Utevsky, А.; Solod, R.; Utevsky, S. (2021). A new deep-sea fish leech of the bipolar genus Pterobdellina stat. rev. (Hirudinea: Piscicolidae) parasitic on the Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni (Perciformes: Nototheniidae). Marine Biodiversity. 51(1).
A new deep-sea fish leech of the bipolar genus Pterobdellina stat. rev. (Hirudinea: Piscicolidae) parasitic on the Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni (Perciformes: Nototheniidae)
Marine Biodiversity
51(1)
Publication
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A new Antarctic fish leech with unique external appearance is described and assigned to the bipolar genus Pterobdellina Bennike & Bruun, 1939. The systematic rank of the latter is elevated from a subgenus of the genus Pterobdella Kaburaki, 1921 to a separate generic level. Pterobdellina vernadskyi sp. nov. bears both marginal fin-like structures and prominent dorsal zigzag folds with an unclear function. Morphologically, the new species resembles its Boreal congener Pterobdellina jenseni Bennike & Bruun, 1939, except having dorsal folds and in some details of its anatomy. The molecular phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial cox1, nad1 and tRNA Leu genes revealed sister relationships of P. vernadskyi sp. nov. to two Antarctic leeches, Trachelobdellina glabra Moore, 1957 and Nototheniobdella sawyeri Utevsky, 1993. Pterobdellina vernadskyi sp. nov. is an abundant large-bodied parasite of the commercial Antarctic toothfish. The new species is currently the deepest Antarctic leech (2600 m), thus exceeding previous records by 1200 m. This new finding suggests that bipolar disjunctions could play a certain role in the evolutionary history of Antarctic piscicolid leeches.
