A review of the Acanthocephala parasitising freshwater fishes in Australia.

The acanthocephalan fauna of Australian freshwater fishes was documented from field surveys, a literature survey and examination of specimens registered in Australian museums. From the 4030 fishes, representing 78 of the 354 Australian freshwater fish species (22%), examined for infection seven species of acanthocephalan were recovered. These species comprised five endemic species, three in endemic genera, two species in cosmopolitan genera, one species not fully identified and 1 putative exotic species recovered from eight species of fish. Of these Edmonsacanthus blairi from Melanotaenia splendida, was the only acanthocephalan found at a relatively high prevalence of 38·6%. These findings are indicative of a highly endemic and possibly depauperate acanthocephalan fauna. Species richness was higher in the tropical regions than the temperate regions of the country. Exotic acanthocephalan species have either not been introduced with their exotic hosts or have been unable to establish their life cycles in Australian conditions. Consequently, acanthocephalans have not yet invaded endemic Australian fish hosts.

Molecular and morphological description of Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) bukaka (species nova), a haemosporidian associated with the strictly Australo-Papuan host subfamily Cracticinae.

Linking morphological studies with molecular phylogeny is important to understanding cryptic speciation and the evolution of host-parasite relationships. Haemosporidian parasites of the Australo-Papuan bird family Artamidae are relatively unstudied. Only one parasite species from the subfamily Cracticinae has been described, and this was based solely on morphological description. This is despite many Cracticinae species being easily observed and abundant over large ranges and in close proximity to human populations. We used morphological and molecular methods to describe a new Haemoproteus species (H. bukaka sp. nov.) from an endemic Butcherbird host (Cracticus louisiadensis) in a relatively unstudied insular area of high avian endemism (Papua New Guinea's Louisiade Archipelago). Phylogenetic reconstructions using parasite cyt-b gene sequences placed the proposed Haemoproteus bukaka sp. nov. close to other host-specialist Haemoproteus species that infect meliphagid honeyeater hosts in the region, e.g. H. ptilotis. Distinct morphological characters of this haemosporidian include macrogametocytes with characteristic large vacuoles opposing a subterminal nucleus on the host cell envelope. Among 27 sampled individuals, prevalence of H. bukaka sp.nov. was high (74 % infection rate) but strongly variable across four islands in the archipelago (ranging from 0 to 100 % prevalence). Parasitaemia levels were low across all infected individuals (0.1-0.6 %). We suspect host density may play a role in maintaining high prevalence given the close proximity and similar physical environments across islands. The findings are discussed in the context of the host genus Cracticus and theory relating to parasite-host evolution and its conservation implications in Papua New Guinea.

Using the Neptune project to benefit Australian aquatic animal health research.

Diseases of aquatic animals have had, and continue to have, a significant impact on aquatic animal health. In Australia, where fisheries and aquaculture are important industries, aquatic species have been subject to serious disease outbreaks, including pilchard herpesvirus, the cause of one of the largest wild fish kills ever recorded. At the same time, there is a consensus that Australia's parasite fauna are largely unknown, and that aquatic animal health information is difficult to access. Managing aquatic animal diseases is challenging because they may be entirely new, their hosts may be new to aquaculture, and specialist expertise and basic diagnostic tools may be lacking or absent. The Neptune project was created in response to these challenges, and it aims to increase awareness of aquatic animal diseases, improve disease management, and promote communication between aquatic animal health professionals in Australia. The project consists of an online database, a digital microscopy platform containing a whole-slide image library, a community space, and online communications technology. The database contains aquatic animal health information from published papers, government reports, and other sources, while the library contains slides of key diseases both endemic and exotic to Australia. These assets make Neptune a powerful resource for researchers, students, and biosecurity officials.

Unicapsula species (Myxosporea: Trilosporidae) of Australian marine fishes, including the description of Unicapsula andersenae n. sp. in five teleost families off Queensland, Australia.

