František Moravec

Some philometrid nematodes (Philometridae), including four new species of Philometra, from marine fishes off New Caledonia

Examinations of marine fishes off New Caledonia, South Pacific, carried out in 2003–2006, yielded some nematodes of the genus Philometra Costa, 1845, including the following three new species: P. cyanopodi sp. nov. (males and subgravid females) and P. lethrini sp. nov. (males and subgravid females) from the gonads of Epinephelus cyanopodus (Richardson) (Serranidae) and Lethrinus genivittatus Valenciennes (Lethrinidae), respectively, and P. lagocephali sp. nov. (gravid female) from the abdominal cavity of Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin) (Tetraodontidae). Another congeneric species P. fasciati sp. nov. from the gonads of Epinephelus fasciatus (Forsskål) (Serranidae), originally reported as P. lateolabracis (Yamaguti, 1935), has been established with reference to the description of males and a mature female published by Moravec and Justine (2005). The new species are characterized mainly by the length of spicules and the length and structure of the gubernaculum, structure of the male caudal end (except for P. lagocephali), body size, location in the host and by the types of hosts. In addition, Philometra sp. (subgravid females) from the gonads of Lutjanus vitta (Quoy et Gaimard) (Lutjanidae) and Philometra cf. ocularis Moravec et al., 2002 (gravid female) from the oculo-orbit of Epinephelus areolatus (Forsskål) were found, the latter representing a new host record.RésuméL’examen de poissons marins de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Pacifique Sud, pratiqué en 2003–2006, a permis de récolter des nématodes du genre Philometra Costa, 1845, y compris les espèces nouvelles suivantes: P. cyanopodi sp. nov. (mâles et femelles subgravides) et P. lethrini sp. nov. (mâles et femelles subgravides) respectivement des gonades de Epinephelus cyanopodus (Richardson) (Serranidae) et Lethrinus genivittatus Valenciennes (Lethrinidae), et P. lagocephali sp. nov. (femelle gravide) de la cavité abdominale de Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin) (Tetraodontidae). Une autre espèce congénérique P. fasciati sp. nov., des gonades de Epinephelus fasciatus (Forsskål) (Serranidae), originellement rapportée comme P. lateolabracis (Yamaguti, 1935), a été établie par référence à la description des mâles et d’une femelle mûre publiée par Moravec et Justine (2005). Les nouvelles espèces sont caractérisées principalement par la longueurs du spicule, la structure du gubernaculum, la structure de l’extrémité caudale du mâle (sauf pour P. lagocephali), la taille du corps, la position chez l’hôte et le type d’hôte. De plus, Philometra sp. (femelles subgravides) des gonades de Lutjanus vitta (Quoy et Gaimard) (Lutjanidae) et Philometra cf. ocularis Moravec et al., 2002 (femelle gravide) de l’œil et de l’orbite de Epinephelus areolatus (Forsskål) ont été trouvés, le dernier représentant un nouvel hôte.

Parasite communities in eels of the Island of Reunion (Indian Ocean): a lesson in parasite introduction.

Eel populations from the small rivers on the Island of Reunion (French Overseas Department in the Indian Ocean) were investigated with respect to the occurrence and abundance of helminths during the autumn of 2005. The native species Anguilla marmorata (n = 80), Anguilla bicolor (n = 23), and Anguilla mossambica (n = 15) were studied. Six species of helminths were identified, four of them having a definitely nonnative status. Furthermore, unidentified intra-intestinal juvenile cestodes and extra-intestinal encapsulated anisakid nematode larvae were present in a few eels. We found that the invasive swim bladder nematode Anguillicoloides (Anguillicola) crassus had been introduced into the island. Six specimens were collected, four from A. marmorata, one from A. bicolor and one from A. mossambica. The maximum intensity of infection was two worms. The other helminths also showed a low abundance. These species were the monogenean gill worms Pseudodactylogyrus anguillae and Pseudodactylogyrus bini and the intestinal parasites Bothriocephalus claviceps (Cestodes), Paraquimperia africana (Nematodes), and the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus reunionensis Warner, Sasal, and Taraschewski, 2007. The latter species, found as intra-intestinal immatures, is thought to utilize amphibians as required hosts; its status, introduced or native, could not be determined. P. africana was described from A. mossambica in South Africa and has not been recorded outside Africa. The other species are known from populations of European and American eels. However, A. crassus and the two Pseudodactylogyrus species originate from East Asia, where they are indigenous parasites of Anguilla japonica. Both an assignment test based on seven specific microsatellite loci and subsequent sequencing of mitochondrial haplotypes of a partial fragment of cytochrome c oxidase 1 strongly suggest that the A. crassus may originated around the Baltic Sea. According to the results presented here, populations of the indigenous eel species from Reunion can be considered to harbor extremely isolationist alien parasite communities. Our findings support the hypothesis that during the present time of global biological change, invasion by a nonnative species into a target island is more likely to reflect the political affiliation of the colonized environment and the pathways of trade and tourism than geographic proximity between donor and recipient areas or other natural circumstances.

