Morphology and Molecular Phylogeny of Tetrancistrum sigani (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) and Haliotrema banana (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae), Parasites of Mullidae and Siganidae Fish of the Red Sea, Egypt.

This study aimed for the description of two monogenean parasites isolated from two marine fish. Worms were classified morphologically as well as by molecular analysis. Monogeneans are ectoparasitic flatworms that live on the gills, fins, and skin of fish. The Diplectanidae are a family of monopisthocotylean monogeneans. They are all parasitic on the gills of marine fish. In the present study, a total of 25 of the white-spotted spinefoot, Siganus canaliculatius (Siganidae), and 35 of the cinnabar goatfish, Parupeneus heptacanthus (Mullidae) were captured from the Red Sea near Egypt's Hurghada coast. Ten spinefoot fish and 16 goatfish were infected. Morphological characterization for the isolated parasites according to the light micrographs of the hard parts as well as the copulatory organ revealed that the infected fish parasitized by Tetrancistrum sigani (Dactylogyridae) and Haliotrema banana (Ancyrocephalidae). Also, ribosomal DNA of the isolated parasites was processed and sequenced where the recovered sequences were compared with previously deposited species in the gene bank, it was observed from the constructed phylogenetic tree that the species of Tetrancistrum sequences (present study) isolates were closely related to T. sigani (accession no. MN179335.1) deposited in GenBank, while the sequences of Haliotrema isolates of the present study were closely related to the same species by 96%.