Resolution of the discrepant host-specificity of Pseudorhabdosynochus species (Monogenea, Diplectanidae) from serranid fishes in the tropical Indo-Pacific
Abstract:New material from Epinephelus quoyanus collected from Heron Island, Australia and material collected by Young in the same locality, allegedly from E. merra, and deposited in the Queensland Museum, contained the same three species of diplectanid monogeneans: Pseudorhabdosynochus cupatus (Young, 1969), P. vagampullum (Young, 1969, and P. justinei Zeng et Yang, 2007 (new record for Australia). In contrast, E. merra in New Caledonia harbours only P. melanesiensis (Laird, 1958). It is concluded that the type-host o… Show more
“…Most authors have emphasized the importance of the morphological structure of the sclerotised vagina for Pseudorhabdosynochus species identification ( Chaabane, Neifar & Justine, 2015 ; Justine, 2005a ; Justine, 2005b ; Justine, 2007a ; Justine, 2007b ; Justine, 2008c ; Justine, 2010 ; Justine, Dupoux & Cribb, 2009 ; Justine et al, 2010 ; Justine & Sigura, 2007 ; Knoff et al, 2015 ; Mendoza-Franco, Violante-González & Herrera, 2011 ; Neifar & Euzet, 2007 ), although the quadriloculate organ and the hard parts of the host attachment apparatus (haptor) including the squamodisc are additional characters for species diagnosis. 10.7717/peerj.2233/fig-4 Figure 4 Homologies of various parts of the sclerotised vagina of Pseudorhabdosynochus sulamericanus compared to a general diagram.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Groupers (Serranidae, Epinephelinae) are known to harbour rich parasitic fauna ( Cribb et al, 2002 ; Justine et al, 2010 ), including an exceptionally high number of diplectanid monogenean species belonging to the genus Pseudorhabdosynochus Yamaguti, 1958 ( Hinsinger & Justine, 2006 ; Justine, 2005a ; Justine, 2005b ; Justine, 2007a ; Justine, 2007b ; Justine, 2008c ; Justine, 2010 ; Justine, Dupoux & Cribb, 2009 ; Justine et al, 2010 ; Justine & Sigura, 2007 ; Kritsky, Bakenhaster & Adams, 2015 ; Neifar & Euzet, 2007 ; Schoelinck & Justine, 2011 ; Zeng & Yang, 2007 ) and some species from other genera ( Journo & Justine, 2006 ; Justine, 2007a ; Justine, 2008a ; Justine & Euzet, 2006 ; Justine & Henry, 2010 ; Sigura & Justine, 2008 ). Most grouper species live in tropical seas, particularly in coral reefs, and are thus shallow-water species.…”
Little is known of the diversity of the monogenean parasites infesting deep-sea groupers, and there is even less information available about their geographic distributions within the ranges of their hosts. To improve our understanding of these host-parasite relationships we conducted parasitological evaluations of the deep-water Haifa grouper Hyporthodus haifensis from the southern Mediterranean off Tunisia and Libya. We collected more than one species of diplectanid monogeneans from this host, but among these only one dominant species was abundant. This proved to be morphologically very similar to Pseudorhabdosynochus sulamericanus Santos, Buchmann & Gibson, 2000, a species originally described from the congeneric host H. niveatus off Brazil and also recorded from H. niveatus and H. nigritus off Florida. Here, we conducted a morphological comparison between newly collected specimens and those previously deposited in museum collections by other authors. Further, we used COI barcoding to ascertain the specific identity of the three host species to better elucidate the circumstances that might explain the unexpectedly broad distribution of P. sulamericanus. We assigned our specimens from H. haifensis to P. sulamericanus primarily on the basis of morphological characteristics of the sclerotized vagina. We also noted morphological characteristics of eastern and western Atlantic specimens that are not clearly described or not given in previous descriptions and so prepared a redescription of the species. We confirmed, by COI barcoding, that no sister-species relationships were evident among the three hosts of P. sulamericanus. Our observation that P. sulamericanus infects unrelated host species with putatively allopatric distributions was unexpected given the very limited dispersive capabilities and the high degree of host specificity common to members of Pseudorhabdosynochus. This transatlantic distribution raises questions with regard to phylogeography and assumptions about the allopatry of Atlantic grouper species from the Americas and Afro-Eurasia. Here, we propose some hypothetical explanations for our findings.
“…Most authors have emphasized the importance of the morphological structure of the sclerotised vagina for Pseudorhabdosynochus species identification ( Chaabane, Neifar & Justine, 2015 ; Justine, 2005a ; Justine, 2005b ; Justine, 2007a ; Justine, 2007b ; Justine, 2008c ; Justine, 2010 ; Justine, Dupoux & Cribb, 2009 ; Justine et al, 2010 ; Justine & Sigura, 2007 ; Knoff et al, 2015 ; Mendoza-Franco, Violante-González & Herrera, 2011 ; Neifar & Euzet, 2007 ), although the quadriloculate organ and the hard parts of the host attachment apparatus (haptor) including the squamodisc are additional characters for species diagnosis. 10.7717/peerj.2233/fig-4 Figure 4 Homologies of various parts of the sclerotised vagina of Pseudorhabdosynochus sulamericanus compared to a general diagram.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Groupers (Serranidae, Epinephelinae) are known to harbour rich parasitic fauna ( Cribb et al, 2002 ; Justine et al, 2010 ), including an exceptionally high number of diplectanid monogenean species belonging to the genus Pseudorhabdosynochus Yamaguti, 1958 ( Hinsinger & Justine, 2006 ; Justine, 2005a ; Justine, 2005b ; Justine, 2007a ; Justine, 2007b ; Justine, 2008c ; Justine, 2010 ; Justine, Dupoux & Cribb, 2009 ; Justine et al, 2010 ; Justine & Sigura, 2007 ; Kritsky, Bakenhaster & Adams, 2015 ; Neifar & Euzet, 2007 ; Schoelinck & Justine, 2011 ; Zeng & Yang, 2007 ) and some species from other genera ( Journo & Justine, 2006 ; Justine, 2007a ; Justine, 2008a ; Justine & Euzet, 2006 ; Justine & Henry, 2010 ; Sigura & Justine, 2008 ). Most grouper species live in tropical seas, particularly in coral reefs, and are thus shallow-water species.…”
Little is known of the diversity of the monogenean parasites infesting deep-sea groupers, and there is even less information available about their geographic distributions within the ranges of their hosts. To improve our understanding of these host-parasite relationships we conducted parasitological evaluations of the deep-water Haifa grouper Hyporthodus haifensis from the southern Mediterranean off Tunisia and Libya. We collected more than one species of diplectanid monogeneans from this host, but among these only one dominant species was abundant. This proved to be morphologically very similar to Pseudorhabdosynochus sulamericanus Santos, Buchmann & Gibson, 2000, a species originally described from the congeneric host H. niveatus off Brazil and also recorded from H. niveatus and H. nigritus off Florida. Here, we conducted a morphological comparison between newly collected specimens and those previously deposited in museum collections by other authors. Further, we used COI barcoding to ascertain the specific identity of the three host species to better elucidate the circumstances that might explain the unexpectedly broad distribution of P. sulamericanus. We assigned our specimens from H. haifensis to P. sulamericanus primarily on the basis of morphological characteristics of the sclerotized vagina. We also noted morphological characteristics of eastern and western Atlantic specimens that are not clearly described or not given in previous descriptions and so prepared a redescription of the species. We confirmed, by COI barcoding, that no sister-species relationships were evident among the three hosts of P. sulamericanus. Our observation that P. sulamericanus infects unrelated host species with putatively allopatric distributions was unexpected given the very limited dispersive capabilities and the high degree of host specificity common to members of Pseudorhabdosynochus. This transatlantic distribution raises questions with regard to phylogeography and assumptions about the allopatry of Atlantic grouper species from the Americas and Afro-Eurasia. Here, we propose some hypothetical explanations for our findings.
