Spirometra sp. 3

Kuchta, Roman, Phillips, Anna J., Toma & Scholz, s, 2024, Diversity and biology of Spirometra tapeworms (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea), zoonotic parasites of wildlife: A review, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 24, pp. 100947-100947 : 100947-

Spirometra sp. 3 (North American lineage) Fig. 4

Synonym: Spirometra decipiens complex 2 (North American lineage) of Kuchta et al. (2021).

Possible synonym: Spirometra mansonoides ( Mueller, 1935) Mueller, 1936 .

Material examined: syntypes of S. mansonoides from Felis catus L., USA ( USNM 1333923).

Definitive host (molecularly confirmed): Bobcat Lynx rufus in USA (Wisconsin) ( Carnivora : Felidae ).

Intermediate (or paratenic) hosts (molecularly confirmed): Eastern racer Coluber constrictor (L.) in USA (Mississippi); western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus (Say in James) in USA (Louisiana); Thamnophis proximus in USA (Mississippi) ( Squamata: Colubridae ); meerkat Suricata suricatta (Schreber) in USA (South Carolina zoo) ( Carnivora : Herpestidae ).

Geographical distribution: USA (Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Wisconsin) .

Representative DNA sequences: Waeschenbach et al. (2015), McHale et al. (2020).

Remarks

Tapeworms of the part of the former S. decipiens complex 2 from large cats in South America, including Brazil, where S. decipiens was described by Diesing (1850), are considered to be ‘true’ S. decipiens (see above) and the second lineage from reptiles and bobcats from North America form an independent lineage (possibly a separate species). In contrast, it remains an open question whether the tapeworms of the other North American lineage ( S. decipiens complex 2) actually belong to S. mansonoides , which was described in a domestic cat in New York State (see below; Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Fig. 4. Microphotographs of Spirometra spp. from North and South America. A–C – Scolex and gravid proglottids of S. decipiens syntype from Puma concolor, Brazil (NMW 2682, 2699). D, E – gravid proglottids of S. decipiens syntype from Herpailurus yagouaroundi (NMW 12781). F–J – Gravid proglottids and sagittal section of S. decipiens hologenophore from Chrysocyon brachyurus, Bolivia (USNM 1233899). K–O – Scolex and proglottids of S. mansonoides syntype from Felis catus, USA (USNM 1333923). P – Immature proglottid of Spirometra sp. 2 hologenophore from Lynx rufus, USA Illinois (IPCAS C-987).

Fig. 1. Phylogenetic tree of the interrelationships of the genus Spirometra based on selected cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene data (long sequences), maximum likelihood. The branch length scale bar indicates number of substitutions per site. Colours highlight specimens of different species; samples without colour represent undescribed species. See Supplementary Fig. 1 for more data based on larger dataset, but based on shorter sequences. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)