Abstract
A microsporidian pathogen was originally identified using molecular techniques from Oulema melanopus L. (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) under a “working name” Nosema oulemae, but its description was never published. In the present study, a microsporidian infection was detected in the Blue Shieldbug, Zicrona caerulea for the first time, showing 99.9% SSU rRNA sequence similarity to N. oulemae (Genbank accession U27359). Life cycle, tissue tropism, ultrastructure and phylogenetical relationships with other microsporidia species were disclosed. Nymph and adult stages of the host were infected with mature spores produced in the gut, hemocoel and fat body. Spores of the parasite measured approximately 4.50 ± 0.36 μm in length and 2.46 ± 0.18 μm in width on fresh smears. The number of coils of the polar filament was 9–11. Coils were 109.23 ± 22.92 nm (range: 93.75–268.66; n = 50) in diameter and consisted of seven concentric layers of different electron density and thickness. The spores possessed a relatively thick (174.04 ± 57.65 nm) trilaminar spore wall. Developmental sequence and ultrastructure The SSU rRNA and RPB1 gene sequences were deposited GenBank under accession MT102274 and MW538912. Basing upon the sequence similarity, the isolate from Z. caerulea can be attributed to the species from O. melanopus provisionally designated as N. oulemae. The novel species Vairimorpha hostounsky sp. nov. is described, named after Prof. Zdenek Hostounsky who was the first to discover this parasite.
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