Chordodes ferox Camerano, 1897

Villalobos, C. De, Zanca, F. & Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., 2009, Revision of the genus Chordodes (Gordiida: Nematomorpha) from Africa IV. Ultrastructural redescription of Chordodes congolensis Sciacchitano, 1933, Chordodes ferox Camerano, 1897, Chordodes madagascariensis (Camerano, 1893), Chordodes mobensis Sciacchitano, 1958 and reinterpretation of Chordodes maculatus Sciacchitano, 1958 and Chordodes kakandensis Sciacchitano, 1958, Journal of Natural History 43 (41 - 44), pp. 2579-2595 : 2582-2583

Chordodes ferox Camerano, 1897

( Figure 2 )

Gordius verrucosus Baird, 1853 (in part).

Chordodes ferox Camerano, 1897, p. 388 , plate II, figures 26, 26a, 26b.

Holotype

One ♀, “French Congo” (no further specified location, this region now includes the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and the Central African Republic) ( Camerano 1897) ( MNHNP 54 ).

Material examined

SEM mid-body. Holotype, 1♀ ( AMT 1374 ), 1♀ ( AMT 1363 , see comments), 1♀ ( AMT 1376 ), 1♀ ( AMT 1377 ), 1♀ ( AMT 1378 ), 2♀♀ ( AMT 1379 ), 1♀ ( AMT 1382 ), 1♀ ( AMT 1383 ), 1♀ ( AMT 1385 ) and 1♀ ( AMT 31150, see comments).

Host

Indeterminate mantid: ( MNHNP 54; Camerano 1897), ( AMT 1377, AMT 1378, AMT 1379; Sciacchitano 1933). Sphodromantis (Rhomboderella) scutata Bolivar, 1889 ( AMT 1363 as C. madagascariensis De Beauchamp, 1916 ). Poly s pilota aeruginosa (Goeze, 1765) ( Schmidt-Rhaesa 2001).

Description

Holotype. Body colour dark brown. Anterior end tapered. Posterior end rounded and cloacal opening terminal.

Cuticle contains different types of areoles: simple, tubercle, thorn, circumcluster and two types of crowned areoles. Simple areoles uniformly distributed on body, low, oval with a smooth surface ( Figure 2A, B ). Tubercle areoles have a short tubercle arising from an eccentric pore on the areolar surface ( Figure 2B ). Thorn areoles occur quite scattered between simple areoles ( Figure 2B ). Circumcluster and crowned areoles occur in groups; circumcluster areoles form a circle of 8–16 areoles surrounding two crowned areoles ( Figure 2A ). Length of apical filaments in crowned areoles differ because on lateral side of the body they are short ( Figure 2A ) and along ventral midline they are much longer (up to 180 µm) ( Figure 2C ). Interareolar furrow with tubercles scarcely distributed among simple areoles.

Dimensions

Measurements of the specimens investigated were as follows (length in mm/diameter in mm), 200/1.5 holotype ( Camerano 1897). 321/2.3 ( AMT 1363; De Beauchamp 1916). 120/1.5 ( AMT 1374; De Beauchamp 1923). Sciacchitano 1933: 116 /1 ( AMT 1377), 256/1.2 ( AMT 1378), 125/1.2, 108/0.50 ( AMT 1379), 125/2 ( AMT 1382), 161/ 1.2 ( AMT 1383), 229/1.8 ( AMT 1385), 202/2 ( AMT 31150 Sciacchitano 1961a). According to the literature: 108/0.5 ( AMT 1380; Sciacchitano 1933).

Comments

Camerano (1893) identified another specimen from the French Congo (now area of the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and the Central African Republic) as Gordius verrucosus Baird, 1853 . Römer (1896) noted that all the specimens that had been previously identified as Gordius verrucosus were heterogeneous, but that the specimen from the French Congo belonged to the genus Chordodes . Camerano (1897) agreed and described the specimen from the French Congo as C. ferox . Camerano (1897) described and drew the cuticle of Chordodes ferox with four areolar types, corresponding to simple, tubercle, thorn, circumcluster and crowned areoles that are coincident with our investigation. Our SEM investigation revealed that one female ( AMT 1363) described by De Bauchamp (1916) as C. madagascariensis , has the same cuticular pattern as C. ferox . Also Sciacchitano (1961a) assigned one female specimen ( AMT 31150) to Chordodes capensis that has the same cuticular characteristics of C. ferox . Therefore, we re-identified these two specimens as C. ferox .

Distribution

“ French Congo ” (no further specified location, this region now includes the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and the Central African Republic) (one female ( AMT 1374; Camerano 1897)). Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kinshasa, Marungu, Mission Strappers (one female ( AMT 1363; De Beauchamp 1916); Kisantu (one female ( AMT 1374; De Beauchamp 1923)); Bas-Uélé, La Kulu, Bondo (one female ( AMT 1371; Sciacchitano 1933)); Sankurú Komi, Lodja (three females ( AMT 1379, AMT 1381, AMT 1382; Sciacchitano 1933)); Kisangani (as Stanleyville) (two females ( AMT 1383, AMT 1384; Sciacchitano 1933)); Boma (one female ( AMT 1378; Sciacchitano 1933)); Equateur Boala Ingende (one female ( AMT 20312; Sciacchitano 1958)); Kinshasa Epulu (one female ( AMT 31150; Sciacchitano 1961a)).

Figures

Figure 2. Holotype of Chordodes ferox. (A) Overview of cuticle showing simple, tubercle, crowned and circumcluster areoles; (B) thorn and tubercle areoles; (C) longitudinal furrow showing crowned areoles with long filaments. Scale bars: 20 µm (A), 10 µm (B), 50 µm (C).