A survey of the myxosporean fauna of Australian marine fishes revealed the presence of three previously unreported species of Unicapsula (Multivalvulida: Trilosporidae) from sites off Southeast Queensland, off Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and from Jurien Bay in Western Australia. Morphometric data (spore, polar capsule and caudal appendage dimensions) combined with Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses of small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) were used for species identification and to explore relationships among these taxa. The four species of Unicapsula for which DNA data are now available for comparative purposes (Unicapsula andersenae n. sp., Unicapsula pflugfelderi, Unicapsula seriolae and Unicapsula pyramidata) formed a well-supported monophyletic sister clade to the other major multivalvulidan group, the Kudoidae. The combined morphometric and genetic diagnostic approach identified an undescribed taxon, U. andersenae n. sp., from the muscle of Argyrosomus japonicus, Acanthopagrus australis and Eleutheronema tetradactylum off the Southeast Queensland coast and in Lutjanus russellii and Sillago ciliata off Lizard Island. Intra-specific variation within U. andersenae n. sp. varied from 2-4 (0.2-0.4%) nucleotides over the SSU region to 2-20 (0.3-3.2%) over the LSU region. Inter-specific variation between U. andersenae n. sp. and the other three species for which genetic sequence data are now available ranged from 15-66 (3-6.5%) nucleotides over the SSU region to 103-120 (17.6-21.2%) nucleotides over the LSU region. The host distribution observed here for U. andersenae n. sp. (five fish species from five different fish families) represents the broadest specificity known for a single species of Unicapsula. U. pyramidata Naidjenova & Zaika 1970, whose spore morphology and presence of caudal appendages immediately distinguish it from other species, was recovered from the nemipterid, Scolopsis monogramma, off Lizard Island. U. seriolae Lester 1982 is reported here from Yellowtail Kingfish, Seriola lalandi, from sites off Queensland and from Jurien Bay, Western Australia. Comparative genetic analyses also revealed that an unidentified species of Unicapsula from Epinephelus septemfasciatus off Japan whose rDNA sequence data are available on GenBank is consistent with U. seriolae. This suggests that U. seriolae may also exhibit low host specificity and may be distributed widely throughout the Indo-West Pacific region. In comparison to other myxozoan genera, it is clear that the species richness of Unicapsula spp. falls well below that displayed by either Ceratomyxa spp. or Kudoa spp. The discovery of a further new species of Unicapsula in Australia now brings the total worldwide number of formally described Unicapsula species to a modest 11. Nonetheless, this taxon remains of significant interest to commercial and recreational fisheries through the potential production of macroscopic pseudocysts in fish muscle and post-mortem muscle liquefaction, both of which can render fish fillets unpalatable and unmarketable.

The ghost of parasites past: eggs of the blood fluke Cardicola chaetodontis (Aporocotylidae) trapped in the heart and gills of butterflyfishes (Perciformes: Chaetodontidae) of the Great Barrier Reef.

We explored the distribution of Cardicola chaetodontis in chaetodontid fishes from the Great Barrier Reef. We found just four infections of adult worms in 238 individuals of 26 chaetodontid species. By contrast, eggs were present in hearts of 75 fishes (31·5%) and 19 of 26 chaetodontid species (all Chaetodon species). In 10 cases eggs contained moving miracidia; all the others were dead and degenerating. Eggs were sought in the gills of 51 individual fish. There were 17 cases of eggs being present in gills while present in the heart, but also 13 cases where eggs were absent from gills but present in the heart, suggesting that eggs remain longer in heart tissue than in gills. ITS2 rDNA sequences from two adult worms and eggs extracted from gills of five fishes (all different species) were identical to previously reported sequences of C. chaetodontis except for a single base-pair difference in two samples. We conclude that aporocotylid eggs trapped in fish heart tissues may inform understanding of the distributions and host ranges of aporocotylids, especially where adult prevalence is low. The low host-specificity of C. chaetodontis contrasts with higher specificity of trematodes of chaetodontids that have trophic transmission.

The Fleur-de-lis DIEP-Introducing a 5th zone for DIEP reconstruction.

We present a case of breast cancer in the massive weight loss patient. In the light of the PIP implant scandal, the patient demanded an autologous reconstructive solution. We describe our surgical approach towards this unique problem and share our experience of performing a DIEP reconstruction using a fleur-de-lis pattern.

Monorchiids (Platyhelminthes: Digenea) of chaetodontid fishes (Perciformes): biogeographical patterns in the tropical Indo-West Pacific.

