A NEW SPECIES OF PROSOGONOTREMA (SCLERODISTOMIDAE: PROSOGONOTREMATINAE) FROM THE FLATHEAD GREY MULLET, MUGIL CEPHALUS LINNAEUS (MUGILIFORMES: MUGILIDAE), FROM THE ARABIAN GULF OFF IRAQ.

Prosogonotrema iraqiense n. sp. (Sclerodistomidae: Prosogonotrematinae) is described in the flathead grey mullet, Mugil cephalus Linnaeus (Mugiliformes: Mugilidae), collected from the Arabian Gulf off Iraq during June and October 2019. Currently there are 11 species of ProsogonotremaVigueras, 1940 commonly accepted: Prosogonotrema arabicaYadav, 1980; Prosogonotrema bilabiatumVigueras, 1940 (type species); Prosogonotrema caesionisGu and Shen, 1979; Prosogonotrema diacanthiBilqees and Durrani, 1980; Prosogonotrema karachienseBilqees and Durrani, 1980; Prosogonotrema pavasiLokhande, 1990; Prosogonotrema piscicola (Srivastava, 1949) Gibson, 2002 (Syn. Bhaleraoia piscicolaSrivastava, 1949); Prosogonotrema plataxumGu and Shen, 1979; Prosogonotrema posterouterinaYadav, 1980; and Prosogonotrema symmetricumOshmarin, 1965 originally described from marine fishes, and Prosogonotrema nickoliBilqees and Khan, 1992 described from a freshwater cyprinid. Six additional species that have been considered synonyms of P. bilabiatum are also considered. Prosogonotrema diacanthi is considered a junior synonym of P. piscicola and Prosogonotrema carangiHussain and Rao, 1980nec Velasquez, 1961 is determined to be a species distinct from P. bilabiatum and is reassigned herein as Prosogonotrema aluteri nomen novum per the ICZN. Prosogonotrema iraqiense differs from all currently recognized species in the genus by having the width of the ventral sucker approach or exceed the width of the body and from all except P. pavasi (body length/width ratio 1:1.4-1:1.5) by having a distinctive narrower, more elongate body profile with a larger body length/width ratio (1:5.8-1:6.1 vs. 1: 2.0-1:4.1). A key to the 18 species we recognize in Prosogonotrema is included.

Reconsideration of the species assigned to Faustula Poche, 1926 (Digenea: Microphalloidea) with the proposal of five new genera in the Faustulidae Poche, 1926.

The assignment of species to Faustula Poche, 1926 (Faustulidae Poche, 1926) is reconsidered with the proposal of Gangafaustula n. gen. to accommodate Gangafaustula makundai (Agarwal Verma, 1981) n. comb.; Gobifaustula n. gen. to accommodate Gobifaustula qikouensis (Qui Li, 1995) n. comb.; Lingulitrema n. gen. to accommodate Lingulitrema hilsai (Kumar Agarwal, 1984) n. comb.; Schellitrema n. gen. to accommodate Schellitrema gasterostei (Schell, 1973) n. comb. and Varanasifaustula n. gen. to accommodate Varanasifaustula indica (Agarwal Verma, 1981) n. comb. Faustula hilsai Kumar Agarwal, 1984 is determined to be a species distinct from Faustula hilsai Rizvi, 1971 and F. hilsai Rizvi, 1971 is synonymized with Faustula basiri Hafeezullah Siddiqi, 1970. Faustula rahemii Al-Daraji, 2004 also is synonymized with F. basiri. Faustula pyriformis Kumar Agarwal, 1984 is transferred to Pronoprymna Poche, 1926 as Pronoprymna pyriformis (Kumar Agarwal, 1984) n. comb. Faustula sayori (Yamaguti, 1942) Yamaguti, 1958, now synonymized with Pronoprymna petrowi (Layman, 1930) Bray Gibson, 1980, is renamed Pronoprymna sayori (Yamaguti, 1942) n. comb. based on the presence of an entire (smooth) ovary in P. petrowi (Syn. Monorcheides petrowi Layman, 1930) as originally described, and Faustula varanasiensis (Agarwal Kumar, 1977) is transferred to Bacciger Nicoll, 1914 as Bacciger varanasiensis (Agarwal Kumar, 1977) n. comb. We currently propose the following 5 species be retained in Faustula: F. basiri; Faustula brevichrus (Srivastava, 1935) Yamaguti, 1958; Faustula clupeae (Srivastava, 1935) Yamaguti, 1958; Faustula gangetica (Srivastava, 1935) Yamaguti, 1958 and Faustula keksooni (MacCallum, 1918) Poche, 1926. A revised key to the species of Faustula and a key to the genera within the Faustulidae are provided.

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Cavisoma magnum () (Acanthocephala: Palaeacanthocephala), first representative of the family Cavisomidae, and its phylogenetic implications.

The phylum Acanthocephala is a small group of endoparasites occurring in the alimentary canal of all major lineages of vertebrates worldwide. In the present study, the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Cavisoma magnum (Southwell, 1927) (Palaeacanthocephala: Echinorhynchida) was determined and annotated, the representative of the family Cavisomidae with the characterization of the complete mt genome firstly decoded. The mt genome of this acanthocephalan is 13,594 bp in length, containing 36 genes plus two non-coding regions. The positions of trnV and SNCR (short non-coding region) in the mt genome of C. magnum are different comparing to those of the other acanthocephalan species available in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis based on amino acid sequences of 12 protein-coding genes using Bayesian inference (BI) supported the class Palaeacanthocephala and its included order Polymorphida to be monophyletic, but rejected monophyly of the order Echinorhynchida. Our phylogenetic results also challenged the validity of the genus Sphaerirostris (Polymorphida: Centrorhynchidae). The novel mt genomic data of C. magnum are very useful for understanding the evolutionary history of this group of parasites and establishing a natural classification of Acanthocephala.

Cavisoma magnum (Cavisomidae), a unique Pacific acanthocephalan redescribed from an unusual host, Mugil cephalus (Mugilidae), in the Arabian Gulf, with notes on histopathology and metal analysis.

Cavisoma magnum (Southwell, 1927) Van Cleave, 1931 was originally described from a sea bass, Serranus sp. and spotted surgeonfish, Ctenochaetus strigosus (Perciformes) off Sri Lanka before its more recent redescription from milkfish in the Philippines in 1995. These reports were based on only light infections of their host fishes. Of the few flathead grey mullets, Mugil cephalus (Mugilidae), that we examined in the Arabian Gulf, one fish was infected with 1,450 worms. One milkfish, Chanos chanos (Chanidae), from the same location in the Arabian Gulf, was also heavily infected with specimens of C. magnum. The descriptions of this unique large worm are revised and for the first time, we provide SEM images, new systematic observations, metal analysis of hooks showing extremely high levels of sulfur, and histopathology in the mullet intestinal tissue. Adjustments and corrections of previous descriptive accounts are made. The histopathology studies show extensive damage to the host intestinal tissue including epithelial necrosis, hemorrhaging and worm encapsulation. There is an extensive amount of host connective tissue surrounding the worm. Results of x-ray analysis displayed high levels of sulfur in proboscis hooks, especially at the tips and edges of these attachment structures.