Supplementary studies on Myxobolus talievi Dogiel, 1957 (Cnidaria, Myxozoa) from the skeletal muscle of the cottoid fish Cyphocottus eurystomus in Lake Baikal: Morphological, histological and molecular characterisations.

Abstract

Myxobolus talievi Dogiel, 1957 was originally described from the eyes, skeletal muscles and body cavity of endemic cottoid fish from Lake Baikal. In the present study, we supply new information on the myxospore morphology and histopathology of M. talievi; furthermore, we complete the original species description by Dogiel and Bogolepova (1957) with 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence data. Histopathological analysis showed that the plasmodium was encapsulated by a thin layer of connective tissue and located in the intermuscular connective tissue among muscle cells. No inflammation was observed. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that M. talievi clustered with Myxobolus sp. 2 (NCBI Acc. No. U13830), an unidentified Myxobolus species from cottoid fish studied by Smothers et al. (1994), and located in the sister clade of Myxobolus spp. developing spores in the nerves of salmonids.