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A new species of Glugea Thélohan, 1891 in the red sea bream Pagrus major (Temminck & Schlegel) (Teleostei: Sparidae) from China

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Abstract

A new microsporidian species is described from farmed red sea bream Pagrus major (Temminck & Schlegel) (Teleostei: Sparidae). Large numbers of spherical whitish xenomas were observed throughout the visceral organs of the host. Histological examination showed that the microsporidia caused several xenomas that were embedded in the intestinal muscularis externa or submucosa. Light and transmission electron microscopy examination of the spores also revealed morphological features typical of species of Glugea Thélohan, 1891. This microsporidian parasite has two different types of mature spores: microspores and macrospores. The spores are elongate-ovoid, with a large posterior vacuole. The polaroplast is bi-partite, with anterior and posterior parts comprising densely packed lamellae and loose membranes, respectively, and occupies approximately the anterior half of the spore. The polar filament is anisofilar, with 12–13 coils in a single layer almost touching the posterior spore wall. Comparison of the small subunit rDNA sequences revealed 92.7–98.1% identity with the sequences available from other Glugea spp. from piscine hosts. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the microsporidian species studied clustered within the Glugea clade with strong support. Based on the differences in the morphological characteristics and molecular data, the microsporidian infecting P. major is considered to represent a species new to science, Glugea pagri n. sp.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported financially by Grants from the Special Scientific Research Funds for Central Non-profit Institutes, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (codes 2012TS08, 2012A0503 and 2013A0604). We are grateful to all the laboratory members for their technical advice and helpful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of South China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation & Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, Guangdong, China

    Youlu Su, Juan Feng, Jingzhe Jiang, Lingtong Ye & Liwen Xu

  2. Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, Guangdong, China

    Zhixun Guo

  3. Guangdong Provincial Aquatic Animal Epidemic Disease Prevention and Control Center, Guangzhou, 510222, Guangdong, China

    Xiuxiu Sun

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  1. Youlu Su
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  2. Juan Feng
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  3. Xiuxiu Sun
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  4. Jingzhe Jiang
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  5. Zhixun Guo
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  6. Lingtong Ye
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  7. Liwen Xu
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Correspondence to Liwen Xu.

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Su, Y., Feng, J., Sun, X. et al. A new species of Glugea Thélohan, 1891 in the red sea bream Pagrus major (Temminck & Schlegel) (Teleostei: Sparidae) from China. Syst Parasitol 89, 175–183 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-014-9519-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-014-9519-y

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