Astiotrema turneri n. sp. (Digenea: Plagiorchiidae) from cichlid fishes (Cichlidae: Perciformes) of Lake Malawi, southeastern Africa
Author
Bray, Rodney A.
Author
Oosterhout, Cock Van
Author
Blais, Jonatan
Author
Cable, Joanne
text
Zootaxa
2006
1319
43
58
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.273567
85d4e7bf-5f2a-4a94-b3c5-78b3c71d95dd
11755326
273567
Astiotrema turneri
n. sp.
(
Figs 1–3
)
Typehost:
Pseudotropheus
[=
Metriaclima
,
Maylandia
]
zebra
(Boulenger 1899)
,
Perciformes
,
Cichlidae
,
zebra
mbuna.
Other hosts:
Pseudotropheus emmiltos
(Stauffer
et al.
1997)
,
Perciformes
,
Cichlidae
;
Labeotropheus trewavasae
(Fryer 1956)
Perciformes
,
Cichlidae
, scrapermouth mbuna;
Melanochromis vermivorus
Trewavas, 1935
,
Perciformes
,
Cichlidae
, purple mbuna.
Site:
Intestine.
Typelocality:
Thumbi West Island (
14°01'22.83"S
34°49'16.63"E
), Monkey Bay, Southern
Malawi
(
03/09/05
).
Other localities:
Domwe Island (
13°58'05.43"S
34°49'04.01"E
) (
06/09/05
;
16/09/05
) and Zimbawe Rock (
13°57'40.73"S
34°48'08.88"E
) (
10/09/05
), Monkey Bay, southern Lake
Malawi
; Mpanga Rocks (
10°25'49.65"S
34°16'44.64"E
) (
19/09/05
), Luwino Reef (
10°26'17.41"S
34°17'00.16"E
) (
19/9/05
) and Chirwa Island (
10°27'48.94"S
34°16'35.77"E
) (
19/9/05
), Chilumba, northern Lake
Malawi
; all
Malawi
.
Prevalence:
P. zebra
at Thumbi West – 3/24 (12.5%), at Zimbawee Rock 1/27 (3.7%), at Domwe Island – 1/61 (1.6%), at Mpanga Rocks – 2/16 (12.5%), at Luwino Reef 0/17 (0%), at Chirwa 0/12 (0%);
L. trewavasae
at Domwe Island – 1/6 (16.7%);
M. vermivorus
at Thumbi West – 1/6 (16.7%), at Domwe Island – 1/42 (2.4%);
P. emmiltos
at Mpanga Rocks – 3/18 (16.6%), at Luwino Reef – 5/17 (29.4%).
Intensity:
1–2.
Deposition of specimens:
holotype
BMNH
2006.6.6.1,
paratypes
BMNH
2006.6.6.2–12. Coll: JC, CvO & JB.
Etymology:
The species is named after Prof. George F. Turner, University of Hull, who has devoted much of his career to the study of adaptive radiation and explosive speciation in Lake
Malawi
cichlids, and who introduced us to the field sites used in the current study.
Description:
Based on 11 ovigerous specimens, some flattened at fixation. Measurements and ratios in
Table 1
. Body oval, tapering at both ends, widest in midhindbody, bright orange in life (
Figs 1, 2
). Tegument spinous to posterior extremity, spines sparser in hindbody. Oral sucker subglobular, subterminal. Prepharynx short or apparently absent, often restricted to posterior cavity of oral sucker. Pharynx oval. Oesophagus long narrow, rectilinear. Intestinal bifurcation in posterior forebody. Caeca fairly long, reaching to varying level of posttesticular region. Testes two, oval to indented, oblique to virtually symmetrical, separated by uterus, in anterior half of hindbody. Posttesticular distance generally long. Cirrussac elongate claviform, not reaching into hindbody. Seminal vesicle unipartite, narrower distally with surrounding glandcells. Pars prostatica thickwalled vesicular proximally, narrower distally, surrounded by glandcells, merges into short, indistinct ejaculatory duct (
Fig. 3
). Genital atrium small. Genital pore median or slightly submedian, immediately anterior to ventral sucker. Ovary rounded, entire or indented. Mehlis’ gland posteromedian to ovary. Canalicular seminal receptacle large, distinct, posterior to ovary. Laurer’s canal opens dorsally at level of Mehlis’ gland. Uterus fills most of body posterior to ovary, reaching extracaecally in fully gravid specimens, passes between testes, between anterior testis and ovary, and to genital atrium. Eggs numerous, tanned, relatively elongate. Metraterm of similar length to cirrussac with a narrow sheath of glandcells. Vitellarium follicular, in lateral fields from level of oesophagus, pharynx, intestinal bifurcation or occasionally posterior part of ventral sucker, to posterior testis or just into posttesticular region. Excretory system not detected. Pore terminal.