Abstract
SUMMARY: A myxosporean parasite was found in the skeletal muscle of porous-head eelpout Allolepis hollandi (Zoarcidae: Perciformes) caught in the Sea of Japan. White pseudocysts, about 3 mm in size, were distributed randomly over the musculature, and gave a negative impact on the appearance of fish products. Fresh spores of the myxosporean were subspherical in shape, 12.0 (11.2–13.5) μm long, 11.0 (10.5–12.0) μm wide, and 7.7 (6.9–8.4) μm thick. Two almost equal polar capsules were 4.8 (3.9–5.4) μm long. A mucous envelope was present around the posterior part of spores. Histological observations revealed that the plasmodia were encased by the host's cartilaginous tissue. Based on spore morphology, tissue-preference and ecological characteristics, we identified the myxosporean as Myxobolus aeglefini Auerbach 1906. This is the first record of a myxosporean infection in porous-head eelpout.
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