Glypthelmins brownorumae Razo-Mendivil, León-Règagnon & Pérez-Ponce

León, Pérez-Ponce De, 2008, Taxonomic revision of the genus Glypthelmins Stafford, 1905 (Platyhelminthes: Digenea: Plagiorchiida), parasites of anurans in the Americas, Zootaxa 1882, pp. 1-45 : 34-37

Glypthelmins brownorumae Razo-Mendivil, León-Règagnon & Pérez-Ponce de León

( Figs. 23–25 )

Taxonomic summary

Type-host: R. brownorum Hillis.

Habitat: Intestine.

Type-locality: Km. 50, Carretera # 180, Villahermosa-Frontera, Tabasco, México.

Type specimens deposition: CNHE 4667.

Diagnosis: This species possess testes joined and overlapping with the caeca. The vitelline glands are asymmetrical, with follicles in both fields beginning at the end of the oesophagus, while those on the right side extend far beyond the posterior margin of the right testis. However, the left side follicles do not reach the posterior margin of the left testis. Follicles mainly extracaecal, although few are located dorsal to the testes and cirrus pouch, and are never confluent.

Description: This species was described according to Razo-Mendivil et al. (2005). Body elongate, with the maximum width occurring in the testicular region; anterior and posterior ends rounded. Tegument covered with small, thin scale-like spines extending from anterior end to second third of body. Oral sucker subterminal, round, and opens directed anteroventrally. The ventral sucker well developed and located medially. Oral sucker-ventral sucker ratio 1:0.55–0.67 in length, 1:0.52–0.65 width. Prepharynx short, wider than long. Pharynx globose. Medial glands surround anterior and posterior margins of pharynx. Oesophagus thin, longer than pharynx, with external cell-glands on both sides. Caeca narrow, symmetrical. Testes intercaecal or sometimes overlap the caeca, oval, slightly oblique, equatorial. Anterior testis dextral. Genital pore mid-ventral, just anterior to ventral sucker. Cirrus pouch straight, larger than ventral sucker, containing a bipartite seminal vesicle, followed by an elongated coiled pars prostatica. Ovary sinistral, oval, and extends dorsally to posterior margin of ventral sucker. Seminal receptacle oval to rounded in shape, usually posterodorsal to ovary. Uterus intercaecal, lacking distinct uterine loops, extends back close to the posterior end of body, reaching about the level of the end of right caecum; ascending loops pass ventrally to testes. Metraterm poorly developed, and is approximately as long as the cirrus pouch. Eggs operculated, tanned, 32–39 µm long, 14–21 µm wide. Vitellaria follicular; lateral fields commence at the level of intestinal bifurcation and extend to posterior margin of left testis. Or, they may extend far beyond the posterior margin of right testis, mainly extracaecal but overlapping caeca, testes and cirrus pouch dorsally, and are never confluent. Excretory vesicle I-shaped and reaches the posterior margin of testes. Excretory pore terminal.

Host, geographic distribution and specimen deposition

Rana brownorum : México: Km. 50, Carretera # 180, Villahermosa-Frontera, Tabasco, México. Ranchera Benito Jurez, km. 52, Carretera # 180, Villahermosa-Frontera, Tabasco. Specimen deposition: CNHE 4667– 4669; USNPC: 93039; BM(NH)2004.3.3.1.

GenBank

cox 1: AY278055 (381 bp); 5.8s and ITS2: AY278055 (412 bp); 28S: AY278048 (927 bp), AY875674 (1268 bp).

Glypthelmins tuxtlasensis Razo-Mendivil, León-Règagnon & Pérez-Ponce de León ( Figs. 26–28 )

Synonyms

Glypthelmins californiensis, Guillén et al. (2000: 10–13); Glypthelmins facioi, Razo-Mendivil (1998: 1–50) [Morphological and molecular study]; Razo-Mendivil et al. (1999: 198–200) [These authors transfer specimens identified as G. californiensis by Guillén-Hernández (1992) to G. facioi ].

Taxonomic summary

Host: R. vaillanti .

Habitat: Intestine.

Type-locality: Laguna Escondida, Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, México.