Species richness and biogeography of the monorchiid genus Hurleytrematoides was studied by the examination of 2834 individuals of 45 species of Chaetodontidae at six major sites in the tropical Indo-West Pacific: Heron Island, Lizard Island, Ningaloo (Western Australia), Palau, New Caledonia and Moorea (French Polynesia). In total, 18 species were distributed among six sites; descriptions are provided for eight new species: H. boucheti n. sp., H. combesi n. sp., H. deblocki n. sp., H. dollfusi n. sp., H. euzeti n. sp., H. kulbickii n. sp., H. pasteuri n. sp., and H. planesi n. sp. Overall richness ranged from zero to five Hurleytrematoides species per chaetodontid species. Seven Hurleytrematoides species were found at only one locality and eleven were found at multiple localities. Only one species, H. morandi, was found at all localities. Individual localities had between six (Moorea) and 10 (Heron Island) species; we attribute Moorea's depauperate parasite fauna to its isolation and distance from the Indo-Philippine centre of biological diversity. Using cluster analysis of 18 species of Hurleytrematoides and 45 species of chaetodontids sampled in the Indo-West Pacific, we show that the localities on the Great Barrier Reef (Heron Island and Lizard Island) and New Caledonia have the most similar chaetodontid and parasite fauna of any locality pairs. Cluster analysis results also show that the similarity of the chaetodontid assemblages at five of the six localities is relatively high and that Ningaloo has the most distinct fauna. Similarity values based on sharing of species of Hurleytrematoides are generally lower than those for their hosts; Moorea, Ningaloo and Palau all have low similarity to New Caledonia and Great Barrier Reef sites. We attribute these distinctions to the differential dispersal capability of the fish and their parasites. Chaetodontids have long-lived mobile pelagic larvae, the dispersal of which would be most affected by prominent biogeographical barriers, such as that between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In contrast, monorchiids have no obvious dispersal stage, and vast distances have the capacity to act as effective barriers to dispersal. We conclude that the present distributions of species of Hurleytrematoides in the Indo-Pacific are driven by historical opportunity and capacity to disperse, and that some disjunct distributions are sculpted by stochasticity.

Phylogenetic relationships amongst Chloromyxum Mingazzini, 1890 (Myxozoa: Myxosporea), and the description of six novel species from Australian elasmobranchs.

Six novel species of Chloromyxum Mingazzini, 1890 are described using a whole evidence approach combining morphometric and molecular data, together with features of their biology. Elasmobranchs were collected in Australian waters, from the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, off Lizard and Heron Islands; from Moreton Bay, southeast Queensland; off Hobart, Tasmania; and from the Tamar River, Launceston, Tasmania. The novel species proposed here are: Chloromyxum hemiscyllii n.sp. from Hemiscyllium ocellatum; Chloromyxum kuhlii n.sp. from Neotrygon kuhlii; Chloromyxum lesteri n.sp. from Cephaloscyllium laticeps; Chloromyxum mingazzinii n.sp. from Pristiophorus nudipinnis; Chloromyxum myliobati n.sp. from Myliobatis australis; and Chloromyxum squali n.sp. from Squalus acanthias. A seventh species from Squalus acanthias is also reported but due to limited material is not formally described. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that the genus Chloromyxum is polyphyletic, and species from elasmobranchs form a well-supported sister clade, with the type species Chloromyxum leydigi, to all other congeneric species clustering within the freshwater myxosporean clade. Morphological analysis showed that elasmobranch-infecting species are predominantly pyriform shaped, have clearly thickened spore apex and possess caudal filaments, compared to other Chloromyxum species which are generally spherical or subspherical, and lack caudal filaments. These morphological and phylogenetic data provide further support for the erection of new genera, but we conservatively consider the species described in this study and other elasmobranch-infecting Chloromyxum species as Chloromyxum sensu strictu, whilst the freshwater teleost infecting and amphibian infecting species we will assign as Chloromyxum sensu lato, until more comprehensive data are available.

First taxonomic description of multivalvulidan myxosporean parasites from elasmobranchs: Kudoa hemiscylli n.sp. and Kudoa carcharhini n.sp. (Myxosporea: Multivalvulidae).

Myxosporean parasites are significant parasites of fishes not only for their apparent high diversity but also for their potential impact on fish health and/or marketability. Regardless, our knowledge of most myxosporeans, especially those found in elasmobranch hosts, is superficial. A study of multivalvulidan diversity in a range of elasmobranchs from Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory (Australia) was conducted to address this knowledge gap. Specimens were collected from a total of 3 orders, 9 families and 31 species of elasmobranchs. Myxosporean infections referable to the genus Kudoa were discovered in host muscle and characterized morphologically and genetically. Both small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequences were used in molecular phylogenetic analyses. Kudoa spp. infected 27 of the 31 species of elasmobranchs examined, representing new records of this parasite genus in 26, of the 27, host species. Kudoids were observed in all 3 orders, and 7 out of the 9 families of elasmobranchs investigated. This paper reports the first 2 multivalvulidan species to be formally described from elasmobranchs, Kudoa hemiscylli n.sp. characterized from Hemiscyllium ocellatum (and 8 other host species) and Kudoa carcharhini n. sp. characterized from Carcharhinus cautus (and 2 other host species). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that kudoids from elasmobranchs form a separate lineage to those of teleosts, but are anchored within the overall kudoid clade.

