Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T15:28:12.807Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Three new species of Myxosoma (Protozoa: Myxosporidia) from East African freshwater fish

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

J. R. Baker
J. R. Baker
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

1. Three new species of Myxosoma (Sporozoa, Cnidosporidia, Myxosporidia) are described from freshwater fish of the genus Tilapia in East Africa.

2. Two of these, M. heterospora and M. brachyspora spp.nov., inhabit the abdominal viscera: the former was found in 41 of 43 fish examined, while the latter was less common. The third species, M. homeospora sp.nov., produces small oval or circular ‘cysts’ in the subdermal muscle and was found in two very young fish only. Spores resembling those of the first two species were also found in one Haplochromis sp.

3. The spores of M. heterospora are roughly ellipsoidal but are very variable in shape, and range from 8·5–17·0 μ in length and 6·3–11·0 μ in breadth; the two anterior polar capsules measure from 2·0–9·5 by 1·5–3·5 μ. Those of M. brachyspora are flattened antero-posteriorly, measuring from 7·0–7·5 μ long and 12·0–13·5 μ broad; their polar capsules are from 2·5–3·8 by 2·3–2·5 μ in size. M. homeospora has ovoid spores with the anterior end narrowed, measuring from 13·5–17·0 by 8·5–11·0 μ; the polar capsules measure 4·0–6·0 by 2·0–4·0 μ.

4. It is suggested that M. heterospora, at least, is pathogenic and may play a considerable part in reducing the availability of fish as food in this part of Africa.

5. A check-list is given of all species of the genus Myxosoma.

I thank Mr R. S. A. Beauchamp (then Director of E.A.F.R.O.) and his staff, also Mr G. Bowser (Manager of TUFMAC), for facilities and assistance in the examination of fish; also Dr G. D. Fryer and Dr D. J. Garrod for sending material to me in London, and Dr P. H. Greenwood for supplying the Haplochromis and checking the names of fish; also Messrs G. D. Lomax and P. E. Nesbitt for the preparation of sections. This work was commenced while I was employed at the East African Trypanosomiasis Research Organization.

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 53 , Issue 1-2 , May 1963 , pp. 285 - 292
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1963

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Baker, J. R. (1960). Trypanosomes and dactylosomes from the blood of fresh-water fish in East Africa. Parasitology, 50, 515.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bauer, O. N. (1948). [Parasites of fishes of River Enisei.] Trans. All-Un. Sci. Res. Inst. Lake and River Fish., Leningrad, 27, 97. [Not seen: cited in Zool. Rec., 1954 (published 1957), 91, Protozoa, p. 118.]Google Scholar
Bond, F. F. (1938). Cnidosporidia from Fundulus heteroclitus Lin. Trans. Amer. Micr. Soc. 57, 107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bond, F. F. (1939). Myxosporidia from fishes of the genus Esox. J. Parasit. 25, 377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, H. S. (1923). Studies on sporulation and development of the cysts in a new species of Myxosporidia, Lentospora ovalis. J. Morphol. 37, 425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, H. S. (1947). Studies of the protozoan parasites of freshwater fishes. Fish. Bull., U.S., 41, (51, 1).Google Scholar
Fantham, H. B. (1919). Some parasitic Protozoa found in South Africa. II. S. Afr. J. Sci. 16, 185.Google Scholar
Fantham, H. B., Porter, Annie & Richardson, L. R. (1939). Some Myxosporidia found in certain fresh-water fishes in Quebec Province, Canada. Parasitology, 31, 1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fantham, H. B., Porter, Annie & Richardson, L. R. (1940). Some more Myxosporidia observed in Canadian fishes. Parasitology, 32, 333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fujita, T. (1924). Studies on Myxosporidian infection of the Crucian Carp. Jap. J. Zool. 1, 45.Google Scholar
Fujita, T. (1927). Studies on Myxosporidia of Japan. J. Coll. Agric., Sapporo, 16, 229.Google Scholar
Fujita, T. (1929). The skin disease of the eel. Annot. zool. jap. 12, 245.Google Scholar
Garrod, D. J. (1960). Fish population studies on Lake Victoria. Rep. E. Afr. Fresh. Fish. Res. Org. 1960, p. 12. Nairobi: East Africa High Commission.Google Scholar
Hoshina, T. (1952). Notes on some myxosporidian parasites on fishes of Japan. J. Tokyo Univ. Fish. 39, 69.Google Scholar
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (1961). London:International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature.Google Scholar
Iversen, E. S. (1954). A new myxosporidian Myxosoma squamalis, parasite of some salmonoid fishes. J. Parasit. 40, 397.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kudo, R. R. (1920). Studies on Myxosporidia. Illinois Biol. Monogr. 5, 243. [Vol. dated 1919].Google Scholar
Kudo, R. R. (1923). Development of a myxosporidian, Myxosoma catostomi nov.spec. Anat. Rec. 24, 369. [Abstract only.]Google Scholar
Kudo, R. R. (1926). On Myxosoma catostomi Kudo 1923, a myxosporidian parasite of the sucker, Catostomus commersonii. Arch. Protistenk. 56, 90.Google Scholar
Kudo, R. R. (1933). A taxonomic consideration of Myxosporidia. Trans. Amer. Micr. Soc. 52, 195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kudo, R. R. (1934). Studies on some protozoan parasites of fishes of Illinois. Illinois Biol. Monogr. 13, 1.Google Scholar
Kudo, R. R. (1954). Protozoology, 4th ed. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laird, M. (1953). The Protozoa of New Zealand intertidal zone fishes. Trans. Roy. Soc. N.Z. 81, 79.Google Scholar
Markewitsch, A. P. (1932). Zur Kenntnis der Myxosporidien von Süsswasserfischen der Ukraine. Zool. Anz. 99, 297.Google Scholar
Meglitsch, P. A. (1937). On some new and known Myxosporidia of the fishes of Illinois. J. Parasit. 23, 467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meglitsch, P. A. (1942). Myxosoma microthecum n.sp., a myxosporidian inhabiting the mesenteries of Minytrema melanops. Trans. Amer. Micr. Soc. 61, 33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Otto, G. R. & Jahn, T. L. (1943). Internal myxosporidian infections of some fishes of the Okoboji region. Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci. 50, 323.Google Scholar
Ozaki, Y. & Isizaki, H. (1941). Myxosporidian parasites of Tridentiger obscurus (Temminck et Schlegel). J. Sci. Hiroshima Univ., Ser. B, Div. 1 (Zool.), 9, 181. [Not seen: abstracted in Biol. Abstr. 1950, 24, 2391, item 25529.]Google Scholar
Rice, V. J. & Jahn, T. L. (1943). Myxosporidian parasites from the gills of some fishes of the Okoboji region. Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci. 50, 313.Google Scholar
Shortt, H. E. & Cooper, W. (1948). Staining of microscopical sections containing protozoal parasites by modification of McNamara's method. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 41, 427.Google Scholar