Specimens of Neoechinorhynchus (Neoechinorhynchus) poonchensis sp. n. are described from Schizothorax richardsonii (Gray) in the Poonch River, Jammu and Kashmir. Specimens are thick-walled with dissimilar dorsal and ventral para-receptacle structures, anteriorly manubriated hooks, two giant nuclei in each lemniscus and many subcutaneousy. The lemnisci barely overlap the larger anterior testis, the cement gland has eight giant nuclei, and the seminal vesicle is large with thin walls. The vagina is unremarkable but the long uterus is made up of four specialised regions. Neoechinorhynchus rigidus (Van Cleave, 1928), resembles N. poonchensis sp. n. It is distinguished from N. poonchensis sp. n. by having smaller trunk, proboscis, and male reproductive structures, equal testes, unequal lemnisci with three giant nuclei each, and much larger anterior proboscis hook (130 μm in males) than that originally described by Van Cleave (1928) (70 μm in a female). Anterior hook length alone is sufficient to conclude that the N. rigidus of Datta (1937) is not the same species as the N. rigidus of Van Cleave (1928). Van Cleave's (1928) species remains valid and that of Datta (1937) is considered a different species named Neoechinorhynchus pseudorigidus sp. n., herein. Micropores of N. poonchensis sp. n. have variable distribution in different trunk regions and the Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis demonstrated higher levels of sulfur and lower levels of calcium and phosphorus. Sequences of the 18S rDNA gene from nuclear DNA, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) from mitochondrial DNA of N. poonchensis sp. n. were amplified and aligned with other sequences available on GenBank. Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses inferred for 18S rDNA and cox1 showed that N. poonchensis sp. n. was nested in a separate clade.
The Asian neriid fly genus Telostylus Bigot (Diptera: Neriidae) is revised, including a key and illustrations of its species. Lectotype designations are proposed for four species: Telostylus babiensis de Meijere, T. decemnotatus Hendel, T. remipes (Walker) and T. trilineatus de Meijere. Two new species are described: Telostylus marshalli Sepúlveda & de Carvalho, sp. n., from Sarawak, Malaysia, and T. whitmorei Sepúlveda & de Carvalho, sp. n., from Masbate, Philippines. The morphology of Telostylus binotatus Bigot and T. remipes (Walker) is discussed in order to support their synonymy. Additionally, new country records are provided for four species: Telostylus babiensis de Meijere for Philippines, T. binotatus Bigot for Papua New Guinea, T. inversus Hennig for Malaysia and Indonesia, and T. trilineatus de Meijere for Malaysia and Philippines.
The small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rDNA) of two freshwater and one marine species of the genus Chloromyxum Mingazzini, 1890 were sequenced. The SSU rDNA trees obtained show the phylogenetic position of the marine species Chloromyxum leydigi Mingazzini, 1890 to be at the base of the freshwater clade, being well supported by a high bootstrap value. Chloromyxum cyprini Fujita, 1927 is closely related to Chloromyxum truttae Léger, 1906 and they represent a sister branch to raabeia sp., Myxidium sp. and Myxidium truttae Léger, 1930. Chloromyxum legeri Tourraine, 1931 is in a position ancestral to Myxidium lieberkuehni Bütschli, 1882 and Sphaerospora oncorhynchi Kent, Whitaker et Margolis, 1993. Three newly sequenced species of the genus Chloromyxum represent three separate lineages within the myxosporean tree and do not support the monophyly of this genus.
The Tachyusa coarctata species group is revised. The species group is defined on the basis of the distinctly asperate punctation on elytra, the dense punctation on tergites III-V with interstices between punctures 1.5-2.0 times their diameter, and the dense, subrecumbent pubescence on the abdomen. The T. coarctata species group is composed of twenty three species restricted in occurrence to the Holarctic and Africa, including one new species described from Iran: Tachyusa frischi sp.n. A revised key to the species in this group is provided. An analysis of the phylogeny of the Tachyusa coarctata species group based on cladistic methods is presented and the phylogenetic relationships among species are discussed.
