New species of Myxobolus in potamodromous catfish from the eastern Amazon, Brazil

Abstract

The mapará (Hypophthalmus marginatus) is a commercially important fish in the Brazilian Amazon and has been described as a host for numerous myxosporid species. The integrated taxonomy of a new species, Myxobolus mickeyii n. sp., discovered in the urinary bladder of H. marginatus, is undertaken in this study. In 105 specimens of H. marginatus, plasmodia and myxospores were observed in the urinary bladder fluid, the myxospores measuring 20.5 (19.6–21.3) μm in length and 14.0 (13.2–14.9) μm in width. The posterior valves of the spore body were thick, with valvulogenic nuclei, endoplasmic reticulum, and the presence of secretory vesicles. Two elliptical, rounded appendages attached to the valve, containing tubular filaments. The two polar capsules, symmetry, measuring 6.1 (5.9–6.3) μm in length and 4.4 (3.6–6.2) μm in width, with polar tubules of 3 to 5 turns. Phylogenetic analyses of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rDNA) sequencing revealed that M. mickeyii n. sp. is part of a Myxobolidae family clade with freshwater fish of the Siluriformes order, with a genetic distance of 19% to the nearest species. This work contributes to the wide diversity of myxozoans in this host, as other taxa have previously been reported infecting different tissues.