Capsaloides cristatus Yamaguti, 1968

Chisholm, Leslie A. & Whittington, Ian D., 2006, Revision of Capsaloides (Monogenea: Capsalidae) with a redescription of C. magnaspinosus Price, 1939 from the nasal tissue of Tetrapterus audax (Istiophoridae) collected off Nelson Bay, New South Wales, Australia, Zootaxa 1160, pp. 1-20 : 4-7

Capsaloides cristatus Yamaguti, 1968 ( Figs 1 B, 2B)

Type­host: Makaira sp. ( Istiophoridae ).

Type­locality: Hawaii, USA [Pacific Ocean].

Additional records: Tetrapterus angustirostris Tanaka, 1915 (Istiophoridae) , Hawaii, USA [Pacific Ocean] (see Yamaguti 1968); Makaira indica (Cuvier, 1832) (Istiophoridae) , Cape Moreton, off Brisbane, Queensland, Australia [Pacific Ocean] (see Speare 1994, 1999).

Site: Gills.

Specimens examined: Holotype (USNPC 63597); 1 voucher (QM G212782).

Remarks

Yamaguti (1968) distinguished C. cristatus from the closely related C. sinuatus Goto, 1894 only by the depth of the posterior notch of the body. Unfortunately we could not locate type specimens of C. sinuatus or the 5 specimens Yamaguti (1968) collected and used for his re­description. Our illustration of the haptoral accessory sclerite of the holotype of C. cristatus ( Fig. 1 B) is different from that illustrated by Yamaguti (1968; fig. 20B). It is unclear why this is the case since Yamaguti (1968) apparently also based his drawing on the holotype. The dorsomarginal body sclerites ( Fig. 2 B) of C. cristatus have 20–30 cusps. The left anterior isolated group of dorsomarginal body sclerites comprises 10 sclerites each with 12–15 cusps. The right anterior isolated group of dorsomarginal body sclerites comprises 7 sclerites each with 5–7 cusps. According to previously published illustrations, the dorsomarginal body sclerites of C. sinuatus have 15 (see Goto 1894) or 12 (see Yamaguti 1968) cusps and therefore they are smaller than those of C. cristatus . However, we have found that the dorsomarginal body sclerites can differ morphologically depending where on the body they are located (see C. perugiai ). While we suspect that C. cristatus and C. sinuatus are synonymous, we are hesitant to make this decision without additional material of both species.

Speare (1994, 1999) noted the presence (with a mean intensity of 7) of C. cristatus on M. indica off Cape Moreton, Queensland, Australia. A single unmounted specimen was deposited in the QM which we mounted and examined to verify this identification. The voucher specimen was unflattened and in poor condition, but appears to correspond to the description of C. cristatus . This voucher specimen also very closely resembles the unflattened paratype of C. hoffmannae . Like the unflattened specimen of C. hoffmannae (see Fig. 2 C), the body margin of the voucher of C. cristatus appears annulated because the sinuations are very close together. This supports our suggestion that C. hoffmannae may not be a valid taxon (see the Remarks section for C. hoffmannae ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Haptoral accessory sclerites of Capsaloides species. A. C. cornutus, drawn from USNPC 35136. B. C. cristatus, drawn from USNPC 63597. C. C. hoffmannae, drawn from CNHE 0 0 2718. D. C. magnaspinosus, drawn from USNPC 35648. E. C. nairagi, drawn from USNPC 63599. F. C. perugiai, redrawn from Setti (1898). G. C. sinuatus, redrawn from Goto (1894). Scale bar: 100 m.

FIGURE 2. Nomarksi photomicrographs of the dorsomarginal body sclerites of Capsaloides species. For consistent comparison, the sclerites were photographed at the level of the anterior border of the ovary. A. C. cornutus, from USNPC 35136. B. C. cristatus, from USNPC 63597. C. C. hoffmannae, from CNHE 002718; note that the cusps of the sclerites cannot be seen well in this unflattened specimen and the body margin appears annulated. D. C. magnaspinosus, from USNPC 35648. E. C. nairagi, from USNPC 63599; note that the sclerites are distributed in a slightly zigzagged pattern. F. C. perugiai, from USNPC 63600 (specimen originally identified as C. tetrapteri). Scale bars: 20 m.