Australophiotaenia, Chambrier & Beveridge & Scholz, 2018

Chambrier, Alain De, Beveridge, Ian & Scholz, Tomáš, 2018, Tapeworms (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae) of Australian reptiles: hidden diversity of strictly host-specific parasites, Zootaxa 4461 (4), pp. 477-498 : 491

Australophiotaenia sp. 4

Host. Dugite, Pseudonaja affinis Gunther, 1872 ( Ophidia : Elapidae ).

Distribution. Australia (coastal SW Western Australia).

Material studied. Two fragmented specimens with only one scolex (six whole mount slides and seventeen slides with cross sections) from Murdoch University Campus , Western Australia, 2.11.1998, collected by D. Mead- Hunter ( MUP X99/04 a); one fragmented specimen without scolex (three whole mount slides) from Blanchins , Western Australia, 11.11.1996 ( WAM 18-97 ) .

Remarks. Specimens studied are characterised by elongate mature proglottids, pregravid and gravid proglottids considerably longer than wide (length: width ratio = 4.0–5.1), a very small scolex (300 µm wide) with a large apical organ (125 µm in diameter) representing 42% of the /width of the scolex, 139–217 testes in two lateral fields, a genital pore situated postequatorially (59–69% of the length of the proglottid), numerous uterine lateral diverticula (38–59 on each side), and eggs with a thick-walled embryophore, not grouped in clusters.