The “new” Cnidaria incorporating oligocellular myxozoans with multicellular cnidarians flouts Ernst Haeckel’s biogenetic law and challenges contemporary hierarchical preconceptions of evolution, development, and biological structure. Instead of distorting definitions of embryos, tissues, and organs in order to bring once unicellular eukaryotes under the aegis of Eumetazoa, current molecular, st...

A previously undescribed echinactinomyxon type actinosporean was shown experimentally to be the alternate stage of Sphaerospora truttae. The echinactinomyxon type spores were found to be released from Lumbriculus variegatus and occasionally Tubifex tubifex. Overall infection prevalence of the echinactinomyxon was 0.14%. Peak release was in March-May each year. S. truttae spores developed in exp...

The present communication describes three new species of myxosporeans (Myxozoa: Myxosporea: Bivalvulida), Myxobilatus odontamblyopusi sp. n., Myxobolus catmrigalae sp. n. and M. buccoroofus sp. n. from Odontamblyopus rubicundus (HamiltonBuchanan), Catla-Mrigal hybrid carp [male parent fish Catla catla (Hamilton-Buchanan) × female parent fish Cirrhinus mrigala (Hamilton-Buchanan)] and Labeo bata...

Investigations on the incidence of myxozoan parasites (Myxozoa: Bivalvulida) in fishes have assumed immense importance in view of severe pathogenicity and mortality caused by these organisms on their hosts. The present communication records three new species of myxosporeans, Myxobolus calcariferum sp. n.; Myxobolus chinsurahensis sp. n. and Myxobolus mrigalhitae sp. n. from different food fishe...

Myxozoans are spore-forming parasites of both freshwater and marine fishes (Lom & Dyková, 1992, Kent et al., 2001; Feist & Longshaw, 2006). The Myxozoa were previously classified as protozoans, although the multicellular state and functional specialization of the cells composing spores were considered to exceed protozoan level (Lom & Dyková, 1992). Indeed, molecular studies demonstrated that my...

Phylogeny of seven groups of metazoan parasitic groups is reviewed, based on both morphological and molecular data. The Myxozoa (=Malacosporea + Myxosporea) are most probably related to the egg-parasitic cnidarian Polypodium (Hydrozoa?: Polypodiozoa); the other phylogenetic hypotheses are discussed and the possible non-monophyly of the Cnidaria (with the Polypodiozoa-Myxozoa clade closest to th...

During an experiment to transmit Tetracapsula bryosalmonae Canning, Curry, Feist, Longshaw et Okamura, 1999 to a laboratory-cultured bryozoan, Plumatella repens L. a previously undescribed malacosporean species was noted. This parasite produced sacs of spores in the host that reached 1.2 mm in length. The spores released from the sacs appeared similar in size to the two species of Tetracapsula ...

Species of the phylum Myxozoa are common parasites of fish and can cause severe losses in cultured species. Although a number of myxozoan life-cycles have now been elucidated, little is known about the biology of these organisms in the fish host. Monoclonal antibody B4 raised to the myxozoan Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae has been previously noted to react with a number of species infecting fish...

Actinosporean stages including spherical pansporocysts and oval tetractinomyxon actinospores about 8 μm long were found in two unidentified spionid polychaetes in the northern Øresund, Denmark. The myxosporean stages in fish are unknown. Members of the Spionidae occur worldwide and at all depths and it is likely that they act as invertebrate hosts for several species of Myxozoa. *Corresponding ...