Multiple, life-compatible, congenital physical deformities in association with splenic lymphangiomatosis in Zoogoneticus tequila (Webb & Miller, 1998)

The present case describes an adult female Zoogoneticus tequila showing a congenital, marked shortening with left deviation of the upper and lower jaws, in association with microphthalmia of the left eye. The fish was normally fed and had a normal reproductive behaviour. After spontaneous death occurred at an advanced age, the fish was submitted for necropsy examination, which revealed the presence of an oval, 1 cm × 0.5 cm × 0.5 cm in size, cystic structure containing clear amber fluid, located in the coelomic cavity, in place of the spleen. Histopathological examination revealed multiple cystic spaces empty or filled with a slightly eosinophilic, homogenous, proteinaceous material, and lined by flattened, vimentin-positive endothelial-like cells. Residual parts of splenic tissue were also admixed with cystic spaces, suggesting a final diagnosis of cystic lymphangiomatosis of the spleen, which has not been previously described in fish. This is the first report of multiple, life-compatible, congenital physical deformities in association with splenic lymphangiomatosis in Zoogoneticus tequila.