Morphological and ultrastructural redescription of Chloromyxum leydigi Mingazzini, 1890 (Myxozoa: Myxosporea), type species of the genus, infecting the gall bladder of the marine cartilaginous fish Torpedo marmorata Risso (Chondrichthyes: Torpedinidae), from the Portuguese Atlantic coast

Abstract

Chloromyxum leydigi Mingazzini, 1890, the type species of Chloromyxum Mingazzini, 1890, is redescribed based on material found in the gall bladder of the cartilaginous fish Torpedo marmorata Risso collected from the Portuguese Atlantic coast and its sporogonic development is described. Plasmodia and mature spores were floating free in the bile. Plasmodia are polysporic and highly polymorphic in shape and organization. Mature spores are spherical to subspherical with a pointed anterior end, measuring 12.3 +/- 0.5 microm in length and 9.0 +/- 0.5 microm in width. The spore wall is composed of two asymmetric shell valves, each bearing 4-5 elevated surface ridges. A bundle of 40-50 tapering caudal filaments extends from the basal portion of the shell valves. Four pyriform equal-sized polar capsules, measuring about 5.3 x 3.2 microm, are observed at the same level in the anterior pole of the spores, each containing a polar filament coiled in 8-9 (rarely 10) turns. Spore morphology, tissue tropism, host species and sequences of the SSU rRNA gene supported species identification. Since its discovery, this species has been dubiously reported from several cartilaginous hosts, namely due to the poor description of its features.