Two new species of Curvianchoratus (Monogenoidea, Dactylogyridae) parasitizing Psectrogaster amazonica (Characiformes, Curimatidae) and a new record for Curvianchoratus singularis in the Tocantins River, Maranhão, Brazil

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated parasitism by monogenoids in characiform fish in the Neotropics. During studies on the helminth fauna of curimatids from the Tocantins River, specimens of Psectrogaster amazonica Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889 were examined and species of Curvianchoratus Hanek, Molnar & Fernando, 1974 were found. Species of the genus are characterized mainly by the complex shape of haptoral anchors with a modified dorsal anchor, composed by two subunits, dorsal-median and dorsal. To date, two species of Curvianchoratus are known to parasitize curimatid fishes: the type species Curvianchoratus hexacleidus Hanek, Molnar & Fernando, 1974 and Curvianchoratus singularis (Suriano, 1980). During examination of specimens of P. amazonica collected in the Tocantins River, Embiral, Imperatriz, Maranhão State, Brazil, two new species of Curvianchoratus were found and are described herein. Curvianchoratus psectrogasteri sp. nov. and Curvianchoratus dominguesi sp. nov. are characterized by possessing the male copulatory organ formed by a long cirrus and a claw-shaped accessory piece, connected to the base of the male copulatory organ by a ligament. The new species differs from the two known congeneric species mainly by the morphology of the dorsal-median and dorsal subunits of the dorsal anchor. Curvianchoratus psectrogasteri sp. nov. also differs from other species of the genus by the absence of the ventral bar and Curvianchoratus dominguesi sp. nov. by the size and shape of the ventral bar. An amendment to the diagnosis of Curvianchoratus is provided to accommodate the new species. The present study increases the number of Curvianchoratus species to four and extends the occurrence of the genus to the Tocantins-Araguaia Basin.