Morphology and Phylogeny of Calyptospora paranaidji n. sp. (Eimeriorina: Calyptosporidae), an Apicomplexan Parasite of the Hepatic Tissue of Cichla piquiti Kullander & Ferreira, 2006, From a Reservoir in the Brazilian Amazon Region

Abstract

The coccidians of the family Calyptosporidae are parasites of the tissue and organs of fish and aquatic invertebrates, in particular in the tropical region. In contrast with other apicomplexans of the suborder Eimeriorina, the diversity and ecology of the species of the genus Calyptospora have been poorly investigated, resulting in a lacuna that restricts the understanding of the distribution and prevalence of this group of eukaryote microparasites in the Amazon region. In the present study, the integrated comparative analysis of morphological characteristics, histological and structural traits, and the sequences of a fragment of the 18S rRNA gene, provides support for the identification of a new species of Calyptospora, found parasitizing the hepatic tissue of the piscivorous blue peacock bass, Cichla piquiti, captured in the reservoir of the Estreito hydroelectric dam on the middle Tocantins River in northern Brazil. This new species was named Calyptospora paranaidji n. sp.

Hepatic Coccidiosis in Triportheus angulatus Spix & Agassiz, 1829 (Characiformes: Triportheidae), a Tropical Fish from the Eastern Brazilian Amazon, with the Description of a New Species of Calyptospora (Apicomplexa: Calyptosporidae)

“…In comparison with Calyptospora paranaidji (), the only calyptosporid species reported previously from the Tocantins basin (da Silva et al. ), the new species had an identity of 93.65% and 100% coverage. The Bayesian inference indicated a correspondence of 85% with the other eimeronid coccidian found in GenBank, including four species of the genus Calyptospora , that is, C. paranaidji (), Calyptospora funduli (), Calyptospora serrasalmi (), and Calyptospora spinosa ().…”

“…contrasts with the much higher prevalence observed in the case of C. paranaidji , found in cichlid fish in the Tocantins basin (da Silva et al. ), and the other calyptosporid species found in Amazonian fish (Azevedo et al. ; Fournie and Overstreet ; Silva et al.…”

“…The association of melanomacrophagic bodies with parasitophorous vacuoles is common in liver infections by calyptosporids in fish (Békési and Molnár ; da Silva et al. ; Fournie and Overstreet ; Oliveira et al. ; Whipps et al.…”

“…Parasitic relationships between coccidians and a number of different groups of the aquatic biota have been recorded widely in the tropical zone (da Silva et al. ; Matos et al. ; Molnár et al.…”

“…With species diversity still poorly known, only six species included in the genus Calyptospora are described, especially fish parasitic parasites in the tropical Amazon region (Albuquerque and de Brasil‐Sato ; da Silva et al. ).…”