Haliotrematoides noncalcaroides, Kritsky, Yang & Sun, 2009

Kritsky, Delane C., Tingbao, Yang & Yuan, Sun, 2009, Dactylogyrids (Monogenoidea, Polyonchoinea) parasitizing the gills of snappers (Perciformes, Lutjanidae): Proposal of Haliotrematoides n. gen. and descriptions of new and previously described species from marine fishes of the Red Sea, the eastern and Indo-west Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, Zootaxa 1970 (1970), pp. 1-51 : 13-16

Haliotrematoides noncalcaroides n. sp.

( Figs. 17–23)

Type host and locality: Mangrove red snapper, Lutjanus argentimaculatus (Forsskål) (Lutjanidae) : Dapeng Bay near Nanao, South China Sea, Guangdong Province, China (23 o 25' N, 117 o 02' E), 24 July 2007.

Other records: Lutjanus argentimaculatus (Lutjanidae) : Gulf of Tonkin (South China Sea ) near Lingao , Hainan Province, China (20 o 0' N, 109 o 5' E), 20, 23 September 2003 ; South China Sea near Guangzhou , Guangdong Province, China, 6 July 2004 .

Site of infection: Gills.

Specimens studied: Holotype, USNPC 101324 ; 35 paratypes, USNPC 101325 , 101326 , 101327 , BMNH 2008.11.19.12-14, 2008.11.19.15-27, ZSU 2003092301-03; 32 voucher specimens, ZSU 2003092004-33, 2004070601-02.

Etymology: The specific name (an adjective) reflects the apparent close relationship of H. noncalcaroides to H. noncalcaris as suggested by comparative morphologies of the respective haptoral armaments and copulatory structures.

Description: Greatest width usually near body midlength or in posterior half of trunk. Cephalic lobes well developed. Each posterior eye with small lens often obscured by chromatic granules. Pharynx subspherical. Gonads pyriform. Seminal vesicle inconspicuous or absent; MCO comprising proximal cup-shaped base, tapered tubular shaft a loose counterclockwise coil of less than one complete ring. Vaginal pore simple within slight indentation of tegument, opening to elongate fusiform seminal vestibule, vaginal canal short, delicate, extending to inconspicuous seminal receptacle. Ventral anchor with poorly differentiated roots, comparatively short shaft, straight recurved point superficially grooved. Dorsal anchor with elongate superficial root, inconspicuous to nonexistent deep root, straight shaft, straight recurved point; distal shaft and point superficially grooved. Ventral bar with two submedial pockets along anterior margin; dorsal bar rod-shaped, with posteromedial expansion. Hook distribution typical, except hook pair 4 frequently shifted anterior to anchors.

Measurements: Body 262 (210–338; n = 15) long; greatest width 58 (50–68; n = 16). Haptor 61 (52–68; n = 14) long, 60 (52–68; n = 13) wide. Pharynx 17 (14–19; n = 14) wide. MCO 28 (24–33; n = 7) long. Ventral anchor 32 (30–33; n = 12) long; dorsal anchor 43 (41–46; n = 12) long. Ventral bar 25 (21–27; n = 10) long; dorsal bar 30 (28–33; n = 14) long. Hook 12 (11–14; n = 25) long. Germarium 28 (22–36; n = 12) long, 19 (15–23; n = 11) wide; testis 32 (24–48; n = 16) long, 23 (17–27; n = 14) wide.

Remarks: Haliotrematoides noncalcaroides closely resembles H. noncalcaris and H. brachyflagellocirrus , all parasites of the mangrove red snapper, L. argentimaculatus , in China. It differs from H. noncalcaris and H. brachyflagellocirrus by having smaller dorsal and ventral anchors with comparatively shorter shafts and a more evenly coiled shaft of the MCO.