Proposal of <i>Brotulella</i> n. gen. for Monogeneans from the Gills of the Pacific Bearded Brotula <i>Brotula clarkae</i> Hubbs, 1944 (<i>Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae</i>) Based on Morphological and Molecular Evidence

oleh: Celso Luis Cruces, Raquel Simões, Arnaldo Maldonado Júnior, Ruperto Severino, Jhon Darly Chero, José Luis Luque

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-11-01

Deskripsi

Based on morphological and molecular data, <i>Brotulella</i> n. gen. is proposed to accommodate the dactylogyrid monogeneans <i>Brotulella laurafernandae</i> n. sp. (type species) and <i>Brotulella luisahelenae</i> n. sp. on the gill filaments of the Pacific bearded brotula <i>Brotula clarkae</i> Hubbs, 1944 (<i>Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae</i>) from Puerto Pizarro in the Tumbes region (northern Peru). Species of the new genus are distinguished from all other dactylogyrids by the combination of the following features: (1) anchors with a stocking-shaped sheath associated with the distal end of superficial and deep roots, (2) tandem gonads, (3) a vas deferens looping left intestinal caecum, (4) a distally twisted male copulatory organ (MCO) with a delicate membranous accessory piece articulated to the shaft of the MCO, (5) a U-shaped ovary, (6) an almost sigmoid seminal vesicle, and (7) two prostatic reservoirs with thick muscular walls. A 28S ribosomal DNA-based phylogenetic analysis (Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference) of sequences of two new species of <i>Brotulella</i> n. gen. from the Southeastern Pacific Ocean, along with sequences from closely related genera of the marine Dactylogyridae, supports the establishment of the new genus for the dactylogyrid parasites on the gills of the Pacific bearded brotula.