Aggregata polibraxiona n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Aggregatidae) from Octopus bimaculatus Verrill, 1883 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) from the Gulf of California, Mexico

Graciela Esmeralda Colunga-Ramírez; Andrés Martínez-Aquino; Carlos Alberto Flores-López; Camino Gestal; Carlos Azevedo; Sheila Castellanos-Martínez

doi:10.1016/j.ejop.2021.125825

Aggregata polibraxiona n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Aggregatidae) from Octopus bimaculatus Verrill, 1883 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) from the Gulf of California, Mexico

Eur J Protistol. 2021 Oct:81:125825. doi: 10.1016/j.ejop.2021.125825. Epub 2021 Jul 15.

Authors

Graciela Esmeralda Colunga-Ramírez¹, Andrés Martínez-Aquino², Carlos Alberto Flores-López², Camino Gestal³, Carlos Azevedo⁴, Sheila Castellanos-Martínez⁵

Affiliations

¹ Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Carretera Transpeninsular Ensenada-Tijuana 3917, Fraccionamiento Playitas, 22860 Ensenada, Baja CA, Mexico.
² Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Carretera Ensenada-Tijuana 3917, Fraccionamiento Playitas, 22860 Ensenada, Baja CA, Mexico.
³ Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Eduardo Cabello 6, 36208 Vigo, España.
⁴ Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal.
⁵ Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Carretera Transpeninsular Ensenada-Tijuana 3917, Fraccionamiento Playitas, 22860 Ensenada, Baja CA, Mexico. Electronic address: scastellanos44@uabc.edu.mx.

PMID: 34333451
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejop.2021.125825

Abstract

The Apicomplexa Aggregata spp. are intracellular parasites of cephalopods that infect the intestinal tract of commercially important species such as Octopus bimaculatus, which sustains the octopus fishery in Baja California (B.C.), Mexico. In this study, Aggregata polibraxiona n. sp. was described from the cecum of O. bimaculatus collected from Bahia de Los Angeles, B. C. Light and electron microscopy revealed that oocysts and sporocysts were spherical to ovoid in shape. Sporulated oocysts (293-835 × 177-688 μm) contained 135-674 sporocysts (12-24 × 11-22 μm). The sporocyst wall was covered by tubular projections (0.55-2.19 μm in length) bifurcated in the top, unevenly distributed, covered by a thin membrane. Each sporocyst contains 11-13 sporozoites (16-26 × 1.20-3 μm). Three partial sequences of the 18S rDNA gene were obtained, and two phylogenetic approaches were performed according to Bayesian inference and Maximum Likelihood. In both phylogenetic reconstructions, the sequences of A. polibraxiona n. sp. were recovered as a monophyletic group within the genus Aggregata and placed as a sister group to Aggregata octopiana Lineage II. Aggregata polibraxiona n. sp. is the first Apicomplexa described from a cephalopod host from Mexico and extends the geographical range of Apicomplexa infecting cephalopods.

Keywords: 18S rDNA; Aggregata; Apicomplexa; Gulf of California; Marosporida; Octopus bimaculatus.

MeSH terms

Animals
Apicomplexa* / genetics
Bayes Theorem
Mexico
Octopodiformes*
Phylogeny