Four new species of KudoaMeglitsch, 1947 (Myxosporea: Multivalvulida) from Australia with recommendations for species descriptions in the Kudoidae.

Kudoid parasites are significant pathogens of marine fish. In the past, specific identification has been difficult due to a paucity of detailed morphological and biological information provided in the original description of some species. However, the introduction of DNA analysis has dramatically improved diagnosis. For morphological characterization, this paper proposes a new set of schematics including additional measurements to give a more thorough description of spore morphology, and provides evidence for uniqueness of 4 new species: Kudoa gunterae n. sp. (from 10 pomacentrid species and 1 apogonid species), K. kenti n. sp. (from 4 pomacentrid species), K. paraquadricornis n. sp. (from 4 carangid species), and K. whippsi n. sp. (from 8 pomacentrid species and 1 apogonid species). Subtle morphological differences found between closely related species were reflected in their genetics, with increased resolution provided by the large subunit, compared with that of the small subunit, of the ribosomal DNA gene region. This article proposes comprehensive requirements for species descriptions within the Kudoidae that incorporate biology, morphology, and genetic sequence.

Bivalvulidan (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) parasites of damselfishes with description of twelve novel species from Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Bivalvulidan parasites from the gall bladder of 31 species of damselfishes (family Pomacentridae) were examined for their taxonomic identity and their relatedness to other species of myxozoans. This paper describes 11 novel ceratomyxid species and a novel Myxidium sp. Each species is characterized morphologically and small subunit (SSU) rDNA sequences were used in molecular phylogenetic analyses. Five pomacentrid species were found to harbour multiple infections of bivalvulidan species. One species of Ceratomyxa and Myxidium were found to infect more than a single species of damselfish. Phylogenetic analyses revealed there has been no radiation of ceratomyxids that can be associated with the fish host taxon and that Myxidium queenslandicus n.sp. was more closely related to Zschokkella mugilis and Ellipsomyxa gobii than other members of the genus Myxidium.

Wildlife as reservoirs for parasites infecting commercial species: host specificity and a redescription of Kudoa amamiensis from teleost fish in Australia.

Parasites of the genus Kudoa (Phylum Myxozoa) have long been known to cause considerable losses to finfish aquaculture. One such parasite species, Kudoa amamiensis, causes unsightly white cysts in the skeletal muscle of yellowtail kingfish, Seriola quinqueradiata, in Japan rendering the fillets unmarketable. The authors who characterized K. amamiensis, Egusa & Nakajima, 1980, hypothesized that yellowtail kingfish, as non-natives to the area, were accidental hosts of the parasite and that it normally infects native reef fish (damselfish, Family Pomacentridae). Since then, we have found parasites that are consistent with the description of K. amamiensis in two species of damselfish and one species of carangid fish in Australia, and it has been recorded previously in another species of reef-associated fish. Our morphometric, histological and DNA results suggest that these specimens are K. amamiensis, and are new host records for that species. Furthermore, our observations show that reef fish may act as a reservoir of myxozoan infection for commercial species, and as such should be considered an infection pathway for species in aquaculture.

Patterns of relatedness in the Kudoidae with descriptions of Kudoa chaetodoni n. sp. and K. lethrini n. sp. (Myxosporea: Multivalvulida).

Two morphologically novel Kudoa species are characterized from brain tissue of fish, Kudoa chaetodoni n. sp. from Chaetodon unimaculatus (Chaetodontidae) and Kudoa lethrini n. sp. from Gymnocranius audleyi and Lethrinus harak (Lethrinidae). Additionally we characterized a 5-spore valve (SV) Kudoa species from the brain of Sillago ciliata (Sillaginidae). Intriguingly, its 18S rDNA sequence was identical to that of the 7 SV Kudoa yasunagai extracted from the brain of a paralichthyid halibut in Japan. These 2 species may either prove to be con-specific, even though morphology and distribution differ, or demonstrate the limit of specific resolution in the small subunit rDNA gene region. Small subunit rDNA sequences from these new species were used in molecular phylogenetic analyses of kudoids to examine congruence of phylogeny with tissue tropism, geographical distribution, and host specificity. There was significant correlation between tissue tropism in the form of well-supported brain and heart-infecting clades. Host specificity and geographical distribution showed some correlations with genotype.

A new species of Leucocytozoon Berestneff, 1904 (Apicomplexa: Leucocytozoidae) from the avian family Artamidae.

A new species of the apicomplexan genus Leucocytozoon Berestneff, 1904, L. artamidis n. sp., is described from the Australian avian family Artamidae. Gametocytes and endogenous stages of the life-cycle are described together with early erythrocytic and leucocytic developing forms rarely described for species of this genus.

