Neolebouria leiperi (Gupta, 1956) Gupta, 1956

Martin, Storm B., Cutmore, Scott C., Ward, Selina & Cribb, Thomas H., 2017, An updated concept and revised composition for Hamacreadium Linton, 1910 (Opecoelidae: Plagioporinae) clarifies a previously obscured pattern of host-specificity among species, Zootaxa 4254 (2), pp. 151-187 : 176

Neolebouria leiperi (Gupta, 1956) n. comb.

Synonyms: Hamacreadium leiperi Gupta, 1956 .

Records. From an unidentified “marine catfish” in the Gulf of Mannar by Gupta (1956).

Remarks. This species was described based on two specimens and was considered a synonym of H. mutabile by Hafeezullah (1971). However, the ovary is distinctly tri-lobed, the genital pore is distinctly inter-caecal and the anterior extent of the excretory vesicle was not described. Therefore, it is consistent with the current concept of Neolebouria . In particular, it closely resembles species placed in the “maorum” body-type group by Dronen et al. (2014), which are characterised by an elongate linguiform body, a relatively small equatorial ventral sucker and a distinctly post-bifurcal and inter-caecal genital pore. One of these species, N. capoori , was also described from Indian waters, but that species is smaller (1,920–2,520 vs 3,500–5,500 µm long) and has larger pre-ovarian and post-testicular areas. Therefore, N. leiperi n. comb. is considered a distinct species of Neolebouria . Although Gupta (1956) possibly described N. krusadaiensis and N. leiperi from the same host species, perhaps even individual “catfish”, on the basis of limited material, the two appear to be distinct species because the former has a prebifurcal genital pore.