Supplemental Description and Phylogenetic Placement ofGyrodactylus corti(Monogenea: Gyrodactylidae) Parasitizing Captive Wolf-EelAnarrhichthys ocellatusin British Columbia

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Gyrodactylus corti Mizelle and Kritsky, 1967, originally described from captive wolf-eel (Anarrhichthys ocellatus) in California, was rediscovered during an outbreak of gyrodactylosis among captive A. ocellatus at a marine research facility in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The new material is used for a supplemental description of the parasite, including scanning electron microscopy of haptoral hard parts and molecular characterization of the internal transcribed spacer and partial 18S rDNA. The parasite is a member of Malmberg's Gyrodactylus perlucidus group, members of which have a marginal hook sickle with a distinct proximal base and distinct toe and ledge, anchors with a stout root and slender shaft and point, a ventral bar with medium-sized anterolateral processes and a prominent posterior membrane, and a male copulatory organ (MCO) with multiple rows of small spines that, for G. corti, are made up of spines of 2 distinct sizes, the smaller of the 2 occupying the outer row. This stu...