Aporocotyle mariachristinae n. sp., and A. Ymakara Villalba & Fernández, 1986 (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) of the pink cusk-eel, Genypterus blacodes (Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae) from Patagonia, Argentina

HERNÁNDEZ-ORTS, J.S.; ALAMA-BERMEJO, G.; CARRILLO, J.M.; GARCÍA, N.A.; CRESPO, E.A.; RAGA, J.A.; MONTERO, F.E.

PARASITE-JOURNAL DE LA SOCIETE FRANCAISE DE PARASITOLOGIE

PRINCEPS EDITIONS

Lugar: Paris; Año: 2012 vol. 19 p. 319 - 330

1252-607X

Aporocotyle mariachristinae n. sp. and A. ymakara Villalba &Fernández, 1986 were collected from the bulbus arteriosus andventral aorta of pink cusk-eels, Genypterus blacodes (Forster,1801) from Patagonia, Argentina. A. mariachristinae n. sp. canbe distinguished from all the species of Aporocotyle by theasymmetrical extension of posterior caeca (right posterior caecumlonger, terminating at the area between mid-level of ovary andposterior body end; left posterior caecum shorter, terminating at thearea between mid-level of cirrus sac and posterior to reproductiveorgans), the distribution of spines along the ventro-lateral bodymargins and the number of testes. The new species clearly differsfrom A. ymakara, from the same host species, in the esophagus /body length ratio, the absence of distal loops at caeca, the anteriorcaeca / posterior caeca length ratio, and the number of testes.Additionally, in A. ymakara the left posterior caecum may be longerthan right posterior caecum, while in the new species left posteriorcaecum is always shorter. The specimen of A. ymakara collectedfrom Argentina is also described. We also provide observationsof the distribution of spines in different species of Aporocotyle,including new specimens of A. argentinensis Smith, 1969 fromMerluccius hubbsi Marini, 1933. Molecular sequence data obtainedfrom partial 18S and 28S rDNA regions were compared between thenew species and other two species of Aporocotyle (A. argentinensisand A. spinosicanalis Williams, 1958). This is a new locality record forA. ymakara, extending the known geographical distribution for thisspecies from Chile to Argentina, and the first report of two speciesof Aporocotyle in the same host species and locality.