Menziesia merinthe ( Yamaguti, 1968 ) Gibson, 1976

Whittington, I. D., Deveney, M. R. & Wyborn, S. J., 2001, A revision of Benedenia Diesing, 1858 including a redescription of B. sciaenae (van Beneden, 1856) Odhner, 1905 and recognition of Menziesia Gibson, 1976 (Monogenea: Capsalidae), Journal of Natural History 35 (5), pp. 663-777 : 750-752

Menziesia merinthe ( Yamaguti, 1968) Gibson, 1976

(®gure 37)

Synonyms. Pseudobeneden ia merinthe Yamaguti, 1968 ; Parabenedenia merinthe ( Yamaguti, 1968) Gibson, 1976 ; Benedenia merinthe ( Yamaguti, 1968) Egorova, 1997 .

Material studied. USNPC: 63591 (SY No. 92) holotype and paratypes (1 slide, 14 specimens) ex Merinthe (5 Pontinus Poey , see Eschmeyer, 1969) macrocephala ( Sauvage ), Hawaii .

Observations. On the whole, Yamaguti’s type material is poor although our examination of 14 type specimens has added a few new details about the anatomy of M. merinthe . Menziesia merinthe is approximately 3.5 mm long and is therefore a small- to medium-sized benedeniine (®gure 3B, C). Yamaguti (1968) described M. merinthe adequately but some features that we regard of taxonomic importance were not described. Yamaguti’s ®gure 6C shows the penis as containing the duct of the accessory gland reservoir which has muscular walls and a muscular vas deferens, but the actual musculature of the penis was poorly represented by him. We have determined that the penis is a muscular organ and the vas deferens and duct of the accessory gland reservoir are contained within it. Yamaguti showed the duct of the accessory gland reservoir joining the vas deferens near the tip of the penis, but the material quality did not allow con®rmation of this. The two ducts are visible proximall y in the penis but their paths are di cult to determine distally. In many of the type specimens, the contents of the accessory gland reservoir have contracted (presumably due to processing) creating a space between the contents and the wall of the accessory gland reservoir. This may give the impression that the accessory gland reservoir is contained within a muscular penis sac, but closer observation s show that the accessory gland reservoir has a weakly muscular wall and abuts, or is displaced slightly lateral to, the proximal end of the penis inside the penis canal with a weakly muscular wall. The vagina is long and has strongly muscular walls. Yamaguti (1968) illustrated the vagina as communicating with the vitelline reservoir via a narrow duct, but we could not see this in the material. The vaginal pore is marginal, just posterior to the common genital pore. Both pores are situated on a poorly de®ned lobe (®gure 37A). Anterior gland cells were observed prominently in the extreme anterior part of the body. No eyespots could be seen by Yamaguti or by us.

The accessory sclerites have a prominent and characteristic blunt distal tip and tendons pass through the bi®d proximal ends (®gure 37A). Yamaguti (1968) represented the prominent raised tissue through which the accessory sclerites protrude from the ventral surface of the haptor as alae in his ®gure 6B, but our observations indicate clearly that this tissue is not sclerotized. The arrangement of the marginal valve relative to the 14 hooklets is: four lobes between hooklets of pair II; ®ve or six lobes between hooklets II and III; three or four lobes between hooklets III and IV; four or ®ve lobes between hooklets IV and V; ®ve or six lobes between hooklets V and VI; ®ve lobes between hooklets VI and VII; approximatel y 10 lobes hooklets VII and VIII; 8±10 lobes between hooklets of pair VIII.

Type-host and locality. Merinthe macrocephala (now Pontinus macrocephalus , see Eschmeyer, 1990) ( Scorpaenidae ).

Published record and description. Yamaguti (1968).

Description. Yamagut i (1968).

Published host record. Scorpaenidae : Merinthe macrocephala.

Site . Gills.

Distribution. Hawaii.

Remarks. Yamaguti (1968) provided a key to his species of Pseudobenedenia from Hawaiian ®shes that distinguished species on the basis of largely insigni®cant features. Menziesia merinthe is highly distinctive because of the blunt distal tips of the accessory sclerites (®gure 37A, B). The penis and associated structures are particularly long and extend posteriorly to the level of the germarium in most specimens. The accessory gland reservoir lies posterior and lateral to the proximal end of the penis inside the penis canal, rather than dorsal and alongside it, although the material appears to have been ¯attened heavily; this may have changed the relationships of these structures.