Digenean fauna in raptors from northeastern Argentina, with the description of a new species of Strigea (Digenea: Strigeidae)
Author
Drago, Fabiana B.
Author
Lunaschi, Lía I.
Author
Draghi, Regina
text
Zootaxa
2014
3785
2
258
270
journal article
46059
10.11646/zootaxa.3785.2.8
d4fa8cf8-a7a0-4b61-a27b-c8892abaac23
1175-5326
225941
524C0ED8-F57C-4163-BE70-CED1D7E86F71
Tylodelphys brevis
Drago & Lunaschi, 2008
(
Fig. 7
)
Host:
Busarellus nigricollis
(Latham)
, black–collared hawk (
Accipitridae
).
Site of infection:
intestine.
Voucher specimens:
MLP
6715.
Distribution and hosts:
Tylodelphys brevis
was described by
Drago & Lunaschi (2008)
parasitizing
Mycteria americana
L. (
Ciconiidae
) from
Argentina
.
Measurements:
Based on
3 specimens
. Body indistinctly bipartite, 386–440 (409) long. Forebody 238–280 (260) long by 233–270 (258) wide. Hindbody 143–160 (149) long by 193–224 (210) wide. Ratio of forebody length to hindbody length 1:0.56–0.6 (0.58). Oral sucker round, subterminal, 55–58 (57) long by 57–60 (58) wide. Ventral sucker transversely elongate, pre-equatorial, 40–49 (44) long by 67–78 (73) wide. Suckers width ratio 1:0.9. Pharynx longitudinally elongate, immediately posterior to oral sucker, 52–55 (54) long by 25–26 (26) wide. Ratio of oral sucker width to pharynx width 1:0.4–0.5 (0.4). Pseudosuckers well developed, 63–71 (69) long by 48–67 (56) wide. Ratio of pseudosuckers length to body length 1:5.4–6.4 (6). Ratio of oral sucker length to pseudosuckers length 1:1.1–1.3 (1.2). Holdfast organ round to elliptical, immediately posterior to ventral sucker, 60–83 (71) long by 74–95 (85) wide. Ratio of holdfast organ length to body length 1:4.7–7.4 (6). Testes tandem, extended transversally occupying whole width of hindbody; anterior testis 19–23 (21) long by 65–68 (67) wide; posterior testis 41–49 (45) long by 193–198 (195) wide. Ovary ovoid, pretesticular, 36 long by 100 wide. Vitellarium in fore– and hindbody; in forebody extend from nearly midway between intestinal bifurcation and ventral sucker, in hindbody extending to posterior end. Uterus without eggs or with 1 large egg, 74 long by 60 wide. Ratio of egg length to body length 1:5.2.
Remarks:
The specimens obtained from
B
.
nigricollis
agree well morphologically with those described from
M
.
americana
, but differ by being smaller (386–440 vs. 570–851), by having larger ventral sucker (40–49
x 67
–78 vs. 24–
36
x 27–54), and smaller eggs (74
x 60
vs. 83–102 × 45–64). This could be related to the degree of development, because only one specimen was gravid.
Dubois (1978)
described specimens of
Tylodelphys
sp. in
B
.
nigricollis
from
Colombia
, that differ from specimens here studied in size (760–900 vs. 386–440) and arrangement of vitelline follicles, which extend from the level of the intestinal bifurcation. The life cycles of
Tylodelphys
species include fishes and amphibians as second intermediate hosts. In
Argentina
, no full life cycle has been studied, nevertheless
Szidat (1969)
described four metacercariae of this genus parasitizing freshwater fishes from northeastern
Argentina
:
Tylodelphylus jenynsiae
Szidat,
1969
in the pericardial cavity from
Jenynsia lineata
(Jenyns)
,
Tylodelphylus
sp.
1 in
brain from
Hoplias malabaricus
(Bloch)
,
Tylodelphylus
sp.
2 in
the pericardial cavity from
Gymnotus carapo
L. and
Tylodelphylus
sp.
3 in
the visceral cavity from
Neofundulus paraguayensis
(Eigenmann & Kennedy)
. Unfortunately, it is not possible to compare them with our specimens because their descriptions are brief and their adults unknown.
According to
Di
Giacomo (2005)
,
B
.
nigricollis
from
Formosa
Province, mainly feeds on aquatic snails (
Pomacea
sp.) and fishes (
Hoplias
cf.
malabaricus
,
Synbranchus marmoratus
Bloch
,
Hoplosternum
cf.
littorale
and
Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus
(Spix & Agassiz)
. Therefore, the presence of
T
.
brevis
in this raptor is associated with its fish–eating habits.
The finding of this diplostomid in
B
.
nigricollis
represents a new host record.