Abstract
A survey of the cryptogonimid trematode fauna infecting Indo-West Pacific Lutjanidae (Perciformes) revealed the presence of four new species whose morphological and genetic differences relative to all other known cryptogonimids warrants the proposal of a new genus, Varialvus gen. nov. Species of this new genus were recovered from sites off Heron and Lizard Islands on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, New Caledonia and Rasdhoo Atoll, Maldives. Varialvus gen. nov. is distinguished from all other cryptogonimid genera by the combination of a fusiform to oval body, the relatively small number of large oral spines, a median ovary which is relatively condensed and highly lobed, opposite to slightly oblique testes, uterine loops that are restricted to the hindbody and extend well posterior to the testes, and vitelline follicles that are mainly in the forebody but may extend from the anterior margin of the ovary to anterior to the intestinal bifurcation. Bayesian inference analysis of partial large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequence data for these species revealed that they formed a monophyletic clade, despite V. charadrus sp. nov. having a distinctly muscular gonotyl, which based on morphological characters alone may have warranted placement in a separate genus in the absence of DNA sequence data. At least one species of Varialvus gen. nov. is apparently widespread in the Indo-West Pacific. Three species, V. lacertus sp. nov., V. jenae sp. nov. and V. angustus sp. nov. have each been found at only one locality, but V. charadrus sp. nov. was recovered from lutjanids off the Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia and the Maldives, demonstrating a biogeographic range of at least 10,000 kilometres. Siphoderina lutjani (Saoud, Ramadan et Al Kawari, 1988) Miller et Cribb, 2008 is transferred here as V. lutjani (Saoud, Ramadan et Al Kawari, 1988) n. comb. based on morphological and host group agreement with species of Varialvus gen. nov.
[1] Allen G.R. 1985. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 6. Snappers of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lutjanid species known to date. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 208 pp. Search in Google Scholar
[2] Bowles J., McManus D.P. 1993. Rapid discrimination of Echinococcus species and strains using a polymerase chain reactionbased RFLP method. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 57, 231–239. DOI: 10.1016/0166-6851(93)90199-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0166-6851(93)90199-810.1016/0166-6851(93)90199-8Search in Google Scholar
[3] Cribb T.H., Anderson G.R., Adlard R.D., Bray R.A. 1998. A DNAbased demonstration of a three-host life-cycle for the Bivesiculidae (Platyhelminthes: Digenea). International Journal for Parasitology, 28, 1791–1795. DOI: 10.1016/S00207519(98)00127-1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0020-7519(98)00127-1Search in Google Scholar
[4] Cribb T.H., Bray R.A. 2010. Gut wash, body soak, blender and heatfixation: approaches to the effective collection, fixation and preservation of trematodes of fishes. Systematic Parasitology, 76, 1–7. DOI: 10.1007/s11230-010-9229-z. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11230-010-9229-z10.1007/s11230-010-9229-zSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
[5] Durio W.O., Manter H.W. 1969. Some digenetic trematodes of marine fishes of New Caledonia. III. Acanthocolpidae, Haploporidae, Gyliauchenidae, and Cryptogonimidae. Journal of Parasitology, 55, 293–300. DOI: 10.2307/3277393. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/327739310.2307/3277393Search in Google Scholar
[6] Guindon S., Gascuel O. 2003. A simple, fast, and accurate algorithm to estimate large phylogenies by maximum likelihood. Systematic Biology, 52, 696–704. DOI: 10.1080/10635150390235520. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1063515039023552010.1080/10635150390235520Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[7] Hammer O., Harper D.A.T., Ryan P.D. 2001. PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica, 4, 1–9. Search in Google Scholar
[8] Larkin M.A., Blackshields G., Brown N.P., Chenna R., McGettigan P.A., McWilliam H., Valentin F., Wallace I.M., Wilm A., Lopez R., Thompson J.D., Gibson T.J., Higgins D.G. 2007. Clustal W and Clustal X version 2.0. Bioinformatics, 23, 2947–2948. DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btm404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btm40410.1093/bioinformatics/btm404Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[9] Littlewood D.T., Curini-Galletti M., Herniou E.A. 2000. The interrelationships of Proseriata (Platyhelminthes: Seriata) tested with molecules and morphology. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 16, 449–466. DOI: 10.1006/mpev.2000.0802. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/mpev.2000.080210.1006/mpev.2000.0802Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[10] Maddison D.R., Maddison W.P. 2005. MacClade 4: Analysis of phylogeny and character evolution. Version 4.08. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts. Search in Google Scholar
[11] Maddison W.P., Maddison D.R. 2009. Mesquite: a modular system for evolutionary analysis. Version 2.72 http://mesquiteproject.org. Search in Google Scholar
[12] Manter H.W. 1963. Studies on digenetic trematodes of fishes of Fiji. III. Families Acanthocolpidae, Fellodistomatidae, and Cryptogonimidae. Journal of Parasitology, 49, 443–450. DOI:10.2307/3275814. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/327581410.2307/3275814Search in Google Scholar
[13] Miller M.A., Holder M.T., Vos R., Midford P.E., Liebowitz T., Chan L., Hoover P., Warnow T. 2009a. The CIPRES Portals. CIPRES. 2009-08-04. URL: http://www.phylo.org/sub_sections/portal. Accessed: 2009-08-04. (Archived by WebCite(r) at http://www.webcitation.org/5imQlJeQa). Search in Google Scholar