Type specimens deposition: CNHE 4670, type specimen, 1 specimen; CNHE 4671–4672 paratypes, 11 specimens.

Diagnosis: This species possess the following combination of traits: Pharynx wider than ventral sucker, oblique testes, and the cirrus pouch is straight and long. Vitelline glands extend from the caecal bifurcation to far beyond the posterior margin of testes. Follicles occupying mostly the intercecal region, but some overlapping ceca and even in the extracecal region.

Description: This was originally described by Razo-Mendivil et al. (2005). Body elongated, with the maximum width occurring at the testicular region; anterior and posterior ends of the body rounded. Tegument with small scale-like spines, extending from anterior end to the second third of body. Oral sucker subterminal, rounded, with an opening directed anteroventrally. Ventral sucker well developed, rounded, located medially. Oral sucker-ventral sucker ratio 1:0.48–0.65 in length and 1:0.44–0.57 wide. Prepharynx short. Pharynx globose. Anterior and posterior margins of pharynx surrounded by medial glands. Oesophagus longer than pharynx; cell-glands present on both sides of oesophagus. Caeca narrow, symmetrical. Testes intercaecal, oval to rounded in shape, slightly overlapping caeca, equatorial, oblique. Anterior testis opposite to ovary. Genital pore mid-ventral, between ventral sucker and caecal bifurcation. Cirrus pouch straight, extends from just posterior to ventral sucker and to the right of ovary, dorsally to ventral sucker, towards the left side of the posterior end of body. The cirrus pouch also contains the bipartite seminal vesicle and sinuous pars prostatica. Ovary sinistral, oval, overlaps with posterior margin of ventral sucker. Seminal receptacle oval to rounded, situated between testes and ovary. Uterus located intercaecally, with some transverse loops reaching caeca, and fills the entire postcaecal area; ascending uterine loops pass ventrally to testes; pretesticular uterine loops absent. Metraterm poorly developed, and is approximately as long as the cirrus pouch. Eggs operculated, tanned, 21–28 long, Vitellaria follicular; lateral fields extend from the region between caecal bifurcation and genital pore, posteriorly to beyond the level of the posterior margin of testes. They are also present dorsally to caeca, testes and cirrus pouch, and are sometimes confluent at the level of cirrus pouch. Excretory vesicle “I” -shaped, reaches the posterior margin of testes. Excretory pore terminal.

Host, geographic distribution and specimen deposition

Rana berlandieri Baird : México: Laguna El Zacatal, Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz (Guillén et al. 2000); Laguna El Zacatal, Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz (Pérez-Ponce de León et al. 2000). Specimen deposition: CNHE 1514; BM(NH)2004.3.3.2.

Rana vaillanti : México: Laguna Escondida, Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz México ( Razo-Mendivil et al. 1999; Paredes, 2000; Pérez-Ponce de León et al. 2000); Laguna El Zacatal, Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz (Guillén et al. 2000:); Cascadas de Agua Azul, Chiapas (This study). Specimen deposition: CNHE 3285, 4061, 4670, 4083; USNPC 93040.

GenBank:

cox 1: AY278054 (383 bp); 5.8s and ITS2: AY278061 (413 pb); 28s AY278047 (1274 pb).

Figures

FIGURES 23 – 25. Glypthelmins brownorumae Razo-Mendivil, León-Règagnon, & Pérez Ponce de León, 2004. 23. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Rana brownorum, Tabasco, México (Paratype, CNHE 4669) Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 24. Detail of the terminal genitalia ex Rana brownorum, Tabasco, México (CNHE 4668). Scale bar = 0.1 mm. 25. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Rana brownorum, Tabasco, México (Holotype, CNHE 4667). Scale bar = 0.3 mm.

FIGURES 26 – 28. Glypthelmins tuxtlasensis Razo-Mendivil, León-Règagnon & Pérez Ponce de León, 2004. 26. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Rana vaillanti, Veracruz, México (Holotype, CNHE 4670). Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 27. Immature specimen ex Rana vaillanti, Veracruz, México (CNHE 3285). Scale bar = 0.1 mm. 28. Detail of the terminal genitalia ex Rana vaillanti, Veracruz, México (Holotype CNHE 4670). Scale bar = 0.1 mm.