identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
E24D3DFCA071518994D5826ED51CC884.text	E24D3DFCA071518994D5826ED51CC884.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Myxobolus tachysurus Yuan & Dai & Pan & Zhao & Liu & Li & Xiang & Ren & Liu 2026	<div><p>Myxobolus tachysurus sp. nov.</p><p>Figs 1, 2, 3, 4, Table 2, 3</p><p>Type host.</p><p>Yellow catfish, Tachysurus fulvidraco</p><p>Type locality.</p><p><a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=112.901115&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=28.31611" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 112.901115/lat 28.31611)">Changsha city</a>, Hunan province, China (28°18'58"N, 112°54'4"E).</p><p>Site of infection.</p><p>Palate.</p><p>Prevalence.</p><p>18.18 % (8 / 44).</p><p>Type material.</p><p>Holotype fixed in 10 % formalin was deposited in the Museum of Hydrobiological Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (ISB 2023122302) . Paratypes were fixed in 10 % formalin and 95 % ethanol, H &amp; E-stained tissue sections, and their digitized photos were deposited in the Museum of Hydrobiological Sciences, Hunan Agricultural University, China (accession numbers HNAU-CF-PAR-25090, HNAU-CF-PAR-25091, HNAU-CF-PAR-25092) .</p><p>Morphological description.</p><p>In the valvular view, fresh myxospores are pyriform, whereas in the sutural view, they are fusiform. The myxospores measure 11.4 ± 0.3 (10.8–12.1) μm in length, 7.0 ± 0.2 (6.6–7.4) μm in width, and 5.2 ± 0.3 (4.6–5.8) μm in thickness (n = 30). The myxospore surface is smooth, with symmetrically arranged valves. The polar capsules are pyriform and slightly unequal in size. The larger polar capsule measures 6.0 ± 0.3 (5.5–6.6) μm in length and 2.3 ± 0.1 (2.0–2.6) μm in width, whereas the smaller capsule measures 5.4 ± 0.2 (4.9–5.9) μm in length and 2.2 ± 0.1 (1.9–2.4) μm in width (n = 30). The polar tube is coiled with six to seven turns. Three to four folds were occasionally observed at the posterior end of the myxospores. Some spores exhibited Henneguya - like caudal appendages. No mucous envelope, iodinophilous vacuole, or intercapsular appendix was observed (Figs 1, 2).</p><p>Remark.</p><p>Morphological comparison revealed that eight Myxobolus species infecting different sites of Tachysurus spp. share the closest morphological resemblance to the new species. These include Myxobolus xiantaoensis Tahir, Guo, Zhao, Liu &amp; Gu, 2019; Myxobolus voremkhai Akhmerov, 1960; Myxobolus pseudowulii Zhang, Zhai, Liu &amp; Gu; Myxobolus jialingensis Gao, Zhang, Yang &amp; Zhao, 2020; Myxobolus macrocapsularis Reuss, 1906; Myxobolus physophilus Reuss, 1906; Myxobolus vescus Akhmerov, 1960; and Myxobolus gigi Fujita, 1927 (Chen and Ma 1998; Zhang et al. 2017; Tahir et al. 2019; Gao et al. 2020; Zhang et al. 2025) (Table 2). Among them, M. xiantaoensis, M. voremkhai, M. pseudowulii, and M. jialingensis resemble the new species due to their slightly unequal polar capsules. However, these species can be distinguished from the new species by their larger myxospore size, different infection sites, the presence of membrane sheaths, and larger polar capsules (Zhang et al. 2017; Tahir et al. 2019; Gao et al. 2020; Zhang et al. 2025). In addition, M. pseudowulii and M. jialingensis differ from M. tachysurus sp. nov. by having slightly more polar tube turns (7–9 vs. 6–7). The present species produces relatively large cysts (2.2–3.2 mm × 1.1–1.3 mm), which are smaller than those of M. jialingensis (3.1 × 2.8 mm) but larger than those of M. voremkhai (0.86 mm in diameter) and M. pseudowulii (0.65–1.09 mm in diameter). Myxobolus macrocapsularis, M. physophilus, M. vescus, and M. gigi, all characterized by equal polar capsules, were described in the last century (Chen and Ma 1998). Myxobolus macrocapsularis and M. physophilus differ from the present species by the presence of a distinct intercapsular appendix at the anterior end and a slightly greater spore length. Furthermore, M. physophilus is further distinguished