Helminths of freshwater fishes in the reservoir of the Hydroelectric Power Station of Itaipu, Paraná, Brazil

This study presents results from several expeditions in 1985, 1991-1995 and 2003 to the Medium Parana River in the section that begins below the Itaipu Dam and ends at the trinational border of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, in the lotic and lentic zones of the reservoir of the Hydroelectric Power Station of “Itaipu Binacional” (localities Foz do Iguacu, Santa Helena and Guaira). Ninety-eight species of freshwater fishes belonging to 22 families were examined for helminths. A host-parasite list based on Acanthocephala, Cestoda, Digenea, Monogenea and Nematoda collected from the region in question is provided. New host records are presented for Digenea and Nematoda. The Monogenea and Acanthocephala are being studied.

A new species of Philometra (Nematoda, Philometridae) from the gonads of the rock hind Epinephelus adscensionis (Osteichthyes) from the southern Gulf of Mexico

A new species of parasitic nematode, Philometra mexicana sp. nov. (Philometridae), is described based on males and females parasitizing the gonads of the marine perciform fish (rock hind) Epinephelus adscensionis (Osbeck) (Serranidae) off the coast of the southern Gulf of Mexico (reefs of the Enmedio Island, Veracruz), Mexico, collected on 10 April 1990. The new species is characterized mainly by very small males (body length 1.63–1.86 mm) with equally long, needle-like spicules (length 90–120 μm) and the gubernaculum (57–66 μm) without the usual dorsal barb on the distal end, the body length of gravid females (178–230 mm), the presence of a well-developed anterior bulbous inflation on the female oesophagus, and by the length of the first-stage larvae (420–435 μm). A comparison with other congeners parasitizing the gonads of marine fishes is provided. The cephalic end of the gravid female of Philometra margolisi Moravec, Vidal-Martínez et Aguirre-Macedo, 1995, another related species from the gonads of Epinephelus [E. morio (Valenciennes)] in Mexico, has been studied by SEM for the first time; it confirms the arrangement of the cephalic papillae as reported in the original species description. Philometra mexicana is the fifth species of Philometra reported from the gonads of marine fishes in the West Atlantic region.

Observations on five species of philometrid nematodes from marine fishes in Japan

Five species of philometrid nematodes (subfamily Philometrinae) are redescribed on the basis of newly collected materials from marine fishes from Japan. The species Philometra sciaenae Yamaguti, 1941, considered by Rasheed (1963) a synonym of P. lateolabracis (Yamaguti, 1935), is re-established as a valid species and the male of this nematode, collected from the ovary of the type-host, Argyrosomus argentatus, is described for the first time; the latter is characterised mainly by the length of equally long spicules (0.108–0.126 mm) and the length ratio of the gubernaculum and spicules (1:2.25). Other species redescribed on females include Philometra inimici Yamaguti, 1941 and P. sebastisci Yamaguti, 1941 from the ovary of their type-hosts, Inimicus japonicus and Sebastiscus marmoratus, respectively, and also Philometroides seriolae (Ishii, 1931) from the musculature of Seriola quinqueradiata (type-host), and Clavinema mariae (Layman, 1930) from the subcutaneous tissue of Pleuronectes schrenki and Acanthogobius flavimanus (a new host record). For the first time, cephalic ends of some of these species were studied under the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the character of their cephalic papillae was described. The importance of a knowledge of male morphology for the taxonomy of philometrids is stressed.

Some gonad-infecting species of Philometra (Nematoda, Philometridae) from offshore fishes of South Carolina and Georgia, USA, including Philometra charlestonensis sp. nov. from the scamp Mycteroperca phenax

Three gonad-infecting species of Philometra Costa, 1845 were, for the first time, recorded from perciform fishes from estuarine and marine waters in South Carolina and Georgia, USA: Philometra charlestonensis sp. nov. from the scamp Mycteroperca phenax (Jordan et Swain) (Serranidae), P. saltatrix Ramachandran, 1973 from the bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus) (Pomatomidae), and Philometra sp. from the Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus (Linnaeus) (Sciaenidae). The new species is characterized mainly by males (body length 2.65–3.14 mm) with equally long, needle-like spicules (length 132–141 μm) and the gubernaculum (81–93 μm) bearing dorsal transverse lamella-like structures on its distal portion, the body length of gravid females (168–247 mm), the presence of a well-developed anterior bulbous inflation on the female oesophagus, and by the length of the first-stage larvae (544–597 μm). A key to gonad-infecting species of Philometra parasitizing marine and brackish-water fishes is provided.

