Chordodes gariazzi Camerano, 1902

Zanca, F., Villalobos, C. De & Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., 2006, Revision of the genus Chordodes (Gordiida, Nematomorpha) from Africa-I. Ultrastructural redescription of Chordodes gariazzi Camerano, 1902, C. heinzei Sciacchitano, 1937, C. kolensis Sciacchitano, 1933, C. muelleri Sciacchitano, 1937, and C. ruandensis Sciacchitano, 1937, Journal of Natural History 40 (1 - 2), pp. 17-31 : 20-22

Chordodes gariazzi Camerano, 1902

( Figure 1 )

Chordodes gariazzi Camerano 1902a, p 1 .

Holotype: 1 „, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Specific locality unknown ( Camerano 1902a) ( MRSNT G36 ).

Material examined

Holotype, SEM midbody and posterior end.

Host

Unknown.

Description

The body colour is medium brown with numerous darker brown patches all over the body. The body length is 240 mm, diameter in the middle region is 1.5 mm. Anterior end tapered, with a white cap, a dark collar is absent. The mouth is terminal. The posterior end ( Figure 1A ) is tapered at the apex (0.20 mm in diameter). The cloacal opening is ventral and is situated 266 mm anterior of the posterior margin of the worm. The cloacal opening is narrow, oval (57 mm long and 10.7 mm wide), and without circumcloacal spines. Anterolateral to the cloacal opening are two rows of bristles (bristlefields) that are 221.4 mm long and 85.7 mm wide. Bristles are undivided. The cuticle around the cloacal opening is smooth.

The cuticle contains all six types of areole as described above ( Figure 1B ). Simple areoles are the most abundant, they are low (4.5 mm), oval or circular in shape, and have a structured surface (‘‘blackberry-like’’). Minute bristles are scattered on the apical surface ( Figure 1B, C ). Bulging areoles form groups of two to four, they are similar to simple areoles in shape although higher (9.7 mm), and in the centre of the apex they have projections which are not scattered but clustered ( Figure 1B, C ). Occasionally, tubercle areoles with a long (7.6 mm) finger-like tubercle are present. These areoles are taller than the simple areoles (6.3 mm) ( Figure 1B, C ). Very rarely present are thorn areoles ( Figure 1C ). Two crowned areoles and 12–20 circumcluster areoles form clusters regularly distributed over the whole cuticle ( Figure 1B, D ). The filaments of the crowned areoles are approximately 40.6 mm long. Circumcluster areoles are very slender, 20.2 mm high, and curved towards the centre ( Figure 1B, D ). The cuticle between the areoles is structured into cord-like folds.

Comments

Only one male is known for this species, described by Camerano (1902a) and later mentioned by Camerano (1915) and Sciacchitano (1958). None of these descriptions contained any figures. Camerano (1902a) described the cuticle of C. gariazzi with five areolar types, corresponding to simple, bulging, tubercle, thorn, and crowned areoles from our investigation. Camerano (1902a) described crowned areoles occurring in clusters of 12–17, but our SEM investigation shows that there are only two crowned areoles, surrounded by circumcluster areoles.

Figures

Figure 1. Chordodes gariazzi, SEM. (A) Ventral view of male posterior end with cloacal opening (c), arrow indicates position of the bristlefields; (B) general view of the midbody cuticle with simple (1), bulging (2), tubercle (3), crowned (4), and circumcluster areoles (5); (C) cuticle of the lateral side of the body with simple, bulging, and tubercle areoles (numbering as in B); (D) tubercle areole and areolar cluster of crowned and circumcluster areoles. Scale bars: 100 mm (A); 25 mm (B, C); 10 mm (D).