Protrelleta floridana Chitwood, 1932

Morffe, Jans, García, Nayla, Véliz, Laura, Hasegawa, Koichi & Carreno, Ramon A., 2022, Morphological and molecular characterization of two species of nematodes (Oxyuridomorpha: Thelastomatoidea: Protrelloididae, Thelastomatidae) parasitic in the cockroach Blaberus discoidalis Serville (Blattaria: Blaberidae) from Cuba, Zootaxa 5194 (1), pp. 92-108 : 95

Protrelleta floridana Chitwood, 1932

Fig. 1 A–F , Fig. 2 A–E , Fig. 3 A–D , Fig. 4 A–F

Material examined. Vouchers: 15 adult females; Cuba, La Habana province, Marianao municipality, Alturas de La Salle ; in Blaberus discoidalis ; 25/ VI /2018; L. Véliz coll.; CZACC 11.7258 –11.7272 .

Vouchers: 10 adult males; Cuba, La Habana province, Marianao municipality, Alturas de La Salle ; in Blaberus discoidalis ; 8/III/2019; L. Véliz coll.; CZACC 11.7273 –11.7282 .

Redescription

Female. Body comparatively long and slender, widening gradually posterior to head, towards the level of the vulva, reaching its maximum width at level of the joint of the anterior and posterior uteri, then narrowing gradually towards tail. Cervical cuticle unarmed, markedly annulated from the base of the head to the level of the excretory pore. Lateral alae absent. Head comparatively long, conical, truncate. Oral opening surrounded by eight lips formed by curled cuticle, arranged as two sub-dorsal, two sub-ventral and four sub-lateral structures. Head bearing eight long digitiform cephalic papillae (their length ca. 4 µm) arising from the external edge of the lips. Each cephalic papilla corresponding to one lip. Stoma similar in length to the head, ca. same diameter of the anterior end of the corpus. Oesophagus consisting of a muscular, cylindrical corpus, with a dilation or pseudobulb at level of the vulva, then diminishing its diameter toward the isthmus where it has a similar diameter to its anterior part. Isthmus cylindrical, its diameter similar to that of the base of the corpus. Basal bulb spherical, valve-plate well-developed. Intestine simple, sub-rectilinear. Rectum comparatively long. Anus prominent. Nerve ring encircling corpus at ca. 40% of its length. Excretory pore ventral, in the region of the corpus, just anterior to the vulva. Vulva ventral, a median transverse slit located in the anterior half of the body, at the level of the corpus pseudobulb, its lips prominent. Vagina vera muscular, forwardly directed, followed by a very long vagina uterina of ca. half of the body length. Genital tract didelphic-amphidelphic. Anterior ovary unreflexed, its distal tip at ca. five body-widths posterior to the basal bulb. Posterior ovary starting at ca. 2.5 body-widths before the joint of the anterior and posterior uteri, then extending forwardly for ca. 1.5 body widths length before flexing backwardly. Posterior ovary presents a distal flexure of ca. 1.5 body-widths length at ca. six body-widths before the level of the anus. Oocytes in single rows. Eggs ellipsoidal, with one side flat, smooth-shelled, one of the poles slightly more rounded, with operculum. Tail conical, subulate, ending in a fine tip.

Male. Body smaller and more slender than that of females, slightly robust and fusiform, widening from the midpoint of the corpus with maximum width at midpoint of the body, then narrowing towards cloaca. Posterior end ventrally curved. Anterior end truncated. Lateral alae well-developed from the level of the first third of the corpus (ca. 40 µm from the anterior end) to a very short distance (ca. 2 µm) before the level of the pre-cloacal pair of papillae. Cephalic cap ca. 10 µm in diameter, 4 µm length, truncate, with smooth cuticle. Cervical cuticle unarmed, presenting fine annuli from base of cephalic cap and extending towards posterior end of body, ending laterally after the end of the lateral alae and ventrally after the pre-cloacal pair of papillae, then continuing dorsally to the level of the cloaca. Length of the annuli ca. 1 µm near level of the cephalic cap and ca. 0.5 µm at level of pre-cloacal pair of papillae. Oral aperture with four isomorphic trapezoid-like labia, arranged as two sub-dorsal and two subventral labia in a rhomboid-like form. Four knob-like cephalic papillae around the mouth, sub-lateral in position. Cephalic papillae are connected by cuticular flaps that extend dorsally and ventrally. Buccal capsule very short. Oesophagus consisting of a long, muscular, sub-cylindrical corpus, well set-off from the cylindrical isthmus. Basal bulb spherical, valve-plate well developed. Intestine simple, sub-rectilinear. Nerve ring located at level of junction of corpus and the isthmus. Excretory pore ventral, located just posterior the basal bulb. Monorchic. Testis ventral, outstretched starting just posterior the excretory pore. Vas deferens divided into three regions: an anterior region slender, filled with rod-like spermatids, a median region, wider, with granular cells and a posterior region with longer polygonal cells, gradually tapering towards its junction with cloaca. Anterior lip of cloaca prominent. Spicule absent. Dorsal cuticle of posterior end thickened between level of the cloaca to tail tip. Eight copulatory papillae present, two pre-cloacal and six post-cloacal. Pre-cloacal pair sub-ventral, consisting of very large, prominent, mammiform papillae, located at ca. 5 µm before level of cloaca. Papillae of this pre-cloacal pair separated from each other by ca. 6 µm. First pair of post-cloacal papillae small, lateral in position, located at short distance (ca. 5 µm) from the tail tip. Remaining two pairs of post-cloacal papillae consisting of minute papillae near tail tip, one sub-ventral, sub-terminal in position (ca. 2 µm from the tail tip) and another terminal. Tail short, conical, slightly ventrally curved, its end slightly truncated. Phasmids pore-like, sub-lateral located at ca. the level of the first postcloacal pair of papillae.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Protrelleta floridana Chitwood, 1932. Female. A. Oesophageal region, lateral view. B. Cephalic end, optical section. C. Tail, lateral view. D. Egg. E. Genital tract, lateral view. F. Habitus, lateral view.

FIGURE 2. Protrelleta floridana Chitwood, 1932. SEM images. Female.A. Oesophageal region, lateral view. B. Cephalic end, lateral view. C. Excretory pore and vulva, ventro-lateral view. D, E. Anterior end, en face view. Scale bars: A. 20 µm. B, D. 5 µm. C. 10 µm. E. 2 µm.

FIGURE 3. Protrelleta floridana Chitwood, 1932. Male. A. Oesophageal region, lateral view. B. Cephalic end, optical section. C. Tail, lateral view. D. Habitus, lateral view.

FIGURE 4. Protrelleta floridana Chitwood, 1932. SEM images. Male.A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Cervical region showing the beginning of the lateral ala, lateral view. C. Anterior end. D. Anterior end, en face view. E. Posterior end, lateral view (extension of the dorsal cuticular thickening of the tail pointed by the white arrowheads). F. Tail tip, lateral view (phasmid pointed by the white arrowhead). Scale bars: A. 50 µm. B. 10 µm. C, D, F. 2 µm. E. 5 µm.