Morphological, molecular and phylogenetic characterization of Ceratomyxa nemiptera sp. nov. (Myxozoa: Ceratomyxidae) infecting Nemipterus virgatus Houttuyn, 1782 in the East China Sea
Li, P.; Zhou, Y.; Tan, X.; Zhao, Y.; Yang, C. (2026). Morphological, molecular and phylogenetic characterization of Ceratomyxa nemiptera sp. nov. (Myxozoa: Ceratomyxidae) infecting Nemipterus virgatus Houttuyn, 1782 in the East China Sea. Animals 16(2): 166. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani16020166
In: Animals. MDPI AG: Basel. e-ISSN 2076-2615, more
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| Keywords |
Classification > Taxonomy
Ceratomyxa arcuata Thélohan, 1895 [WoRMS]; Ceratomyxa cretensis Kalatzis, Kokkari & Katharios, 2013 [WoRMS]; Ceratomyxa nemiptera Li, Zhou, Tan, Zhao & Yang, 2026 [WoRMS]; Myxosporea [WoRMS]; Nemipterus virgatus (Houttuyn, 1782) [WoRMS]
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| Author keywords |
gallbladder infection; SSU rDNA; species diversity |
| Abstract |
A newly discovered myxosporean parasite was described from the gallbladder of Nemipterus virgatus Houttuyn, 1782 collected from the East China Sea. Mature myxospores are crescent-shaped with shell valves that taper gradually toward rounded ends. Each myxospore contained two sub-spherical polar capsules located near the anterior end, closely aligned along the suture line. The mature myxospores measured 6.2 ± 0.6 (5.4–6.9) μm in length and 44.8 ± 4.6 (38.5–53.1) μm in thickness. Polar capsules measured 2.8 ± 0.2 (2.4–3.1) μm in length and 2.3 ± 0.2 (1.9–2.6) μm in width, with polar filaments coiled in 2–3 turns. The small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) sequence of Ceratomyxa nemiptera sp. nov. was distinct from all known myxosporeans, showing the highest similarity (93.56%) and the shortest genetic distance (0.0637) with Ceratomyxa arcuata Thélohan, 1892. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that C. nemiptera sp. nov. was positioned within a later-diverging lineage, forming a sister-group relationship with a clade containing C. arcuata and Ceratomyxa cretensis Kalatzis, Kokkari & Katharios, 2013. This is the first report of a Ceratomyxa species infecting N. virgatus. |
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