Trematodes from Red Sea fishes: Pachycreadium lethrini sp. nov. (Opecoelidae Ozaki, 1925) and Pseudometadena aegyptensis sp. nov. (Cryptogonimidae Ward, 1917), with a review of their genera

Abstract

AbstractSpecimens of the fishes Lethrinus nebulosus Forsskål (Lethrinidae) and Diplodus noct Valenciennes (Sparidae) were caught in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm El-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt. Ten (33%) and 12 (24%) of these fishes, respectively, were found to harbour intestinal trematodes. L. nebulosus was parasitised by Pachycreadium lethrini sp. nov. (Opecoelidae) and D. noct by Pseudometadena aegyptensis sp. nov. (Cryptogonimidae). P. lethrini sp. nov. is unique in having distinctly unequal testes, contiguous gonads arranged obliquely in the right side of hindbody and a small egg size. However, it differs from each of the other three species of the genus in several other features: from P. gastrocotylum (Manter, 1940) Manter, 1954 in having a smaller sucker ratio and vitelline follicles terminating anteriorly at the level of intestinal bifurcation; from P. carnosum (Rudolphi, 1819) Cortini et Ferretti, 1959 in having a smaller body, a smaller sucker ratio, a genital pore situated ventrally to the anterior border of pharynx, a pretesticular ovary and vitelline follicles extending anteriorly to the level of intestinal bifurcation; and from P. lerneri Sogandares-Bernal, 1959 in having a larger body, a smaller sucker ratio and an unlobed ovary. P. angolensis Aleshkina et Gaevskaya, 1985 is considered an invalid species in Pachycreadium. P. aegyptensis sp. nov. is similar to P. celebesensis Yamaguti, 1952, but mainly differs in having a larger pharynx, a much shorter oesophagus, extensive vitelline acini and a shorter seminal vesicle. Pachycreadium Manter, 1954 and Pseudometadena Yamaguti, 1952 are briefly reviewed.