Proteocephalus pearsei La Rue, 1919

Toma, Scholz, s, Choudhury, Anindo & McAllister, Chris T., 2022, A young parasite in an old fish host: A new genus for proteocephalid tapeworms (Cestoda) of bowfin (Amia calva) (Holostei: Amiiformes), and a revised list of its cestodes, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 18, pp. 101-111 : 108-109

8. Proteocephalus pearsei La Rue, 1919 – doubtful record

Record: Unspecified ( Hoffman, 1999).

Remarks

This cestode is a specific parasite of American yellow perch, Perca flavescens (Mitchill) in North America (Scholz et al., 2019). Hoffman (1999) reported P. pearsei from A. calva , but only in the host-parasite list, not in the list of hosts of P. pearsei . The occurrence of this cestode typical of yellow perch in bowfin is considered doubtful.

9. Proteocephalus sp. – accidental records of juvenile tapeworms Records: Canada (Ontario?), USA (Wisconsin).

Remarks

Hoffman (1999) reported immature Proteocephalus tapeworms from A. calva , but only in his host-parasite list, and without any detailed

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information. Gibson et al. (2005) reported juvenile Proteocephalus tapeworms unidentified to the species level from bowfin in Canada, but did not provide a corresponding reference, stating their source as “Sperm ultrastructure in three previously unexamined tetraphyllidean, lecanicephalidean and proteocephalidean cestode species,” but without authors. This record may have referred to ultrastructural studies by MacKinnon and Burt (1985a –c) in Canada, who examined bowfin from Hay Bay of Lake Ontario in Canada.

10. Testudotaenia testudo (Magath, 1924) Freze, 1965 – accidental record

Record: USA (Tennessee).

Reference: de Chambrier et al. (2009).

Remarks de Chambrier et al. (2009) found this parasite of eastern spiny softshell turtle, Apalone spinifera (Le Sueur) ( Testudines: Trionychidae ), in two of four bowfin from Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee, USA, examined in June 2002. These authors assumed that the presence of this parasite of turtles in A. calva represented an isolated local capture phenomenon, as both hosts were collected in the same place and habitat. Both are opportunist feeders and have a similar diet consisting of fishes, frogs, crayfishes, insects, and shrimps ( de Chambrier et al., 2009).

11. ‘New species’ 1 of de Chambrier et al. (2009).

Record: Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee, USA.

Remarks de Chambrier et al. (2009) found a probably new, adult proteocephalidean cestode morphologically similar to members of the polyphyletic genus Proteocephalus in bowfin from Reelfoot Lake on 30 June 2002 (voucher MHNG-PLAT-0035548). Based on its 28S rDNA sequences (FM956088), this tapeworm may represent a new species ( de Chambrier et al., 2009). The morphological description of this putative new species was intended in a separate publication, but it has not yet been published because of limited material suitable for morphological description (A. de Chambrier – pers. comm.).