Morphological characterisation and phylogenetic relationships of Zschokkella candia n. sp. from the gall-bladder of Sparisoma cretense (L.) (Perciformes: Scaridae) in the Sea of Crete off Greece

A new myxosporean parasite, Zschokkella candia n. sp., from the gall-bladder of the wild parrotfish Sparisoma cretense (L.) (Perciformes: Scaridae) is described based on light and scanning electron microscopy. Mature spores are elliptical, with mean dimensions 11.2 ± 0.5 × 7.8 ± 0.1 μm and possess spherical polar capsules with mean diameter of 2.3 ± 0.3 μm. The new species is differentiated from other similar species of the genus based on spore morphology, its coelozoic life-style and molecular data. The phylogenetic tree constructed using maximum likelihood analysis of small subunit (SSU) rDNA sequence data complements the characterisation of Zschokkella candia n. sp. by defining its phylogenetic position among the species of Zschokkella Auerbach, 1909 sequenced to date. The phylogenetic analysis supports the existing knowledge on the complicated polyphyletic relationships among the members of the genus Zschokkella.