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Redescription of Philometra pellucida (Jägerskiöld, 1893) (Nematoda: Philometridae) parasitic in the abdominal cavity of the blackspotted puffer Arothron nigropunctatus (Bloch & Schneider) (Teleostei: Tetraodontidae) off Australia and Japan

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Abstract

The nematode Philometra pellucida (Jägerskiöld, 1893) (Philometridae) is redescribed from female specimens obtained from the abdominal cavity of the marine tetraodontiform fish (blackspotted puffer) Arothron nigropunctatus (Bloch & Schneider) (Tetraodontidae) off Lizard Island, Australia and off Okinawa, Japan. This is just the second record of this parasite since its description 125 years ago. Light and scanning electron microscopical examination of these nematodes revealed some taxonomically important, previously unreported morphological features, such as the number and arrangement of cephalic papillae, presence of the oesophageal cell nucleus and the size of first-stage larvae in the uterus. This new report of P. pellucida infecting A. nigropunctatus off Australia and Japan represents new host and geographical records. A key to the species of Philometra Costa, 1845 parasitising tetraodontiform fishes is provided.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr James Reimer of the University of the Ryukyus for his support in the field in Japan and the staff of Lizard Island Research Station. Thanks are also due to the Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, institution supported by the MEYS CR (LM2015062 Czech-BioImaging) for their support with obtaining scientific data presented in this paper, and to Blanka Škoríková of the same Institute for help with the illustrations.

Funding

This study was partly supported by the Czech Science Foundation (Grant. No. P505/12G112) and by institutional support (RVO:60077344, Institute of Parasitology, BC AS CR). Collecting in Japan was supported by an Australian Society for Parasitology (ASP) Network Reseacher Exchange, Training and Travel Award grant to SC, collecting at Lizard Island by a Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment to RY.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    František Moravec

  2. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Scott C. Cutmore & Russell Q.-Y. Yong

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  1. František Moravec
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  2. Scott C. Cutmore
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  3. Russell Q.-Y. Yong
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Correspondence to František Moravec.

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All applicable institutional, national and international guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection Nematoda.

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Moravec, F., Cutmore, S.C. & Yong, R.QY. Redescription of Philometra pellucida (Jägerskiöld, 1893) (Nematoda: Philometridae) parasitic in the abdominal cavity of the blackspotted puffer Arothron nigropunctatus (Bloch & Schneider) (Teleostei: Tetraodontidae) off Australia and Japan. Syst Parasitol 95, 665–671 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-018-9806-0

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