Rhipidocotyle galeata ( Rudolphi, 1819 )

Derbel, Hela, Châari, Manel & Neifar, Lassad, 2011, Redescription of Rhipidocotyle galeata (Rudolphi, 1819) (Digenea, Bucephalidae), the type species of Rhipidocotyle Diesing, 1907, Zoosystema 33 (2), pp. 133-139 : 134-136

Rhipidocotyle galeata ( Rudolphi, 1819)

(Figs 1; 2)

Gasterostomum galeatum Rudolphi, 1819 .

TYPE MATERIAL. — Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, No. HEL 174 (Tf 195) and HEL 175 (Tf 196).

TYPE HOST. — Centronoti glauci (as Campogramme glaycos (Lacépède, 1801) [ Actinopterygii, Perciformes ]).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Naples.

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Tunisia. Off Skhira, 34°05’N; 10°01’E, whole-mounts of 12 stained and 3 live specimens, on Lichia amia (Linnaeus, 1758) (leerfish [ Actinopterygii, Perciformes ]). — Off Kerkennah, 34°

B

D V D

LV LV

LD LD

45’N; 11° 17’E, whole-mounts of 6 stained and 2 live specimens, on Lichia amia (Linnaeus, 1758) (leerfish [ Actinopterygii, Perciformes ]).

SITE IN HOST. — Intestine.

PREVALENCE. — Seven of seven (100%) L. amia infected with 8- 70 specimens.

DESCRIPTION

Measurements: see Table 1. Body elongate; anterior extremity truncate; posterior extremity rounded. Body surface covered in spines, denser anteriorly. Rhynchus, muscular, with ventral aperture.Anterior extremity with seven papillae: two latero-ventral directed, one in mid-ventral line, two latero-dorsal, pointed and two dorsal, muscular, prominent.

Mouth, ventral, in anterior part of last third of body; oral gland-cells not distinct. Pharynx subspherical, at level of anterior end of cirrus sac. Oesophagus longer than pharynx. Caecum, sac-like, directed anteriorly from pharynx.

Testes two, oval, dextral, contiguous (44%) or separated (56%), tandem: anterior testis in middle third of body, longer than posterior testis; posterior testis post-equatorial. Cirrus-sac conspicuous, cy- FIG. 1. — Rhipidocotyle galeata ( Rudolphi, 1819) from Lichia amia : lindrical, thin-walled, rectilinear or slightly curved, A tions, general: D, dorsal morphology papillae,dorsal; LD, latero-dorsal view; B, rhynchus papillae,dorsal; LV view, latero-ventral.Abbrevia- sinistral, extending to level of posterior testis. Semi-

papillae; V, ventral papillae.Scale bars:A, 500 μm; B, 50 μm. nal vesicle, ovoid. Pars prostatica cylindrical, lined by thick layer of anuclear structures, surrounded by prostatic cells. Ejaculatory duct passing through distal extremity of cirrus-sac within genital lobe; distal ejaculatory opens at last third of genital lobe. Genital lobe with irregular expansions, projects into genital atrium. Genital atrium, wide, thin-walled, consisting of one chamber; surrounded by small gland-cells. Genital pore ventral, subterminal.

Ovary spherical to ovoid, entire, lateral (78%) or anterior (22%) to anterior testis. Oviduct, directed posteriorly. Laurer’s canal thin-walled, rectilinear, post-ovarian, opening on dorsal surface anterior to cirrus-sac. Uterus extends anteriorly to gonads, just posterior to rhynchus, not extending posterior to genital pore, contains sperm proximally. Uterine seminal receptacle present. Eggs operculate. Vitelline follicles in confluent arc, lateral or posterior to ovary, sinistral, longer sinistral field. Vitelline duct joins oviduct laterally or posteriorly to oötype.

Excretory vesicle large, I-shaped, extending to rhynchus. Excretory pore terminal.