''Lepotrema justinei'' is a species of lepocreadiid

digenea Digenea (Gr. ''Dis'' – double, ''Genos'' – race) is a class of trematodes in the Platyhelminthes phylum, consisting of parasitic flatworms (known as ''flukes'') with a syncytial tegument and, usually, two suckers, one ventral and one or ...

n parasitic in the intestine of marine fish. It was described in 2018. This species was not characterised by molecular means but was distinguished from other species of the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Lepotrema ''Lepotrema'' is a genus of trematodes in the family Lepocreadiidae. Species of this genus are encountered in a wide range of fish families in the orders Tetraodontiformes and Perciformes, with one record from a Pleuronectiformes A flatfis ...

'' by morphological characteristics. It is the only species with more or less symmetrical

testes A testicle or testis ( testes) is the gonad in all male bilaterians, including humans, and is homologous to the ovary in females. Its primary functions are the production of sperm and the secretion of androgens, primarily testosterone. The ...

, and, probably as a result, it tends to be broader than the other species.

Etymology

According to Bray, Cutmore & Cribb, the species was named ''justinei'' "after Professor

Jean-Lou Justine Jean-Lou Justine (born 1955), French parasitologist and zoologist, is a professor at the National Museum of Natural History (France), National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France, and a specialist of fish parasites and invasive species, inv ...

of the

Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle The French National Museum of Natural History ( ; abbr. MNHN) is the national natural history museum of France and a of higher education part of Sorbonne University. The main museum, with four galleries, is located in Paris, France, within the Ja ...

, Paris, France, in recognition of his massive contributions to marine fish parasitology".

Hosts and localities

The masked triggerfish, '' Sufflamen fraenatum'', (

Tetraodontiformes Tetraodontiformes (), also known as the Plectognathi, is an order of ray-finned fishes which includes the pufferfishes and related taxa. This order has been classified as a suborder of the order Perciformes, although recent studies have found ...

: Balistidae) is the type-host of ''Lepotrema justinei''. The type-locality is the Interior Lagoon near Récif Toombo, off

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French Sui generis collectivity, special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main i ...

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q57414416 Plagiorchiida Animals described in 2018 Platyhelminthes of New Caledonia Parasites of fish