Two Lepotrema Ozaki, 1932 species (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae) from marine fishes from the southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia

The genus Lepotrema Ozaki, 1932 is revived and redefined. Its main diagnostic characters are the dorsal excretory pore, the muscular development of the distal metraterm and the trilobate ovary. It is considered to contain five species, to which a key is given. Lepotrema clavatum Ozaki, 1932 is briefly redescribed from Amanses scopas and Sufflamen chrysopterus, and L. canthescheni n. sp. is described from Cantheschenia grandisquamis, based on material from the southern Great Barrier Reef. L. canthescheni is distinguished by its vitelline and uterine distribution. The other three recognised species are: L. adlardi (Bray, Cribb & Barker, 1993) n. comb., L. incisum (Hanson, 1955) n. comb. and L. xanthichthydis (Yamaguti, 1970) n. comb., all three having originally been placed in Lepocreadium.     

The Lepocreadiidae (Digenea) of fishes of the north-east Atlantic: review of the genera Opechona Looss, 1907 and Prodistomum Linton, 1910

The genera Opechona Looss and Prodistomum Linton are redefined: the latter is re-established, its diagnostic character being the lack of a uroproct. Pharyngora Lebour and Neopechona Stunkard are considered synonyms of Opechona, and Acanthocolpoides Travassos, Freitas & Bührnheim is considered a synonym of Prodistomum. Opechona bacillaris (Molin) and Prodistomum [originally Distomum] polonii (Molin) n. comb. are described from the NE Atlantic Ocean. Separate revisions with keys to Opechona, Prodistomum and ‘Opechona-like’ species incertae sedis are presented. Opechona is considered to contain: O. bacillaris (type-species), O. alaskensis Ward & Fillingham, O. [originally Neopechona] cablei (Stunkard) n. comb., O. chloroscombri Nahhas & Cable, O. occidentalis Montgomery, O. parvasoma Ching sp. inq., O. pharyngodactyla Manter, O. [originally Distomum] pyriforme (Linton) n. comb. and O. sebastodis (Yamaguti). Prodistomum includes: P. gracile Linton (type-species), P. [originally Opechona] girellae (Yamaguti) n. comb., P. [originally Opechona] hynnodi (Yamaguti) n. comb., P. [originally Opechona] menidiae (Manter) n. comb., P. [originally Pharyngora] orientalis (Layman) n. comb., P. polonii and P. [originally Opechona] waltairensis (Madhavi) n. comb. Some species are considered ‘Opechona-like’ species incertae sedis: O. formiae Oshmarin, O. siddiqii Ahmad, 1986 nec 1984, O. mohsini Ahmad, O. magnatestis Gaevskaya & Kovaleva, O. vinodae Ahmad, O. travassosi Ahmad, ‘Lepidapedon’ nelsoni Gupta & Mehrotra and O. siddiqi Ahmad, 1984 nec 1986. The related genera Cephalolepidapedon Yamaguti and Clavogalea Bray and the synonymies of their constituent species are discussed, and further comments are made on related genera and misplaced species. The new combination Clavogalea [originally Stephanostomum] trachinoti (Fischthal & Thomas) is made. The taxonomy, life-history, host-specificity and zoogeography of the genera are briefly discussed.     

Eight species of Lintonium Stunkard & Nigrelli, 1930 (Digenea: Fellodistomidae) in Australian tetraodontiform fishes

Systematic Parasitology - We report eight species of Lintonium from tetraodontiform fishes from Australian waters and describe six of them as new. Two species are described from tetraodontids from...     

Species of Stephanostomum Looss, 1899 (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae) from fishes of Australian and South Pacific waters,including five new species

