Two novel myxosporean parasites in Black Sea fishes: Kudoa niluferi sp. nov. and Kudoa anatolica sp. nov. (Cnidaria: Myxosporea).

Abstract

Members of the genus Kudoa are typically histozoic and only a few are coelozoic parasites, mainly in marine fishes. In the present study, 2 novel Kudoa species were recovered and described as Kudoa niluferi sp. nov. in the musculature of Neogobius melanostomus and Kudoa anatolica sp. nov. in the musculature, urinary bladder and kidney of Atherina hepsetus collected from the coast of Sinop on the Black Sea. Means ± SD (ranges) of mature spores of K. niluferi sp. nov. were 5.9 ± 0.1 (5.7-6.1) µm in length, 9.2 ± 0.2 (8.8-9.5) µm in width and 7.5 ± 0.3 (7.0-8.1) µm in thickness, while those of K. anatolica sp. nov. were 4.1 ± 0.3 (3.5-4.1) µm in length, 7.1 ± 0.2 (6.7-7.2) µm in width and 5.7 ± 0.2 (5.3-6.0) µm in thickness. In both parasite species, length and width of the 4 polar capsules were not equal and formed 3 distinct size classes, largest (1), intermediate (2) and smallest (1) in size. The prevalence and intensity of infection by K. niluferi sp. nov. were 12.8% and 20-29 parasites (per field-of-view, at 200× magnification), respectively, in the musculature of N. melanostomus. These values for K. anatolica sp. nov. were 32.1% and 10-19 parasites in the musculature as well as 2.9% and 20-29 parasites jointly in the kidney and urinary bladder of A. hepsetus. Phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear small subunit rDNA also suggested K. niluferi and K. anatolica as 2 novel species. These species appeared in the same lineage with K. nova and formed a Black Sea lineage.