Ceratomyxa kareus, Zhao & Al-Farraj & Al-Rasheid & Song, 2015

Zhao, Yuanjun, Al-Farraj, Saleh A., Al-Rasheid, Khaled A. S. & Song, Weibo, 2015, Data on Ten New Myxosporean Parasites (Myxozoa, Myxosporea, Bivalvulida) from the Yellow Sea, China, Acta Protozoologica 54 (4), pp. 305-323 : 313

Ceratomyxa kareus sp. n. ( Figs 2 , 5F–H ; Table 2)

This organism was incorrectly marked as Ceratomyxa kareii Zhao and Song, 2003 in the monograph “Pathogenic Protozoa in Mariculture” ( Song et al. 2003), which has not been described as a new species in that book. Thus, according to ICZN, the species should be an invalid name, hence, we “re-establish” and “re-describe” this form here.

Diagnosis: Trophozoites monosporous, disporous or polysporous with long filiation pseudopod; mature spore roughly crescent-shaped, anterior margin extremely convex and posterior margin concave; ends of valves rounded with a smooth surface, sutural line fine, 43.2 ± 3.4 (38.2–46.0) in thickness, 10.9 ± 0.8 (10.0–11.8) in length, posterior angle deeply concave (110–136°); two smaller spherical polar capsules positioned anteriorly in a plane perpendicular to the sutural line, 4.3 ± 0.8 (3.5–5.3) in diameter; one binuclear sporoplasm located posteriorly in spore cavity; coelozoic.

Host and site of infection: Type host: Kareius bicoloratus (Basilewsky 1855) , other host: Zebrias zebra (Bloch 1787) ; site of infection: gall bladder.

Type locality: Kareius bicoloratus from coastal waters off Rongcheng (37°18′N, 12242′E), salinity about 32‰, water temperature about 13°C in Rongcheng; other locality: Zebrias zebra from coastal waters of the Yellow Sea off Qingdao (36°08′N, 120°43′E) of the Yellow Sea, China, salinity about 32‰, water temperature about 14°C in Qingdao.

Figures

Fig. 2. Schematic illustrations of Ceratomyxa kareus sp. n. A–L – from Kareius bicoloratus; M–N – from Zebrias zebra; A–D – lateral view of mature spore; E–F, N – plasmodia with two spores; G–J – earlier stage plasmodia; K – plasmodium with one spore; L–M – plasmodia with mature spores. Scale bars: 10 µm.

Fig. 5. Microphotographs of myxosporean species. A–B – Sphaerospora sebasta sp. n.; C – Ceratomyxa sebastisca sp. n.; D–E – Ceratomyxa hemitriptera sp. n.; F–H – Ceratomyxa kareus sp. n.; I–J – Ceratomyxa lomi sp. n. Scale bars: 10 µm.