First record of an actinosporean (Myxozoa) in a marine polychaete annelid

The marine polychaete Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor (Annelida) from shallow water in the Oresund, Denmark, was found to be infected with an actinosporean stage of a myxozoan parasite. The body length of the pyriform actinospore is 12-16 microm and its maximum width is 10-12 microm. The spore is triangular in apical view, with the 3 spherical polar capsules distally. The spore is without caudal processes. Eight spores develop in each pansporocyst. Free spores and pansporocysts were found in the musculature and parapodia but not in the intestine. The myxosporean stage in fish is unknown. This is the first record of an actinosporean stage in a marine polychaete, but because marine oligochaetes are rare, compared with polychaetes, the latter are believed to play an important role as invertebrate (alternate) hosts in marine myxozoan life cycles.