Gyrodactylus thymalli Žitňan, 1960 and G. salaris Malmberg, 1957 have an indistinguishable ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) DNA sequence, but exhibit surprisingly high levels of intra- and interspecific sequence variation of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (CO1) gene. To test whether different populations of these reportedly very similar species could be discriminated using morphometric methods, we examined the morphometry of four different populations representing different mitochondrial clades. Twenty five point-to-point measurements, including five new characters of the attachment hooks, were recorded from three Norwegian laboratory populations (G. salaris from the Rivers Lierelva and Rauma, and G. thymalli from the River Rena), and from one wild population of G. thymalli from the River Test, UK. The Norwegian populations were kept under identical environmental conditions to control for the influence of temperature on the haptoral attachment hooks. Data were subsequently subjected to univariate and linear stepwise discriminant analyses. The model generated by the linear stepwise discriminant analysis used 18 of the 25 original variables, the first two roots accounting for 96.6% of the total variation between specimens. The hamulus shaft length accounts for 66.7% of the overall correct classification efficiency. Based on morphometry, all specimens were assigned to the correct species. Apart from three specimens of G. salaris from the River Lierelva population which were misclassified as belonging to the G. salaris Rauma population, all specimens were assigned to the correct population. Thus, populations of Gyrodactylus identified by mtDNA can also be discriminated using morphometric landmark distances.
Sorbus eximia Kovanda, a hybridogenous species that originated from the parental combination S. torminalis and S. aria s.l., is thought to be an apomictic species, which includes diploid and tetraploid individuals. The present study confirmed the existence of only triploid individuals. A new tentatively apomictic triploid (2n = 3x = 51) species from the S. latifolia group: S. barrandienica P. Vít, M. Lepší et P. Lepší is described based on a revision of S. eximia. This species is assumed to have originated from a cross between S. danubialis or S. aria s.l. and S. torminalis. A wide palette of biosystematic techniques, including molecular (nuclear microsatellite markers) and karyological analyses (chromosome counts, DAPI flow cytometry) as well as multivariate morphometric and elliptic Fourier analyses, were used to assess the variation in this species and justify its independent taxonomic status. Allopatric occurrences of both species were recorded east of the town of Beroun in the Český kras, central Bohemia (Bohemian Karst). A distribution map of the two species is provided. Sorbus eximia occurs at four localities (the total number of adults and juveniles is 100 and 200, respectively) in basiphilous thermophilous oak forests (Quercion pubescenti-petraeae), mesic oak forests (Melampyro nemorosi-Carpinetum), woody margins of dry grasslands (Festucion valesiacae) and pine plantations. Sorbus barrandienica has so far been recorded at 10 localities (ca 50 adults). Recent field studies failed to verify two of these localities. It is mainly found growing on the summits of hills, usually in thermophilous open forests (Primulo veris-Carpinetum, Melampyro nemorosi-Carpinetum, Quercion pubescenti-petraeae) and woody margins of dry grassland. Its populations exhibit minimal genetic variation and are phenotypically homogeneous and well separated from other Bohemian hybridogenous Sorbus species. The epitype of S. eximia is designated here, and a photograph of the specimen is included. Photographs of the type specimens and in situ individuals, and line drawings of both species are presented.
Three new genera of eutetrarhynchid trypanorhynch cestodes are described from Mobula spp. (Mobulidae) from the Gulf of California, Mexico. Fellicocestus mobulae gen. et sp. n. from the gall bladder of Mobula japonica (Müller et Henle) is distinguished by elongate bothria, a pars bothrialis equal in length to the pars vaginalis, masses of gland cells in the pars vaginalis and an heteromorphous armature in which hook rows arise from a central file of hooks on the bothrial surface of the tentacle and terminate in a central file on the antibothrial surface. Species of Mobulocestus gen. n. occur in the nephridial system and cloaca of rays and are characterized by two bothria, an heteroacanthous armature with hook rows beginning on the bothrial surface and terminating on the antibothrial surface, and by hooks at the beginnings of rows with an apical cavity. M. nephritidis sp. n. and M. lepidoscolex sp. n., both from the nephridial system of Mobula thurstoni (Lloyd) are differentiated by testis number and by the presence of scale-like microtriches on the tegument of the scolex of M. lepidoscolex. M. mollis sp. n., from the cloaca of Mobula thurstoni is distinguished by testis number (97-111 in M. lepidoscolex, 20-22 in M. nephriticus and 48-70 in M. mollis). Hemionchos gen. n. from the spiral valve of Mobula spp. has two bothria, an heteroacanthous armature, hook rows arising on the bothrial surface and terminating on the antibothrial surface and hooks at the beginning of rows with an apical cavity. It differs from Mobulocestus in having a distinctive basal armature and both hook files 1 and 1' on the bothrial surface, but has an additional, small, satellite hook adjacent to each hook 1'. H. striatus sp. n. from the spiral valve of Mobula thurstoni and M. japonica is differentiated by having a basal armature of closely packed arrays of small, uncinate hooks. H. mobulae sp. n. from the spiral valve of Mobula japonica and M. munkiana Notarbartolo di Sciari, differs in testis number and in having large, flattened hooks in the basal armature. H. maior sp. n., from the spiral valve of M. japonica, is larger, differing in both the number of testes and in the basal armature.
