Glugea jazanensis sp. nov. infecting Lutjanus bohar in the Red Sea: ultrastructure and phylogeny

Abstract

During a survey of the microsporean fauna of the two-spot red snapper Lutjanus bohar Forsskål, 1775, from the Red Sea off Jizan (Saudi Arabia), a species of Glugea Thélohan, 1891 was found that did not conform to any known species. The species is characterized by the presence of spherical xenomas (ca. 2-5 mm in diameter) in the host body cavity. Examination of the lifecycle stages and mature spores using light and transmission electron microscopy also revealed morphological characteristics typical of species of the genus Glugea. Spores were elongated-ovoid with a posterior vacuole surrounded by the polar filament coils. Mature spores were 4.5 (4.0-4.8) µm long and 2.5 (2.0-2.5) µm wide. The polar filament was isofilar with 28 to 30 coils, although in most cases 29 coils, organized in 3 rows. Phylogenetic study based on the partial sequence of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene clustered the new microsporidia within the clade grouping species of the genus Glugea. The comprehensive analysis of the parasite's ultrastructural characteristics, together with molecular data for the SSU rDNA gene, suggests that this parasite is a new species of the genus Glugea, for which the name Glugea jazanensis sp. nov. is proposed.