Phylogenetic position of Triangula perccotti (Dogiel & Achmerov in Achmerov, 1960) (Myxobolidae), a skin myxozoan parasite of fish Perccottus glenii Dybowski (Odontobutidae) estimated from partial 18S rRNA gene sequence.

The myxozoan genus Triangula Chen & Hsieh, 1984 has a strong morphological similarity with the genus Cardimyxobolus Ma, Dong, & Wang, 1982, and their distinction presents a complex taxonomic problem that cannot be resolved without molecular data. Here we first provided phylogenic reconstructions of Triangula spp. and Cardimyxobolus spp. using molecular data from Triangula perccotti (Dogiel & Achmerov in Achmerov, 1960). Polysporic plasmodia of T. perccotti were collected from the skin of P. glenii caught in the Lake Bolon basin (Amur system) and molecularly characterized based on the 18S rRNA gene. In the phylogenetic tree, T. perccotti appeared as a sister species to Cardimyxobolus donkoi (Ishizaki, 1955). The T. perccotti + C. donkoi clade was nested within one clade with other of species of Triangula Chen & Hsieh, 1984 and Cardimyxobolus Ma, Dong, & Wang, 1982. It was shown that neither Triangula spp. nor Cardimyxobolus spp. appeared as monophyletic groups.