a1_Three genera of rhinebothriideans, previously referred to as New genus 1, New genus 2 and New genus 4, are erected in the the Anthocephaliidae. New genus 1 is established as Divaricobothrium gen. n., with Divaricobothrium tribelum sp. n. as its type species; Echeneibothrium trifidum Shipley et Hornell, 1906 is transferred to the genus as Divaricobothrium trifidum (Shipley et Hornell, 1906) comb. n. This genus is unique among rhinebothriidean genera in bearing bothridia that are posteriorly deeply divided into two lobes with facial loculi but no apical sucker, and a vagina that extends to near the anterior margin of the proglottid. Its species parasitise Indo-Pacific members of the genera Brevitrygon Last, Naylor et Manjaji-Matsumoto, Maculabatis Last, Naylor et Manjaji-Matsumoto and Pateobatis Last, Naylor et Manjaji-Matsumoto. New genus 2 is established as Barbeaucestus gen. n., with Barbeaucestus jockuschae sp. n. as its type species; Barbeaucestus ralickiae sp. n. is also described. Anthobothrium sexorchidum Williams, 1964 and Rhinebothrium shipleyi Southwell, 1912 are transferred to the genus as Barbeaucestus sexorchidus (Williams, 1964) comb. n. and Barbeaucestus shipleyi (Southwell, 1912) comb. n., respectively. This genus is unique among rhinebothriidean genera in that its bothridia are substantially wider than long, bear an apical sucker and at least one row of two or more facial loculi in their anterior half. Its species parasitise the genera Neotrygon Castelnau and Taeniura Müller et Henle. New genus 4 is established as Sungaicestus gen. n. with transfer of Rhinebothrium kinabatanganensis Healy, 2006, as Sungaicestus kinabatanganensis (Healy, 2006) comb. n., as its type species. Among the genera of its order, this genus most closely resembles Rhinebothrium Linton, 1890, however, despite the original description, the bothridia were found to bear, rather than lack, apical suckers., a2_This monotypic genus is known only from the freshwater stingray Urogymnus polylepis (Müller et Henle). The familial diagnosis of the Anthocephaliidae Ruhnke, Caira et Cox, 2015 is emended. The family now houses five genera., Janine N. Caira, Claire J. Healy, Fernando P.L. Marques, Kirsten Jensen., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Based on light and scanning electron microscopical studies, three new gonad-infecting species of Philometra Costa, 1845 (Nematoda: Philometridae) are described from marine fishes of the genus Lutjanus Bloch (Perciformes: Lutjanidae) in the northern Gulf of Mexico: P. longispicula sp. n. from the ovary of the northern red snapper L. campechanus (Poey) (type host) and silk snapper L. vivanus (Cuvier); P. latispicula sp. n. from the ovary and rarely testes of the grey snapper L. griseus (Linnaeus); and P. synagridis sp. n. (only males available) from the ovary of the lane snapper Lutjanus synagris (Linnaeus). These species are mainly characterised by the lengths of spicules (378-690 µm, 135-144 µm and 186-219 µm, respectively) and spicule shapes, structure of the distal portion of the gubernaculum and the structure of the male caudal end. These are the first valid, nominal species of gonad-infecting philometrids reported from fishes of the family Lutjanidae in the western Atlantic region.
Three new species of Cobitis C. fasciola sp. nov., C. crassicauda
sp. nov. and C. stenocauda sp. nov. are found from the River Xinjiang and the River Le’anjiang, tributaries of Lake Poyang, belonging to the River Yangtze system, Jiangxi Province, China. These cobitid fish are described based on the morphology features such as the pigmentation pattern, shape of lamina circularis, body scales, mouth character and sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene, which can be used for molecular identification and diagnosis of these species. Illustrations of the morphology characters of new species are given, and phylogenetic analysis identifies
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) lineages closely related to these cobitid fish. Traditional taxonomy of cobitid fish of the subfamily Cobitinae is discussed based on the recent molecular phylogenies of these cobitid fish.