from the novel species by a higher number of posterior folds (5–6 vs. 3–4), broader spore width (8.4–9.6 μm vs. 6.6–7.4 μm), greater spore thickness (8.4 μm vs. 4.6–5.8 μm), and different infection sites. Myxobolus vescus, which infects the stomach and kidney of T. fulvidraco and the gills of T. vachellii, differs by having a smaller spore width and thickness (4.8–6.3 μm × 3.1–3.8 μm vs. 6.6–7.4 μm × 4.6–5.8 μm) and slightly more polar tube turns (7–8 vs. 6–7). Myxobolus gigi differs from M. tachysurus sp. nov. by its much smaller plasmodia (22 μm in diameter vs. 2.2–3.2 mm × 1.1–1.3 mm), larger spore length (12.0–14.4 μm vs. 10.8–12.1 μm), and absence of posterior folds.</p><p>All measurements are in micrometers (μm). LS, length of the spore; WS, width of the spore; TS, thickness of the spore; LPC, length of the polar capsule; WPC, width of the polar capsule; CPF, number of coils of the polar filament; FV, spore shape in the frontal view; H, host; IF, infection sites; Ref., references. a Mean ± SD; b Minimum – maximum; c Mean; d Urinary bladder and hepatopancreas.</p><p>Histopathology.</p><p>Histological analysis revealed that the plasmodia of the new species were located within the muscle layer of the palate (Fig. 3). The plasmodium was encapsulated by a layer of connective tissue, in which immature myxospores were found peripherally, whereas mature myxospores were situated centrally (Fig. 3). No inflammatory response was observed.</p><p>Molecular characterization.</p><p>BLASTn analysis demonstrated that the obtained sequence of M. tachysurus sp. nov. did not match any sequences available in GenBank but was most closely related to Myxobolus separatus Zhang &amp; Gu, 2021 (95.82 %, OK 012397), which infects the gill filaments of T. fulvidraco . Other sequences showing notable similarity include Myxobolus nagaraensis Yokoyama, Kageyama, Ohara &amp; Yanagida, 2007 (89.82 %, LC 764514), isolated from the visceral cavities of gobies Rhinogobius fluviatilis Tanaka, 1925; Myxobolus lentisuturalis Dyková, Fiala &amp; Nie, 2002 (89.62 %, QR 416134) from the muscle of the Prussian carp Carassius gibelio; Myxobolus sp. (89.59 %, KU 170935) from the retinal layer of the eyes of Pelecus cultratus Linnaeus, 1758; Myxobolus branchiopectin Ksepka &amp; Bullard, 2021 (89.48 %, OK 274150) from the cartilage of the gill raker of Moxostoma duquesnii Lesueur, 1817; and Myxobolus cultus Yokoyama, Ogawa &amp; Wakabayashi, 1995 (89.50 %, KY 784599) from the cartilage of goldfish Carassius auratus . The genetic distances and sequences similarities calculated using Kimura 2 - parameter model among the present species and those with high sequence similarity ranged from 0.114 / 95.82 % to 0.286 / 82 % (Table 3). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the generated trees were resolved into four major clades (Clades A – D), and species were clustered mainly according to host affinity, with some exceptions, rather than infection sites or host locality (Fig. 4). The present species did not cluster with T. fulvidraco – infecting Myxobolus species within Clade D but formed a sister clade to M. separatus, infecting the gill filaments of T. fulvidraco, and M. nagaraensis within Clade A, with moderate support values (Fig. 4).</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The species is named after the generic name of the host.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/E24D3DFCA071518994D5826ED51CC884	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Yuan, Shen;Dai, Wenjing;Pan, Fengwen;Zhao, Xiaojing;Liu, Yulu;Li, Deliang;Xiang, Jianguo;Ren, Shisi;Liu, Xinhua	Yuan, Shen, Dai, Wenjing, Pan, Fengwen, Zhao, Xiaojing, Liu, Yulu, Li, Deliang, Xiang, Jianguo, Ren, Shisi, Liu, Xinhua (2026): Morphological and molecular characterizations of Myxobolus tachysurus sp. nov. (Myxozoa, Myxosporea) infecting the palate of yellow catfish Tachysurus fulvidraco in China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 102 (1): 347-356, DOI: 10.3897/zse.102.182245