Nine species of Stephanostomum are described from Australian and Southern Pacific marine fishes: Stephanostomum madhaviae n. sp. [syn. S. orientalis of Madhavi (1976)] from Caranx ignobilis, off Hope Island, Queensland, with 30-34 circum-oral spines and vitelline fields almost reaching to the posterior extremity of the cirrus-sac; S. bicoronatum (Stossich, 1883) from Argyrosomus hololepidotus, off Southport Broadwater, Queensland; S. votonimoli n. sp. from Scomberoides lysan, off Moorea, French Polynesia (type-locality) and Western Samoa, with 33-38 circum-oral spines, a uroproct and the vitelline fields not reaching the cirrus-sac; S. nyoomwa n. sp. from Caranx sexfasciatus, off Heron Island, Queensland, with 33-38 circum-oral spines, a uroproct and the vitelline fields reaching the cirrus-sac; S. cobia n. sp. from Rachycentron canadum, off Heron Island, with 36 circum-oral spines, a uroproct and the vitelline fields reaching the cirrus-sac; S. petimba Yamaguti, 1970 from Seriola hippos, off Rottnest Island, Western Australia; S. pacificum (Yamaguti, 1951) from Pseudocaranx wrighti, off Fremantle, Western Australia; S. aaravi n. sp. from Lethrinus miniatus, off Heron Island, with 36-39 circum-oral spines, probably a uroproct and the vitelline fields reaching the ventral sucker; S. pagrosomi (Yamaguti, 1939) from L. nebulosus, L. miniatus and L. atkinsoni off Heron Island, Pagrus auratus, off Rottnest Island, Western Australia and Gymnocranius audleyi, off Heron Island. A digest of described species of Stephanostomum is included as an appendix.     

The Australian species of Lobatocreadium Madhavi, 1972, Hypocreadium Ozaki, 1936 and Dermadena Manter, 1945 (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae), parasites of marine tetraodontiform fishes

The genera Lobatocreadium, Pseudocreadium, Hypocreadium and Dermadena are redefined and host lists given. Provisional keys to species of Lobatocreadium, Hypocreadium and Dermadena are presented. The following species are described from (1) the Great Barrier Reef: Lobatocreadium exiguum from Balistapus undulatus and Sufflamen bursa; Hypocreadium cavum n. sp. from Abalistes stellatus (type-host) and Cantheschenia grandisquamis; H. grandisquamis n. sp. from Cantheschenia grandisquamis; Dermadena spatiosa n. sp. from Cantheschenia grandisquamis; and (2) southwestern Australia: D. stirlingi n. sp. from Meuschenia hippocrepis. The following new combinations are made: Lobatocreadium vitellosum (Ozaki, 1936) n. comb. (originally Leptocreadium); Hypocreadium balistes (Nagaty, 1942) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium); H. biminensis (Sogandares-Bernal, 1959) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium); H. indicum (Madhavi, 1972) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium); and H. galapagoensis (Manter, 1945) n. comb. (originally Pseudocreadium). Several nominal species of Pseudocreadium and Hypocreadium are considered incertae sedis.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepotrema</Emphasis> Ozaki, 1932 (Lepocreadiidae: Digenea) from Indo-Pacific fishes,with the description of eight new species,characterised by morphometric and molecular features

We review species of the genus Lepotrema Ozaki, 1932 from marine fishes in the Indo-West Pacific. Prior to the present study six species were recognised. Here we propose eight new species on the basis of combined morphological and molecular analysis: Lepotrema acanthochromidis n. sp. ex Acanthochromis polyacanthus from the Great Barrier Reef (GBR); Lepotrema hemitaurichthydis n. sp. ex Hemitaurichthys polylepis and H. thompsoni from Palau and French Polynesia; Lepotrema melichthydis n. sp. ex Melichthys vidua from Palau and the GBR; Lepotrema amansis n. sp. ex Amanses scopas from the GBR; Lepotrema cirripectis n. sp. ex Cirripectes filamentosus, C. chelomatus and C. stigmaticus from the GBR; Lepotrema justinei n. sp. ex Sufflamen fraenatum from New Caledonia; Lepotrema moretonense n. sp. ex Prionurus microlepidotus, P. maculatus and Selenotoca multifasciata from Moreton Bay; and Lepotrema amblyglyphidodonis n. sp. ex Amblyglyphidodon curacao and Amphipron akyndynos from the GBR. We also report new host records and provide novel molecular data for two known species: Lepotrema adlardi Bray, Cribb & Barker, 1993 and Lepotrema monile Bray & Cribb, 1998. Two new combinations are formed, Lepotrema cylindricum (Wang, 1989) n. comb. (for Preptetos cylindricus) and Lepotrema navodonis (Shen, 1986) n. comb. (for Lepocreadium navodoni). With the exception of a handful of ambiguous records, the evidence is compelling that the host-specificity of species in this genus is overwhelmingly oioxenous or stenoxenous. This renders the host distribution in three orders and ten families especially difficult to explain as many seemingly suitable hosts are not infected. Multi-loci molecular data (ITS2 rDNA, 28S rDNA and cox1 mtDNA) demonstrate that Lepotrema is a good generic concept, but limited variability in sequence data and differences in phylogenies produced for different gene regions make relationships within the genus difficult to define.     

