Endoparasitic dactylogyrids (Monogenea) from the fish digestive system: a new species from the oesophagus of Hoplichthys citrinus (Scorpaeniformes) off the Chesterfield Islands, New Caledonia
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2009 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The large majority of monogeneans are branchial or cutaneous ectoparasites and relatively few of them are known to parasitise internal organs. Among those of the Dactylogyridae, seven genera (i.e. Diplectanotrema, Pseudempleurosoma, Neodiplectanotrema, Paradiplectanotrema, Pseudodiplectanotrema, Metadiplectanotrema, and Enterogyrus) have been proposed to accommodate species colleted from the digestive systems of freshwater and marine fishes. During recent surveys of helminth parasites of marine fishes off New Caledonia, South Pacific, 20 specimens of conspecific monogeneans were recovered from the oesophagus of the deep sea fish Hoplichthys citrinus Gilbert (Hoplichthyidae) collected in the region of the Chesterfield Islands (Coral Sea, about halfway between New Caledonia and Australia). Their detailed study has shown that they represent a previously undescribed species of dactylogyrids belonging to so-called diplectanotrema-group. The specimens found were preliminary assigned to Pseudempleurosoma based on the following features observed on them: thick tegument with transverse ridges, tandem gonads (ovary pretesticular), a vas deferens looping the left intestinal caecum, a sclerotised copulatory organ without an accessory piece, ventral and dorsal anchor/bar complexes, a dorsal bar formed as 2 bilateral sclerotised rudiments, and 7 pairs of similar hooks with protruding thumb and slender shaft. However, re-examination of the type specimens of Diplectanotrema balistes, Pseudempleurosoma carangis, and vouchers of Paradiplectanotrema lepidopi showed that the type species of these genera share much more common features than it was believed earlier, and therefore it is likely that all these genera are synonyms. |
| Related projects: |