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Redescription of Ascarophis distorta Fusco et Overstreet, 1978 (Nematoda, Cystidicolidae) from the stomach of some butterflyfishes off New Caledonia

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Abstract

Purpose

The nematode Ascarophis distorta Fusco et Overstreet, 1978 (Cystidicolidae), originally described from the butterflyfish Chaetodon paucifasciatus Ahl (Perciformes, Chaetodontidae) in the Red Sea, was established based solely on the light microscopical (LM) examination of specimens. However, the present taxonomy of cystidicolid nematodes is mostly based on details of the cephalic structures properly visible only with the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Methods

Helminthological examinations of some marine fishes from coral reefs off New Caledonia, South Pacific, carried out in the years 2003–2007, revealed the presence of A. distorta in two Chaetodon spp. and thus enabled its redescription. The nematode specimens were studied with the use of both LM and SEM.

Results

The specimens of A. distorta were obtained from the stomach of the threadfin butterflyfish Chaetodon auriga Forsskål and the vagabond butterflyfish Chaetodon vagabundus Linnaeus. This is just the second record of this parasite since its description 43 years ago. SEM, used in this species for the first time, revealed some taxonomically important, previously unreported or insufficiently described morphological features, such as details in the cephalic structure, the shape of deirids, structure of the distal tip of the left spicule, or the exact number and distribution of male caudal papillae. The finding of A. distorta in C. auriga and C. vagabundus off New Caledonia represents new host and geographical records. The examination of 39 specimens of butterflyfishes from off New Caledonia, belonging to 14 Chaetodon spp. and 3 Heniochus spp., revealed that the nematode was only present in the 2 fish species listed above.

Conclusions

This parasite seems to be host-specific to only certain species of butterflyfishes (Chaetodon spp.), and is probably widespread in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as its hosts.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Michel Kulbicki, Gérard Mou-Tham, Nathaniel Cornuet, Géraldine Colli and Lénaïg Hemery for the collection of fishes and Charles Beaufrère, Audrey Guérin, Anaïs Guillou and Julie Mounier for the parasitological examinations. 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) and ERDF (No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_013/0001775), 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 institutional support of the Institute of Parasitology, BC AS CR (RVO: 60077344).

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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 Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Waga Waga, NSW, 2678, Australia

    Shokoofeh Shamsi

  3. Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Waga Waga, NSW, 2678, Australia

    Shokoofeh Shamsi

  4. Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, rue Cuvier, CP 51, 75005, Paris, France

    Jean-Lou Justine

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Correspondence to František Moravec.

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Moravec, F., Shamsi, S. & Justine, JL. Redescription of Ascarophis distorta Fusco et Overstreet, 1978 (Nematoda, Cystidicolidae) from the stomach of some butterflyfishes off New Caledonia. Acta Parasit. 66, 907–914 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00359-7

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