Pathology associated with endogenous development of haematozoa in birds from southeast Queensland.

A study was undertaken on the pathology and associated schizont morphology of apicomplexan species of avian haematozoa. Some 32 birds from the families Artamidae, Meliphagidae, Oriolidae, Podargidae, Columbidae, Alcedinidae and Psittacidae were identified as having schizonts in various tissues. Based on blood stages observed, the probable relationship to tissue stages was considered. The majority of schizonts were referable to the genera Leucocytozoon and Haemoproteus. The comparative morphology of tissue stages previously described in the literature is discussed and the involvement of protozoa other than haematozoa considered. The naturally occurring infections in wild birds described in this study represent previously unreported data on the life-cycle stages involved. Some schizonts measured up to 640 microm. While pathological changes in some hosts were noticeable, in others no significant findings were observed. The role of endogenous stages in avian morbidity is discussed briefly.

Phylogeny of the multivalvulidae (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) based on comparative ribosomal DNA sequence analysis.

Fish parasites of the Multivalvulida (Myxozoa, Myxosporea) are widespread and can be associated with mortality or poor flesh quality in their commercially important marine hosts. Traditional classifications divide members of this order into families based on spore valve and polar capsule numbers. Analyses of the small-subunit (SSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences from all representative families in the order (Trilosporidae, Kudoidae, Pentacapsulidae, Hexacapsulidae, and Septemcapsulidae) indicate that a revision of the taxonomy and nomenclature is warranted. In our phylogenetic analysis of (SSU and large subunit) rDNA sequences, members of Pentacapsula, Hexacapsula, and Septemcapsula root within a clade of Kudoa species with Unicapsula (Trilosporidae) as an outlier to these genera. Therefore, we propose to synonymize Pentacapsulidae, Hexacapsulidae, and Septemcapsulidae with Kudoidae alter the diagnosis of Kudoidae and Kudoa to accommodate all marine myxozoan parasites having 4 or more shell valves and polar capsules.

A preliminary phylogenetic analysis of the Capsalidae (Platyhelminthes: Monogenea: Monopisthocotylea) inferred from large subunit rDNA sequences.

Phylogenetic relationships within the Capsalidae (Monogenea) were examined using large subunit ribosomal DNA sequences from 17 capsalid species (representing 7 genera, 5 subfamilies), 2 outgroup taxa (Monocotylidae) plus Udonella caligorum (Udonellidae). Trees were constructed using maximum likelihood, minimum evolution and maximum parsimony algorithms. An initial tree, generated from sequences 315 bases long, suggests that Capsalinae, Encotyllabinae, Entobdellinae and Trochopodinae are monophyletic, but that Benedeniinae is paraphyletic. Analyses indicate that Neobenedenia, currently in the Benedeniinae, should perhaps be placed in a separate subfamily. An additional analysis was made which omitted 3 capsalid taxa (for which only short sequences were available) and all outgroup taxa because of alignment difficulties. Sequence length increased to 693 bases and good branch support was achieved. The Benedeniinae was again paraphyletic. Higher-level classification of the Capsalidae, evolution of the Entobdellinae and issues of species identity in Neobenedenia are discussed.

Two unusual myxozoans, Kudoa quadricornis n. sp. (Multivalvulida) from the muscle of goldspotted trevally (Carangoides fulvoguttatus) and Kudoa permulticapsula n. sp. (Multivalvulida) from the muscle of Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

Two unusual myxozoan parasites are described from the somatic muscle of 2 reef fishes from Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Kudoa quadricornis n. sp. from the somatic muscle of Carangoides fulvoguttatus is morphologically consistent with other Kudoa sp., having 4 polar capsules and 4 shell valves. Kudoa quadricornis n. sp. is unique in that it has a pyriform spore body with a greater length than width (7.82-9.95 and 5.94-8.66 microm, respectively) and distinct posterolateral projections. Spores of Kudoa permulticapsula n. sp. observed within pseudocysts of the somatic muscle tissue of Scomberomorus commerson are different from those of all other myxozoans. The ovoid spores (length, 4.69-6.65 microm; width, 8.42-9.92 microm; thickness, 6.36-8.33 microm) contain 13 polar capsules with an equal number of shell valves. Phylogenetic analysis using small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences of K. quadricornis n. sp. and K. permulticapsula n. sp. showed that these parasites cluster within a clade comprised of Kudoa species. This brings into question the division of parasites of the Multivalvulida into genera based solely on polar capsule numbers.