Three new species of Cucullanus (Nematoda: Cucullanidae) from marine fishes off New Caledonia, with a key to species of Cucullanus from Anguilliformes

Abstract

Based on light and scanning electron microscopical studies of nematode specimens from the digestive tract of some rarely collected anguilliform and perciform fishes off New Caledonia, three new species of Cucullanus Müller, 1777 (Cucullanidae) are described: C. austropacificus n. sp. from the longfin African conger Conger cinereus (Congridae), C. gymnothoracis n. sp. from the lipspot moray Gymnothorax chilospilus (Muraenidae), and C. incognitus n. sp. from the seabream Dentex fourmanoiri (Sparidae). Cucullanus austropacificus n. sp. is characterized by the presence of cervical alae, ventral sucker, alate spicules 1.30–1.65 mm long, conspicuous outgrowths of the anterior and posterior cloacal lips and by elongate-oval eggs measuring 89–108 × 48–57 μm; C. gymnothoracis n. sp. is similar to the foregoing species, but differs from it in the absence of cervical alae and the posterior cloacal outgrowth, in the shape and size of the anterior cloacal outgrowth and somewhat shorter spicules 1.12 mm long; C. incognitus n. sp. (based on female morphology) differs from other congeneric species parasitic in the Sparidae mainly in possessing cervical alae, the postequatorial vulva, phasmids situated at the mid-length of the tail and in the size of the eggs (75–84 × 45–66 μm). A key to species of Cucullanus parasitizing anguilliform fishes is provided.

New records of cucullanid nematodes from marine fishes off New Caledonia, with descriptions of five new species of Cucullanus (Nematoda, Cucullanidae)

“…Smales [24] gave no morphological data on these nematodes; the nematodes she mentioned from D. pictum might be identical to C. diagrammae n. sp. Cucullanus australiensis differs from the new species mainly in having deirids located somewhat posterior to the level of the nerve ring (vs. near the end of the oesophagus) and the excretory pore in the region of deirids (vs. posterior to the oesophago-intestinal junction), and much longer spicules (990-1200 lm vs. 315 lm) [15].…”

“…However, this species identification was probably incorrect, because C. australiensis is a parasite of Gymnothorax spp. (Muraenidae, Anguilliformes) [2,8,15] and its occurrence in perciform fishes is highly improbable. Smales [24] gave no morphological data on these nematodes; the nematodes she mentioned from D. pictum might be identical to C. diagrammae n. sp.…”

“…A total of eight nominal species of cucullanid nematodes (Cucullanidae) has so far been recorded from marine anguilliform, perciform and tetraodontiform fishes off New Caledonia: [12][13][14][15][16]23]. Recent examinations of additional materials of cucullanid nematodes from marine fishes off New Caledonia, collected in the years 2004-2009, revealed the presence of five new species of Cucullanus Müller, 1777, one previously described species of Cucullanus, two known species of Dichelyne (Cucullanellus) Jägerskiöld, 1902 and two specifically unidentifiable forms (only females available) of each Cucullanus and Dichelyne (Cucullanellus).…”

Dibothriocephalus nihonkaiensis: an emerging concern in western countries?

“…Fishes commonly harbor many parasites [1,2], some of them can be transmitted to humans, leading to various diseases such as diphyllobothriosis, anisakidosis, larva migrans syndrome due to Gnathostoma spp. or Spirometra spp., liver or intestinal flukes infections and others [3].…”

Cucullanus carettae Baylis, 1923, in a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) from the Adriatic sea: first detection and molecular characterization

“…The nematodes belonging to the genus Cucullanus, (Müller 1788) are mainly parasites of freshwater, brackish, and marine fish, while they are rarely reported in reptiles. Due to their rather uniform morphology and some incomplete descriptions, identification of the species of Cucullanus can be challenging (Moravec and Justine 2018). Cucullanus carettae is the only species within this genus described in sea turtles and it is associated with hemorrhagic enteritis (Lester et al 1980).…”