Narsingiella clinotarsi, Rizvi, Anjum Nasreen, 2009

Rizvi, Anjum Nasreen, 2009, Two new species of amphibian nematodes from Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India., Zootaxa 2013, pp. 58-68 : 64-67

Narsingiella clinotarsi sp. nov.

( Figures 3 & 4 ; Table 3)

General Morphology: Body cylindrical rounded, tapering towards extremities. Mouth surrounded by three lips, bearing two pairs of submedian papillae and a pair of lateral amphids. Lips are also provided with digitiform projections ( Fig. 4 A). Cervical cordons, broad with minute spines at the outer border ( Figs. 3 A & 4 B) Stoma, rectangular, 18– 20 µm. Head distinct, not continuous with the body contour. Pharynx rectangular with esophageal corpus, cylindrical, small pyriform non-valvated bulb opening into a terminal valvated bulb. Excretory pore anterior to bulbs.

TABLE 3. Measurements (in mm) of Narsingiella clinotarsi sp.nov and N. narsingi Rao. (N = Total number of specimens; ABD= Anal Body Diameter, a = L/W; b=L/E; c = L/T; V= Vulva /L x100)

Parameters Narsingiella clinotarsi sp. nov. Narsingiella narsingi Rao

Female: Gonad didelphic, amphidelphic. Vulva situated at midbody with indistinct vulval lips. Uterus filled with eggs in different developing stages. Tail, small, conical with pointed tip.

Male: Prominent preanal sucker almost close to anus present. Caudal papillae 6:1:7 = 14 pairs, 3 pairs of preanal papillae are pedunculated and 3 pairs are sessile and grouped together. One pair of sessile adanal papillae present. Out of the 7 pairs of postanal papillae, 6 pairs are grouped together and pedunculated, whereas one pair is sessile and situated at a distance of 45 μm. Caudal alae indistinct. Spicules two and unequal, shaft of spicule trilobed. Gubernaculum small. Tail with a fine tip.

Host: Bicoloured frog, Clinotarsus curtipes (Jerdon) -Deposited in Zoological Survey of India, Western Ghats Field Research Station, Calicut, Kerala, India, vide registration No. ZSI/WGFRS/V/A-677.

Locality: Haligekerae, Muthodi Range, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, India. Lat. 13 0 29’ – N; Long. 75 0 36’ – E. Altitude: 2900 ft. above MSL (approximately).

Site of infection: Gut.

Type material: Holotype male: ZSI/ NRS /IV/N/381, Paratype female: ZSI/ NRS /IV/N/382 (Zoological Survey of India, Northern Regional Station, Dehradun, India.).

Diagnosis and relationships. Narsingiella clinotarsi sp. nov. is characterized by male having long esophagus, two unequal spicules with trilobed shaft, small gubernaculum and 14 pairs of caudal papillae in the pattern as 6:1:7 and female having long esophagus, short conical tail and vulva situated at midbody. Both the sexes with lips bearing digitiform projections.

The new species differs from the only known species, N. narsingi Rao in several important characters.

Esophagus in both sexes 1/3rd of body in Narsingiella clinotarsi sp. nov. and 1/8–1/6th in N.narsingi , lips of both sexes with digitiform projections in N. clinotarsi sp.nov., while lips of N.narsingi with three pairs of onchia.

Tail of female N. clinotarsi sp.nov. is short and conical,while tail of N. narsingi female is long with tapering pointed end; Vulva situated at 50% of body length in N. clinotarsi sp.nov as opposed to 35–42% in N. narsingi

Male of N. clinotarsi sp. nov. possess two unequal spicules with a trilobed spicule shaft ( Figure 4 I), whereas, spicules of N. narsingi are equal and lack trilobed shaft. Gubernaculum is short in N. clinotarsi sp.nov (40 µm) and long in N. narsingi (50–80 µm). Number and pattern of caudal papillae in these two species also differs: 6:1:7 pairs in N. clinotarsi sp.nov and 6:0:6 pairs in N. narsingi . All these characters differentiate the present specimens from the only known species of the genus N. narsingi and justifies its new species status.

Bicoloured frog, Clinotarsus curtipes (Jerdon) is a new host record for the genus Narsingiella .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Photomicrographs of Female Narsingiella clinotarsi sp. nov. A. Head end showing stoma (Scale bar = 10 µm). B. Head end showing cervical cordons with minute spines (Scale bar = 10 µm). C. Posterior end (Scale bar = 100 µm). D. Esophageal bulbs and intestine (Scale bar = 100 µm). E. Eggs in uterus (Scale bar = 50 µm). F. Tail end (Scale bar = 50 µm).

FIGURE 4. Photomicrographs of Male Narsingiella clinotarsi sp. nov. A. Head end showing lips with digitiform projections (Scale bar = 10 µm). B. Head end showing cervical cordons with minute spines (Scale bar = 10 µm). C. Posterior end (Scale bar = 50 µm). D. Arrangement of postanal papillae (Scale bar = 10 µm). E. Preanal sucker, gubernaculum and rectum (Scale bar = 50 µm). F. Postanal pedunculated papillae (Scale bar = 10 µm). G. Preanal simple papillae (Scale bar = 10 µm). H Esophageal bulbs (Scale bar = 50 µm). I. Spicule with trilobed shaft (Scale bar = 20 µm).