A new species of Legeriomyces and other Harpellales reported for the first time in larval insects from Hungary

Trichomycetes from the guts of aquatic insects have been surveyed for the first time in Hungary. Legeriomyces hungaricus sp. nov. is described along with two new geographic records, L. ramosus and Stachylina grandispora, all of them Harpellales (Kickxellomycotina). The new species is distinguished from others by having smaller zygospores and a characteristic bell-shaped (campanulate) holdfast, unknown so far in other species of Legeriomyces. An unidentified species of Paramoebidium was also observed along with L. ramosus in nymphs of Baetis rhodani (Ephemeroptera). This preliminary report adds to the existing data on gut fungi and we hope will encourage further research on these cryptic endosymbionts in Hungary and its vicinity.     

Six new species of Lepidapedon Stafford, 1904 (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae) from deep-sea macrourid fishes from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, with revised keys to the species of the genus

Species of the genus Lepidapedon are divided into various groups and subgroups based on vitelline distribution relative to the acetabulum and anterior extent of the excretory vesicle. Members of this genus predominantly parasitise gadiform fishes and are commonly collected from relatively deep waters. A recent study of deep-sea helminths from macrourids of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea revealed six new species of this genus. L. mexicanensis n. sp., of the elongatum group, elongatum subgroup, differs from other species in this subgroup in proportions (as % of body length), lacking confluent vitelline fields between both the ovary and anterior testis and the testes, and in having a smaller egg and body size. L. nezumiatis n. sp., of the elongatum group, desclersae subgroup, differs from both L. filiformis and L. desclersae in having intermediate egg and body sizes, and a longer oesophagus than prepharynx. L. caribbaei n. sp. and L. longivesicula n. sp., of the garrardi group, congeri subgroup, differ from L. congeri in having a sucker-ratio of 1:<1. L. caribbaei n. sp. and L. longivesicula n. sp. differ from each other in that L. caribbaei n. sp. has numerous long, barb-like, deeply imbedded spines, a less elongate body, an infundibuliform oral sucker, a similar-sized oesophagus and prepharynx, and a caecal bifurcation which is closer to the acetabulum than oral sucker, while L. longivesicula n. sp. has shorter, serrate or plate-like, lightly imbedded, widely to sporadically spaced spines, a more elongate body, a spherical to subspherical oral sucker, a longer oesophagus than prepharynx, and a caecal bifurcation which is closer to the oral sucker than acetabulum. L. desotoensis n. sp., of the rachion group, rachion subgroup, is distinct from both L. luteum and L. abyssensis in having a smaller size, lacking cervical glands or pharyngeal gland cells, and possessing dark-staining particles in the mesenchyme, while it differs from L. abyssensis specifically in having a much longer oesophagus than prepharynx, lateral vitelline fields that are not confluent intertesticularly, and wider eggs. L. zaniophori n. sp., also of the rachion subgroup, differs from both L. cascadensis and L. genge in having a smaller egg size, a shorter prepharynx and oesophagus than pharynx, and vitelline fields that are intertesticular but only slightly encroach between the ovary and anterior testis. L. sammari and L. spiniferi are designated as incertae sedis, and L. quiloni and L. stromateusi are designated as species inquirendae. New parasite keys and host records for Coelorinchus coelorhincus, C. caribbaeus and Nezumia cyrano are offered. Support is given to Lepidapedon probably being the dominant digenean genus in deep water.     

The taxonomic status of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Opegaster</Emphasis> Ozaki, 1928 and the description of four new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Opecoelus</Emphasis> Ozaki, 1925 (Digenea: Opecoelidae) from marine teleosts in Australian waters