Philometrids (Nematoda: Philometridae) in carangid and serranid fishes off New Caledonia, including three new species

A recent examination of newly obtained specimens of philometrid nematodes (Philometridae) parasitising carangid and serranid fishes off New Caledonia, South Pacific, revealed the presence of several nematodes of the genus Philometra Costa, 1845, including three new species: P. austropacifica n. sp. (males and females) from the ovary of Alepes vari (Carangidae), P. piscaria n. sp. (males) from the ovary of Epinephelus coioides (Serranidae), and P. selaris n. sp. (males) probably from the abdominal cavity (found in washings) of Selar crumenophthalmus (Carangidae). The new species are characterised mainly by the length and structure of the spicules and gubernaculum, body size, their location in the host and the type of host. Philometra austropacifica n. sp. is the first known nominal gonad-infecting species of Philometra parasitising a carangid fish. In addition, the gravid female of P. fasciati Moravec & Justine, 2008 from the ovary of Epinephelus fasciatus (Serranidae) is described for the first time. Carangid host fish were identified by both morphology and DNA barcoding.

An annotated list of fish parasites (Isopoda, Copepoda, Monogenea, Digenea, Cestoda, Nematoda) collected from Snappers and Bream (Lutjanidae, Nemipteridae, Caesionidae) in New Caledonia confirms high parasite biodiversity on coral reef fish

BackgroundCoral reefs are areas of maximum biodiversity, but the parasites of coral reef fishes, and especially their species richness, are not well known. Over an 8-year period, parasites were collected from 24 species of Lutjanidae, Nemipteridae and Caesionidae off New Caledonia, South Pacific.ResultsHost-parasite and parasite-host lists are provided, with a total of 207 host-parasite combinations and 58 parasite species identified at the species level, with 27 new host records. Results are presented for isopods, copepods, monogeneans, digeneans, cestodes and nematodes. When results are restricted to well-sampled reef fish species (sample size > 30), the number of host-parasite combinations is 20–25 per fish species, and the number of parasites identified at the species level is 9–13 per fish species. Lutjanids include reef-associated fish and deeper sea fish from the outer slopes of the coral reef: fish from both milieus were compared. Surprisingly, parasite biodiversity was higher in deeper sea fish than in reef fish (host-parasite combinations: 12.50 vs 10.13, number of species per fish 3.75 vs 3.00); however, we identified four biases which diminish the validity of this comparison. Finally, these results and previously published results allow us to propose a generalization of parasite biodiversity for four major families of reef-associated fishes (Lutjanidae, Nemipteridae, Serranidae and Lethrinidae): well-sampled fish have a mean of 20 host-parasite combinations per fish species, and the number of parasites identified at the species level is 10 per fish species.ConclusionsSince all precautions have been taken to minimize taxon numbers, it is safe to affirm than the number of fish parasites is at least ten times the number of fish species in coral reefs, for species of similar size or larger than the species in the four families studied; this is a major improvement to our estimate of biodiversity in coral reefs. Our results suggest that extinction of a coral reef fish species would eventually result in the coextinction of at least ten species of parasites.

A NEW CYSTIDICOLID NEMATODE FROM MULLUS SURMULETUS (PERCIFORMES: MULLIDAE) FROM THE WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN

Ascarophis valentina n. sp. is described from Mullus surmuletus off the Valencian coast of Spain on the basis of both light and scanning electron microscopy. It can be distinguished from the other members of the genus by the length of the left (long) spicule of the males and by egg morphology. An updated grouping of the species of Ascarophis considered valid is provided with respect to these characters. The new species resembles Ascarophis capelanus, belonging to the group of species possessing eggs with a single polar knob with filaments, but is distinguished by the size of the body, the length of the esophagus (especially in relation to body length), the position of the vulva, and the size of the left spicule. The new species also shows substantial morphological differences compared with the 3 species, Ascarophis mullusi, Ascarophis upenei, and Ascarophis parupenei, previously described from mullid hosts.

REDESCRIPTION AND SYSTEMATIC STATUS OF CAPILLARIA PHILIPPINENSIS, AN INTESTINAL PARASITE OF HUMAN BEINGS

A redescription of the capillariid originally described as Capillaria philippinensis, a pathogenic intestinal parasite of humans, is provided on the basis of specimens collected in humans in the Philippines. The general morphology, particularly the structure of the male caudal end, shows that this species belongs to Paracapillaria Mendonça, 1963 according to the present classification system of capillariids; the species is transferred to Paracapillaria as Paracapillaria philippinensis (Chitwood, Velasquez, and Salazar, 1968) n. comb. Crossicapillaria n. subgen. is proposed to accommodate this species.