Pseudobacciger cheneyae n. sp. (Digenea: Gymnophalloidea) from Weber’s chromis (Chromis weberi Fowler & Bean) (Perciformes: Pomacentridae) at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Abstract

A new species of digenean, Pseudobacciger cheneyae n. sp., is described from the intestines of Weber's chromis (Chromis weberi Fowler & Bean) from off Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. This species differs from the three described species of Pseudobacciger Nahhas & Cable, 1964 [P. cablei Madhavi, 1975, P. harengulae Yamaguti, 1938 and P. manteri Nahhas & Cable, 1964] in combinations of the size of the suckers and the length of the caeca. The host of the present species is a perciform (Family Pomacentridae) which contrasts with previous records of the genus which are almost exclusively from clupeiform fishes. The genus Pseudobacciger is presently recognised within the family Faustulidae (Poche, 1926) but phylogenetic analyses of 28S and ITS2 rDNA show that the new species bears no relationship to species of four other faustulid genera (Antorchis Linton, 1911, Bacciger Nicoll, 1924, Paradiscogaster Yamaguti, 1934 and Trigonocryptus Martin, 1958) but that instead it is nested within the Gymnophalloidea (Odhner, 1905) as sister to the Tandanicolidae (Johnston, 1927). This result suggests that the Faustulidae is polyphyletic.

A review of the genus Antorchis Linton, 1911 (Trematoda: Faustulidae) from Indo-Pacific fishes with the description of a new species

“…The position of the genus within the family Faustulidae has been confirmed by molecular data, with Antorchis forming a strongly supported clade with species of the faustulid genera Bacciger Nicoll, 1914 andTrigonocryptus Martin, 1958 in the analyses of Olson et al (2003), Sun et al (2014) and Cutmore et al (2014). The analyses of Sun et al (2014) highlighted the possible need for future division of the Faustulidae into two families, one related to the Zoogonidae (the clade to which Antorchis belongs) and one related to the Gymnophalloidea Odhner, 1905. The genus was reviewed most recently by Cribb et al (1999) and then considered to comprise seven species of which four are known from Indo-Pacific marine fishes.…”

A new species of Plectognathotrema Layman, 1930 (Trematoda: Zoogonidae) from an Australian monacanthid, with a molecular assessment of the phylogenetic position of the genus

“…The analysis of partial 28S rDNA data has recently modified the familial placements for several digenean genera (e.g. Bray et al, 2005Sun et al, 2014). We think it of great importance to generate and publish 28S rDNA sequence data for new taxa where there is doubt with respect to the phylogenetic affinities, and, as discussed by Cribb et al (2014a), to ''back-fill'' sequences for described species/genera when possible.…”

Parasites and cleaning behaviour in damselfishes

“…Pseudobacciger cheneyae Remarks: This species was described from Chromis weberi by Sun et al (2014) (as part of this study, published paper appended to this chapter) from Lizard Island. Pseudobacciger cheneyae is the first faustulid to have been reported from a pomacentrid, with other members of the genus known primarily from clupeids, but also from pomacanthids and sparids (Parukhin 1976b;Machida 1984;Dimitrov et al 1999).…”

“…Although the genus Pseudobacciger is classified within the family Faustulidae, phylogenetic analyses show that P. cheneyae is more closely related to members of the superfamily Gymnophalloidea, which includes, amongst others, the Fellodistomidae and Tandanicolidae, to which P. cheneyae is sister (Sun et al 2014). Currently, P. cheneyae displays oioxenic host-specificity in that it has only been recorded from one host species, despite the ecology and behaviour of C. weberi resembling that of other planktivorous damselfishes.…”

“…Relatively few studies have been conducted elsewhere on the GBR; of these, work was primarily conducted at Lizard Island. However, unlike at Heron Island, these studies focused on individual species of damselfishes or a particular family of digenean trematode (Grutter et al 2010;Hunter and Cribb 2010;Sun et al 2012;Sun et al 2014). Thus, the trematode fauna of damselfishes at other locations on the GBR, including Lizard Island, can be considered to be under-studied.…”