The similarities between Opecoelus Ozaki, 1925, Coitocaecum Nicoll, 1915, Opegaster Ozaki, 1928 and Paropecoelus Pritchard, 1966 and the difficulty of separating Opecoelus and Opegaster are discussed. It is proposed that Opegaster be reduced to synonymy with Opecoelus and the diagnosis of the latter amended to accommodate both forms. Four new species of Opecoelus are described from marine teleosts in Australian waters. These are Opecoelus woolcockae n. sp. from Acanthopagrus butcheri and A. australis from off South Australia, New South Wales and southern Queensland, O. pomatomi n. sp. from Pomatomus saltatrix off New South Wales, O. crowcrofti n. sp. from Atherinomorus ogilbyi off southern Queensland and O. queenslandicus n. sp. from Apogon fasciatus off southern Queensland. The following new combinations are formed: Opecoelus gonorhynchi (Gavrilyuk, 1979) n. comb., O. elongatus (Yamaguti, 1959) n. comb., O. pentadactylus (Manter, 1940) n. comb., O. apogonichthydis (Yamaguti, 1938) n. comb., O. cameroni (Caballero & Caballero, 1969) n. comb., O. dendrochiri (Yamaguti, 1970) n. comb., O. hawaiiensis (Yamaguti, 1970) n. comb., O. jamunicus (Srivastava, 1968) n. comb., O. longivesiculus (Yamaguti, 1952) n. comb., O. mastacembalii (Harshey, 1937) n. comb., O. mehrii (Harshey, 1937) n. comb., O. synodi (Manter, 1947) n. comb., O. tamori (Yamaguti, 1938) n. comb., O. bothi (Yamaguti, 1970) n. comb., O. caulopsettae (Manter, 1954) n. comb., O. beliyai (Pande, 1937) n. comb., O. brevifistulus (Ozaki, 1928) n. comb., O. cryptocentri (Yamaguti, 1958) n. comb., O. dactylopteri (Yamaguti, 1970) n. comb., O. dermatogenyos (Yamaguti, 1970) n. comb., O. ditrematis (Yamaguti, 1942) n. comb., O. gobii (Yamaguti, 1952) n. comb., O. hippocampi (Shen, 1982) n. comb., O. iniistii (Yamaguti, 1970) n. comb., O. lobulus (Wang, 1977) n. comb., O. macrorchis (Yamaguti, 1938) n. comb., O. parapristipomatis (Yamaguti, 1934) n. comb., O. pritchardae (Overstreet, 1969) n. comb., O. syngnathi (Yamaguti, 1934) n. comb., O. lutiani (Bravo-Hollis & Manter, 1957) n. comb., O. ovatus (Ozaki, 1928) n. comb., O. plotosi (Yamaguti, 1940) n. comb. and O. rectus (Ozaki, 1928) n. comb.; all the new combinations were previously species of Opegaster.     

Intra-specific variation of Kudoa spp. (Myxosporea: Multivalvulida) from apogonid fishes (Perciformes), including the description of two new species, K. cheilodipteri n. sp. and K. cookii n. sp., from Australian waters

Kudoa spp. from the musculature and intestinal mucosa of species of the teleost family Apogonidae were examined for their taxonomic identity. Two novel species are characterised: Kudoa cheilodipteri n. sp. from the musculature of Cheilodipterus quinquelineatus Cuvier, Ostorhinchus cyanosoma (Bleeker) and O. aureus (Lacépède); and Kudoa cookii n. sp. from the submucosa of the intestines of O. cookii (Macleay) only. Both species are characterised using morphology, small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA), large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA), and biological characters. Three new host records, O. cyanosoma, O. aureus and Apogon doederleini, and associated geographical, morphological and genetic data are also provided for Kudoa whippsi Burger & Adlard, 2010. Morphological and molecular intra-specific variation of all isolates assigned to K. whippsi is also examined. Phylogenetic analyses further support the idea that tissue tropism is a distinguishing character between morphologically similar species; species reported here display close relatedness to morphologically similar species infecting the same tissue within their hosts.     

Two new hemiurine species (Digenea: Hemiuridae) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spratelloides robustus</Emphasis> Ogilby (Clupeiformes: Clupeidae) off south-western Australia and records of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parahemiurus merus </Emphasis>(Linton, 1910) from Australian and New Caledonian waters

Two new species of hemiurine hemiurid are described from Spratelloides robustus off Woodman Point in southern Western Australia. Hemiurus lignator n. sp. differs from its congeners by a combination of similar-sized suckers, long sinus-sac, tandem testes, relatively elongate shape and unthickened seminal vesicle wall. Parahemiurus xylokopos n. sp. differs from its congeners in a combination of its squat form, its distinctly lobed vitellarium and the proximity of the gonads to the ventral sucker. P. merus (Linton, 1910) is reported from Acanthopagrus australis, Pomatomus saltatrix and Trachinotus coppingeri off northern New South Wales, Caranx sexfasciatus, Scorpis lineolata, Siganus nebulosus, Thunnus tonggol and T. coppingeri off southern Queensland, Cephalopholis boenak and Euthynnus affinis off Heron Island, southern Great Barrier Reef, P. saltatrix off southern Western Australia and Priacanthus hamrur off New Caledonia.