Trematodes from Red Sea fishes: Prosteganoderma brayi gen. nov., sp. nov. (Zoogonidae Odhner, 1902) and Forticulcita mugilis sp. nov. (Haploporidae Nicoll, 1914)

Abstract

Specimens of the fishes Scarus ghobban Forsskål (Scaridae) and Crenimugil crenilabis Forsskål (Mugilidae) were caught in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm ElSheikh, South Sinai, Egypt. Ten (20 %) and 15 (50 %) of these fishes, respectively, were found to harbour intestinal trematodes. Scarus ghobban was parasitised by Prosteganoderma brayi gen. nov., sp. nov. (Zoogonidae) and C. crenilabis by Forticulcita mugilis sp. nov. (Haploporidae). Prosteganoderma gen. nov. is similar to Steganoderma Stafford, 1904, but clearly differs from it and from all the other genera of the subfamily Lepidophyllinae Stossich, 1903 in having a large ventral sucker surrounded by a large prominent fleshy fold of the body wall and a pre-testicular uterus. Forticulcita mugilis sp. nov. is similar to F. glabra Overstreet, 1982, the type and the only species of the genus, but clearly differs in having a larger body size, a longer forebody, an intestinal bifurcation in the middle of the body, subequal gonads, Laurer's canal opening dorsally at a considerable distance posterior to the testis and a much larger egg size.

A revision of the Haploporinae Nicoll, 1914 (Digenea: Haploporidae) from mullets (Mugilidae): Dicrogaster Looss, 1902 and Forticulcita Overstreet, 1982

“…gibsoni differs from the recently described material from the mugilid Crenimugil crenilabis (Forsskål) in the Red Sea, F. mugilis Hassanine, 2007, in most of the metrical features, due to the fact that the latter species is much larger than F. glabra (see Hassanine, 2007; Table 3). In addition, the egg-size of F. gibsoni is much smaller (34-44 9 18-24 vs 45-54 9 30-36; mean 39 9 21 vs 49 9 33 lm); the ventral sucker is smaller in relation to oral sucker (sucker width ratio 1: 0.87-1.21 vs 1:1.55-1.79; mean 1:1.05 vs 1:1.67); the testis is more anterior (TEND/ BL = 45-57 vs 30%); the hermaphroditic sac is long in relation to the ventral sucker (c.2-3 times longer vs nearly as long as the ventral sucker); and the external seminal vesicle is wider (mean 44 vs 25 lm) ( Table 3).…”

“…Two keyed down to Dicrogaster and one to Forticulcita Overstreet, 1982, using the recent revision of Haploporidae Nicoll, 1914 by Overstreet & Curran (2005). The latter showed substantial differences from both the type-species, F. glabra Overstreet, 1982, and the recently described F. mugilis Hassanine, 2007, and we considered it a new species. We identified the two Dicrogaster spp.…”

“…This species was recently described in detail (Hassanine, 2007). F. mugilis is distinguished from the other species of the genus by its largest size, largest oral and ventral suckers, longest forebody and largest eggs.…”

A revision of the Haploporinae Nicoll, 1914 (Digenea: Haploporidae) from mullets (Mugilidae): two new haploporine genera and a key to the genera of the subfamily

“…Of the seven genera recognised by these authors in this subfamily (plus Ragaia n. g. added above), only Forticulcita, exhibits the tubular condition of both the internal and external seminal vesicles observed in the type-material of D. japonica (see also Machida, 1996;Overstreet & Curran, 2005). Forticulcita is known by its type-species, F. glabra Overstreet, 1982, a parasite of Valamugil seheli (Mugilidae) in the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) (Overstreet, 1982), F. mugilis Hassanine, 2007, a parasite of Crenimugil crenilabis Figs. 3-4 Pseudodicrogaster japonica n. g., n. comb.…”

“…Terminal genitalia. Scale-bars: 1, 500 lm; 2, 200 lm (Mugilidae) in the northern Red Sea (Hassanine, 2007), and a new species from Mugil cephalus from western Mediterranean (Blasco-Costa et al, 2009a). Forticulcita also has a single, compact vitellarium, an unarmed hermaphroditic duct and a muscular metraterm, but differs from Machida's material in its fusiform body shape, elongate arcuate hermaphroditic sac, internal seminal vesicle much shorter than the external seminal vesicle, testis located near the middle of the body and miracidia with a single or two fused eye-spots.…”