Morphology and molecular phylogeny of Hoferellus jutubensis n. sp. (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) found parasitising Ageneiosus inermis (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae), in the Brazilian Amazon region

The present study describes Hoferellus jutubensis n. sp., a myxozoan parasite found in the urinary bladder of the driftwood catfish Ageneiosus inermis, captured on Jutuba Island in the state of Pará, northern Brazil. A total of 30 A. inermis specimens were examined, of which 26 (86.7%) had myxospores and polysporic plasmodia of varying shapes and sizes dispersed in the lumen of the urinary bladder, either floating freely or attached to the epithelium. In the apical view, the myxospores of Hoferellus jutubensis n. sp. are rounded, 6.1 ± 0.2 (5.7–6.3) μm long and 5.5 ± 0.3 (5.2–6.0) μm wide, with two sub-spherical polar capsules, equal in size and shape, 2.5 ± 0.2 (2.3–2.7) μm long and 1.7 ± 0.2 (1.4–2.2) μm wide. The phylogenetic analysis of a partial sequence of the SSU rDNA gene, indicated that the new species is the sister taxon of Hoferellus azevedoi, with these two species forming a Brazilian lineage of Hoferellus. The comparison of the morphological and molecular data with those of the existing members of the genus confirmed the species status of Hoferellus jutubensis n. sp., which adds one further Hoferellus taxon to the known myxosporean diversity of the Amazon basin.