Hamatopeduncularia Yamaguti, 1953 (Monogenea: Ancylodiscoididae) from catfish off Peninsular Malaysia: Description of two new species and insights on the genus.

Abstract

Hamatopeduncularia longiangusticirrata sp. nov. and H. petalumvaginata sp. nov. were collected from Arius maculatus and Nemapteryx caelata, respectively from Tanjung Karang, Peninsular Malaysia. Morphological and molecular investigations were carried out to ascertain the identity of the new species. The two new species differ from previously described Hamatopeduncularia species in the morphology of the male and female reproductive organs. Hamatopeduncularia longiangusticirrata sp. nov. possesses a long penis similar to H. elongata, H. longicopulatrix, H. brisbanensis, H. major and H. petalumvaginata sp. nov., but differs in having a thread-like tapering distal end and can be distinguished from H. brisbanensis and H. major in not having an accessory piece. Hamatopeduncularia longiangusticirrata sp. nov. is also unique in having an ornamented penis initial and a vaginal tube surrounded by fine hair-like structures. Hamatopeduncularia petalumvaginata sp. nov. possesses a simple penis without an accessory piece and a petaloid vaginal opening that resembles the arrangement of petals on a flower. Maximum likelihood trees were constructed from partial 28S and 18S rDNA sequences of the two new species and other ancylodiscoidids to reveal a strongly supported monophyletic branch consisting of the two new species for both markers. According to Lim's classification in 1996 of Hamatopeduncularia species penis type, H. petalumvaginata sp. nov. has been classified within the elegans-type and H. longiangusticirrata sp. nov. is proposed as the longiangusticirrata-type.