Dactylogyrids (Monogenea: Polyonchoinea) parasitizing goatfishes of Parupeneus (Perciformes: Mullidae) off New Caledonia: what is the real Haliotrema?
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| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | In 2007, a survey was initiated to determine the diversity of dactylogyrids from mullid hosts off New Caledonia. Eleven of the 13 species of goatfishes examined were positive for Haliotrema-like dactylogyrids. Only Upeneus moluccensis (one specimen examined) and U. vittatus (one specimen examined) were uninfected. The first instalment stemming from this investigation included the proposal of Volsellituba and Pennulituba with 3 and 2 species, respectively, infesting the gills of Mulloidichthys vanicolensis. The present study represents the second instalment stemming from this investigation and deals with Haliotrema-like dactylogyrids from 9 species of Parupeneus, including the type host species for the type species of Haliotrema. Taxonomical evaluation of the monogeneans found revealed the presence of 10 new and 2 previously described species (Haliotrema australe, Ancyrocephalus parupenei) possessing the following common features: pigment granules usually not associated into eye-spots, tandem gonads, a sinistral vas deferens, a single prostatic reservoir, a male copulatory organ (MCO) without “typical” accessory piece, a non-sclerotised vagina with a dextroventral pore, anchors with a wide base and short shaft, and delicate hooks with an undilated shank. Morphological analysis of sclerotized structures suggests that there are four groups within the dactylogyrids parasitizing these fishes, with regard to the basic structure of the MCO. The first group includes 8 species with complex MCOs composed of bell-shaped base and massive membranous structure from which a copulatory shaft arises. The second group consists of 1 species with an MCO comprising long cylindrical base and copulatory shaft surrounded by spiral flange. The third group (including 2 species) is characterized by the presence of an MCO formed as a simple copulatory tube with funnel-shaped base. The fourth group is represented by the type species of Haliotrema, i.e. H. australe, with the MCO of more or less the same diameter along its entire length and comprising an elongate cone-shaped base and a copulatory shaft with membranous distal portion. Interestingly, the morphology of bars (especially the shape of dorsal bars) does correlate with the above described groups. The division into four groups based on morphological criterions is also supported by the preliminary results of a phylogenetic analysis using 28S rDNA sequences. |
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