[14] Miller T.L., Cribb T.H. 2005. A new genus and species of cryptogonimid from Lutjanus spp. (Pisces: Lutjanidae) on the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia. Journal of Parasitology, 91, 922–924. DOI: 10.1645/GE-3430.1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1645/GE-3430.110.1645/GE-3430.1Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[15] Miller T.L., Cribb T.H. 2007a. Coevolution of Retrovarium n. gen. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) in Lutjanidae and Haemulidae (Perciformes) in the Indo-West Pacific. International Journal for Parasitology, 37, 1023–1045. DOI:10.1016/j.ijpara.2007.01.006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2007.01.00610.1016/j.ijpara.2007.01.006Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[16] Miller T.L., Cribb T.H. 2007b. Phylogenetic relationships of some common Indo-Pacific snappers (Perciformes: Lutjanidae) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences, with comments on the taxonomic position of the Caesioninae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 44, 450–460. DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.10.029. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2006.10.02910.1016/j.ympev.2006.10.029Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[17] Miller T.L., Cribb T.H. 2007c. Two new cryptogonimid genera (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) from Lutjanus bohar (Perciformes: Lutjanidae): analyses of multiple ribosomal DNA regions reveals wide geographic distribution and presence of cryptic species. Acta Parasitologica, 52, 104–113. DOI:10.2478/s11686-007-0019-y. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/s11686-007-0019-y10.2478/s11686-007-0019-ySearch in Google Scholar
[18] Miller T.L., Cribb T.H. 2007d. Two new cryptogonimid genera Beluesca n. gen. and Chelediadema n. gen. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) from Tropical Indo-West Pacific Haemulidae (Perciformes). Zootaxa, 1543, 45–60. Search in Google Scholar
[19] Miller T.L., Cribb T.H. 2008a. Eight new species of Siphoderina Manter, 1934 (Digenea, Cryptogonimidae) infecting Lutjanidae and Haemulidae (Perciformes) off Australia. Acta Parasitologica, 53, 344–364. DOI: 10.2478/s11686-008-0053-4. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/s11686-008-0053-410.2478/s11686-008-0053-4Search in Google Scholar
[20] Miller T.L., Cribb T.H. 2008b. Family Cryptogonimidae Ward, 1917. In: (Eds. R.A. Bray, D.I. Gibson and A. Jones) Keys to the Trematoda. Vol. 3, pp. 51–112. Wallingford, CAB International. 10.1079/9780851995885.0051Search in Google Scholar
[21] Miller T.L., Cribb T.H. 2009. Gynichthys diakidnus n. g., n. sp. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) from the grunt Plectorhinchus gibbosus (Lacépède, 1802) (Perciformes: Haemulidae) off the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Systematic Parasitology, 74, 103–112. DOI: 10.1007/s11230-009-9194-6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11230-009-9194-610.1007/s11230-009-9194-6Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[22] Miller T.L., Downie A.J., Cribb T.H. 2009a. Morphological disparity despite genetic similarity; new species of Lobosorchis Miller & Cribb, 2005 (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) from the Great Barrier Reef and the Maldives. Zootaxa, 1992, 37–52. Search in Google Scholar
[23] Miller T.L., Bray R.A., Goiran C., Justine J.-L., Cribb T.H. 2009b. Adlardia novaecaledoniae n. g., n. sp. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) from the fork-tailed threadfin bream Nemipterus furcosus (Val.) (Perciformes: Nemipteridae) off New Caledonia. Systematic Parasitology, 73, 151–160. DOI: 10.1007/s11230-009-9187-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11230-009-9187-510.1007/s11230-009-9187-5Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[24] Morgan J.A.T., Blair D. 1995. Nuclear rDNA ITS sequence variation in the trematode genus Echinostoma: an aid to establishing relationships within the 37-collar-spine group. Parasitology, 111, 609–615. DOI: 10.1017/S003118200007709X. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S003118200007709X10.1017/S003118200007709XSearch in Google Scholar
[25] Posada D. 2008. jModelTest: Phylogenetic Model Averaging. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 25, 1253–1256. DOI:10.1093/molbev/msn083. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msn08310.1093/molbev/msn083Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[26] Ronquist F., Huelsenbeck J.P. 2003. MRBAYES 3: Bayesian phylogenetic inference under mixed models. Bioinformatics, 19, 1572–1574. DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btg180. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btg18010.1093/bioinformatics/btg180Search in Google Scholar PubMed
[27] Sambrook J., Russell D.W. 2001. Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. 3rd edition. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York, 999 pp. Search in Google Scholar
[28] Saoud M.F.A., Ramadan M.M., Al Kawari K.S.R. 1988. Helminth parasites of fishes from the Arabian Gulf. 4. On Allacanthochasmus lutjani n. sp. and Metadena leilae Nagaty, 1957 (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae). Qatar University Science Bulletin, 8, 161–172. Search in Google Scholar
[29] Velasquez C.C. 1961. Cryptogonimidae (Digenea: Trematoda) from Philippine food fishes. Journal of Parasitology, 47, 914–918. DOI: 10.2307/3275019. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/327501910.2307/3275019Search in Google Scholar
[30] Velasquez C.C. 1975. Digenetic trematodes of Philippine fishes. University of the Philippines Press, Quezon, 140 pp. Search in Google Scholar
[31] Yamaguti S. 1970. Digenetic trematodes of Hawaiian fishes. Keigaku, Tokyo, 436 pp. Search in Google Scholar
© 2010 W. Stefański Institute of Parasitology, PAS
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
