Encotyllabe spari do not live in Brazil: Morphological and molecular evidence confirm two new species of Encotyllabe (Monogenea: Capsalidae) from Brazil

Abstract

BackgroundCurrently, 24 species of Encotyllabe Diesing, 1850 (Monogenea: Capsalidae) are listed in WoRMS, but the validity of many species has been questioned due to deficient or incomplete descriptions. On the other hand, almost all species in the genus have been described from one host species or closely related host species, suggesting host specificity, but other species, specifically Encotyllabe spari Yamaguti, 1934, have been reported at least from 19 species belonging to nine families in two orders (Perciformes and Scorpaeniformes) from Japan, the Arabian Gulf and Brazil. Concerning Brazilian records of Encotyllabe spari (but also as Encotyllabe cf. spari); seven host species belonging to four families and two orders have been reported as hosts for this species. The aim of this study was to describe two new species of Encotyllabe from Brazil, previously considered as E. spari.MethodsDuring 2016, we examined specimens of Orthophristis ruber (Cuvier) (Haemulidae) and Pagrus pagrus (Linnaeus) (Sparidae) caught off the coast of Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by local fishermen. Specimens of Encotyllabe were collected from the pharyngeal plates of the hosts. Morphological and morphometric (multivariate analysis of proportional measurements standardized by total length) and molecular analysis (LSU rRNA and cox1 gene) were performed in order to identify the collected monogenea. ResultsThe presence of two new species of Encotyllabe, Encotyllabe yamagutii n. sp. and Encotyllabe haemuli n. sp., parasitizing the pharyngeal plates of Pagrus pagrus and Orthopristis ruber, respectively, is strongly suggested by the three approaches used in this study. The main morphological differences from the most related species include a combination of body size, shape of the penis, and size and position of the testes.ConclusionsSpecimens of Encotyllabe, hitherto recorded as E. spari or E. cf. spari, belong to two new species. Our results suggest that the host specificity for members of Encotyllabe and specimens registered as E. spari, other than those from the original description, must be revisited.