Kudoa ogawai n. sp. (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida) from the trunk muscle of Pacific barrelfish Hyperoglyphe japonica (Teleostei: Centrolophidae) in Japan.

Kudoa ogawai n. sp. (Myxozoa; Multivalvulida) is described from the trunk muscle of Pacific barrelfish Hyperoglyphe japonica caught in Japan. Oval to ellipsoidal cysts, white to yellowish in colour, 1-2 mm in size, were filled with numerous spores having four polar capsules. Spores were stellate with rounded peripheral edges in apical view, and garlic shaped with four prominent apical projections in side view. Average (range) spore size was 13.3 (12.0-14.2) μm in width and 9.0 (8.3-9.7) μm in length. The spore dimensions and the apical projections of K. ogawai n. sp. were clearly distinguishable from the other muscle-infecting species. Molecular analyses of 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA sequences showed that K. ogawai n. sp. is closely related to Kudo iwatai and Kudoa hemiscylli (95% and 92% genetic similarity, respectively), but the present species is morphologically distinct from the two species. Phylogenetic analysis of 18S and 28S rDNA placed K. ogawai n. sp. sister to all Kudoa spp. available in GenBank.