species.     

Phylogeny, evolution and biogeography of the Quadrifoliovariinae Yamaguti, 1965 (Digenea: Lecithasteridae)

The Quadrifoliovariinae is revised and three new species of Quadrifoliovarium Yamaguit, 1965 from acanthurid fishes of the genus Naso from waters of the Indo-Pacific are described: Q, maceria n. sp. from N.␣tonganus, N. annulatus, N. fageni and N. brevirostris; Q. simplex n. sp. from N. tonganus and N.␣annulatus; and Q. quattuordecim n. sp. from N. tonganus. Amendments are made to the characterisation of the Quadrifoliovariinae, Quadrifoliovarium, Bilacinia Manter, 1969 and Unilacinia Manter, 1969 in light of observations on type and new material. A molecular phylogeny based on ITS2 and 28S regions of the ribosomal DNA is proposed. The phylogeny suggests that U. asymmetrica is the most basal taxon and Q.␣simplex n. sp. and Q. quattuordecim n. sp. the most derived. Evolution of morphological traits within the Quadrifoliovariinae are discussed in light of the molecular phylogeny. Molecular sequences of the ITS2 rDNA were identical between specimens of Q. pritchardae collected off Exmouth (Indian Ocean), Heron Island and Lizard Island (Western Pacific) and Moorea (far Eastern Indo-Pacific), indicating a broad Indo-Pacific distribution. All members of the subfamily are recorded only from the acanthurid genus Naso, with the exception of B. lobatum (Yamaguti, 1970), which has been recorded from a pomacanthid. The restricted host range of the group is discussed in the light of the phylogeny of the host genus Naso.     

Taxonomic revision of the genus Stauropoctonus Brauns, 1889 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae) in Japan

The Japanese species of the ichneumonid genus Stauropoctonus Brauns, 1889 are revised. As a result, three species are recognized. Stauropoctonus infuscus (Uchida, 1928 ) stat. rev. , previously synonymized with S. bombycivorus (Gravenhorst, 1829 ), is recognized as a valid species and re‐described. Stauropoctonus bombycivorus, which has already been recorded in Japan, is also recognized and re‐described based on Japanese specimens. Stauropoctonus aurantiacus sp. nov. is described based on a single male specimen from Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Stauropoctonus nigrithorax Lee & Kim, 2002 syn. nov. is newly synonymized with S. bombycivorus. Additionally, a key to the Stauropoctonus species and discussions on their phenology and collection methods are provided.     

Fungus gnats of the genus Urytalpa Edwards (Diptera: Keroplatidae) in Japan

Three Japanese species of the genus Urytalpa are examined. Urytalpa sapporoensis (Okada) is transferred from Zelmira. Urytalpa yoshidai and U. crassicauda are described as new to science. Morphological characters indicate that U. yoshidai is closely related to Asindulum montanum Röder, and the genus Urytalpa is indicated to be non‐monophyletic. A key to the Japanese species is given.