Myxobolus nodulointestinalis sp. n. (Myxosporea, Myxobolidae), a parasite of the intestine of Barbus sharpeyi

Abstract

A new myxosporean, Myxobolus nodulointestjnaljs sp. n., has been found in the lntestil~al walls of 2 Mesopotamian fishes, Barbus sharpeyi (Giinther, 1874) and B. luteus (Heckel, 1843), In rivers of southwest Iran. Large cysts about 5 mm in diameter containing mature spores were located in the muscular layer separating the intestinal serosa from the mucosa. The cysts were branched and separated by septa. They bulged deep into the lumen of the gut and the abdominal cavity. Plasmodia showed an affinity to smooth muscle cells and were covered by a degenerated layer of muscular elements. The spores, which had an elongated oval or trapezoid shape, differed in size and morphology from the known Myxobolus specles of other barbels.