Title
Molecular Phylogeny and taxonomy of a new Myxobolus species from the endangered ornamental fish, Otocinclus cocama endemic to Peru: A host-parasite coextinction approach
Date Issued
01 October 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Mathews P.D.
Mertins O.
Milanin T.
Espinoza L.L.
Audebert F.
Morandini A.C.
Universidad Federal de Amapá
Publisher(s)
Elsevier B.V.
Abstract
A new Myxobolus species is described infecting gill filaments of the endangered ornamental fish Otocinclus cocama from Peruvian Amazon. In a total of 35 fish examined, five (14.3%) had myxozoan plasmodia. Taxonomic analysis was performed integrating multiple characters, including morphometrical, biological traits, ssrDNA sequence data and host ecological characters. Myxospores of M. iquitoensis n. sp. were ovoid in shape from the frontal view and measured 17.6±1.2 µm (16.2–19.8 µm) in length and 10.5±0.7 µm (9.8–12 µm) in width. The two polar capsules were elongate in shape, equal in size and occupying almost half of the myxospore body. They measured 8.7±0.4 µm (6.9–9.3 µm) in length and 3.3±0.2 µm (3–3.6 µm) in width. The polar tubules presented six to seven turns. Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that the obtained ssrDNA sequence did not match any existing sequences in GenBank but showed M. iquitoensis n. sp. to be a close species of M. figueirae. Nonetheless, the ssrDNA sequences of those species show large genetic divergence. This is the first description and phylogenetic study of a myxozoan parasitizing fish of the genus Otocinclus from South America, as well the first report of these parasites infecting a fish belonging to the Loricariidae family from Amazon basin. Considering the endangered status of the host, the high degree of host-specificity of freshwater histozoic myxobolids, the low occurrence shown by the new myxozoan, and the fact that this is the only host known for this myxozoan, the conservation status of the new species of myxozoan is likely to be connected to the future survival of its host.
Volume
210
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Zoología, Ornitología, Entomología, ciencias biológicas del comportamiento
Bioquímica, Biología molecular
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85086084145
PubMed ID
Source
Acta Tropica
ISSN of the container
0001706X
Sponsor(s)
The authors thank São Paulo Research Foundation , FAPESP, for Post-Doc fellowship to P.D. Mathews (grant No. 2018/20482-3 ). O. Mertins thanks FAPESP for research financial support ( 2015/23948-5 ; 2016/13368-4 ). A.C. Morandini was funded by CNPq ( 304961/2016-7 ), and FAPESP ( 2015/21007-9 ). T. Milanin was supported by a Post-Doc fellowship from FAPESP (grant. No. 2015/18807-3 ). L.L. Espinoza thanks Vice-rectorado de Investigación y Postgrado, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos for research financial support (grant. No. A17080131 ). The authors thank Dr. K. Liittschwager (USA) for revising the grammar of the text.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus