ABOUT THE FIND OF PARASITES <i>KUDOA NOVA</i> AND <i>KUDOA NILUFERI</i> (MYXOSPOREA: KUDOIDAE) IN THE MUSCLES OF INVASIVE GOBIES <i>TRIDENTIGER TRIGONOCEPHALUS </i>AND <i>GOBIUS CRUENTATUS</i> (ACTINOPTERYGII: GOBIIDAE) IN THE BLACK SEA

Abstract

The data on parasitizing of two species of myxosporeans of the genus Kudoa in the muscles of two species of invading gobies in the Black Sea off the coast of Sevastopol are presented. One isolate was found in the chameleon goby Tridentiger trigonocephalus , and the other one was found in the red-mouthed goby Gobius cruentatus . It is assumed that the source of infection for the invading fish were native gobies, in which the above species of parasites were previously known. A decrease in the size of spores and polar capsules was noted, as well as a slight disturbance in the shape of spores for K. niluferi , which might be associated with parasitizing in an unusual host and in another region. Molecular genetic identification of myxosporeans from two species of gobies confirms that the studied isolates belong to the genus Kudoa . Two 18S rDNA sequences of these isolates turned out to be very similar, but not identical to each other (differences of 4.87%), and also similar to two known species of goby myxosporeans from the Black Sea - K. nova and K. niluferi . The results obtained are the first evidence of the parasitizing of Myxosporea representatives in both species of gobies in the places of invasion, and also make up the lack of information on genomic variability of parasites of chameleon and red-mouthed gobies in the native range.