“…Durio & Manter [ 9 ] compared their new species to P. epinepheli, using Yamaguti’s [ 52 ] original description and new material reported from the honeycomb grouper Epinephelus merra Bloch, 1793 off Heron Island, southern Great Barrier Reef. It should be noted, however, that Bott & Cribb [ 2 ] examined one of Durio & Manter’s “ P. epinepheli ” specimens and considered that it belonged to their new species P. jexi , and that the host was most probably not E. merra , but the similar species, the longfin grouper Epinephelus quoyanus (Valenciennes), which is much commoner in the waters around Heron Island (see also [ 20 ]). Durio & Manter [ 9 ] summarised the differences between P. epinepheli and P. longisaccatus as “(1) the uterus does not extend even to midatrial level, whereas in all specimens of P. epinepheli it extends postatrially; (2) the rhynchus is wider, and the arrangement of muscles at its anterior edge gives a distinctive appearance”.…”
Many bucephalid species, mainly of the subfamily Prosorhynchinae, have been described from epinepheline serranids (groupers) throughout the World’s Oceans. In this paper eight named prosorhynchine species are described and/or illustrated from epinepheline fishes from New Caledonia. Neidhartia lochepintade n. sp. in Epinephelus chlorostigma differs from other Neidhartia spp. in various combinations of distinct body-size, rhynchus size, previtelline and pre-mouth distance, post-testicular distance, cirrus-sac reach and egg-size. Other species are: Neidhartia haywardi Bott, Miller & Cribb, 2013 in Plectropomus leopardus; Neidhartia tyleri Bott, Miller & Cribb, 2013 in Plectropomus leopardus and Plectropomus laevis; Prosorhynchus freitasi Nagaty, 1937 in Plectropomus leopardus and Plectropomus laevis; Prosorhynchus robertsthomsoni Bott & Cribb, 2009 in Cephalopholis argus; Prosorhynchus longisaccatus Durio & Manter, 1968 in Cephalopholis urodeta, Epinephelus areolatus, Epinephelus cyanopodus and Epinephelus maculatus. Prosorhynchus luzonicus Velasquez, 1959 and Prosorhynchus sp. B. in Epinephelus coioides; Prosorhynchus serrani Durio & Manter, 1968 in Variola albimarginata and Variola louti; Prosorhynchus sp. A in Epinephelus morrhua; Prosorhynchus sp. immature in Epinephelus coeruleopunctatus. The new combination Neidhartia longivesicula (Bilqees, Khalil, Khan, Perveen & Muti-ur-Rehman, 2009) (Syn. Prosorhynchus longivesicula) is formed. Evidence from this paper and earlier molecular studies indicates that there are numerous morphologically similar prosorhynchine species in serranids, most of which show a high degree of host-specificity.
“…P. vagampullum (from Epinephelus quoyanus (Valenciennes) off Australia and China) can be differentiated by its primary canal (almost as wide as primary chamber vs thinner in P. stigmosus), the shape of its primary chamber (posterior extremity pointed vs round in P. stigmosus), the position and shape of its secondary chamber (posterior and starshaped vs anterior and spherical in P. stigmosus). In addition, the quadriloculate organ of P. vagampullum has a very thick wall (Beverley-Burton & Suriano, 1981;Justine, 2005a;Justine, Dupoux, & Cribb, 2009;Young, 1969;Zeng & Yang, 2007). P. auitoe (from E. maculatus (Bloch) off New Caledonia) and P. cyanopodus (from E. cyanopodus and E. chlorostigma (this paper) off New Caledonia) are morphologically similar species.…”
Gill monogeneans from the brownspotted grouper Epinephelus chlorostigma (Val.) collected in deep water off the coral barrier reef of New Caledonia, South Pacific, comprise seven species. These include the ancyrocephalid Haliotrema sp., the capsalid Allobenedenia cf. epinepheli Yamaguti, 1968, and five diplectanids, namely Pseudorhabdosynochus epinepheli (Yamaguti, 1938), reported in a previous paper, P. cyanopodus Sigura & Justine, 2008 and P. podocyanus Sigura & Justine, 2008, two species originally described from E. cyanopodus Richardson, P. stigmosus n. sp., P. exoticoides n. sp. and Diplectanum femineum n. sp. P. stigmosus is characterised by a sclerotised vagina with a straight primary canal, large ovoid primary chamber and spherical secondary chamber. P. exoticoides is a highly aberrant species, with a thick-walled male quadriloculate organ and a discoid sclerotised vagina with an exceptional structure. Interestingly, P. exoticoides resembles P. exoticus Sigura & Justine, 2008, a species from E. cyanopodus, and P. stigmosus resembles P. cyanopodus and P. podocyanus, also both from E. cyanopodus, suggesting close relationships between the diplectanid faunae of these two fish species. D. femineum belongs to a group of diplectanids, provisionally classified as 'Diplectanum' Diesing, 1858, which all share a small funnel-shaped male copulatory organ. In contrast to other members of this group which have no sclerotised vagina, D. femineum has a sclerotised vagina with the same organisation as those of species of Pseudorhabdosynochus Yamaguti, 1958. This suggests that the species of 'Diplectanum' from groupers are closer to Pseudorhabdosynochus than suggested by the structure of the male organs.
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