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Description of the first species of Pseudoendorchis (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae) with uniloculate suckers from the pimelodid catfish Megalonema platycephalum, with comments on the taxonomic importance of the terminal vagina

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Abstract

The proteocephalid genus Pseudoendorchis (Cestoda: Onchoproteocephalidea) has recently been proposed to accommodate seven species/species-level lineages of tapeworm parasites of catfishes (Siluriformes) in the Neotropical region, based on integration of genetic information, and morphological and ecological data. Its members are typified by having a large Mehlis’ gland, representing more than 1/5 (usually 1/4–1/2) of proglottid width, and the vagina always anterior to the cirrus-sac. Critical examination of previously unstudied museum cestodes tentatively designated as Pseudoendorchis sp. 3 from Megalonema platycephalum (Pimelodidae) in the Peruvian Amazon made it possible to formally describe this taxon and to differentiate it from all congeneric species. The new species, which is the first parasite of M. platycephalum ever recorded, is characterised mainly by having the scolex bearing four uniloculate suckers (biloculate in all nominal species of the genus), the lowest relative surface of the ovary (ratio of its surface to that of the whole proglottid) among species of the genus (< 9% versus > 11%, usually 15–20%), and an extraordinarily large Mehlis’ gland (its diameter represents 41–50% of proglottid width). Morphology of the terminal portion of the vaginal canals in proteocephalids is briefly discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to the late Martin Mortenthaler (Iquitos) and to Roman Kuchta, Carlos A. Mendoza-Palmero (both České Budějovice), Sophie de Chambrier (Fribourg) and Sandrine Coquille (Geneva) for help with collecting and examining fish in Iquitos, Peru in 2009. Technical assistance of Blanka Škoríková of the Institute of Parasitology, BC CAS, České Budějovice, and Janik Pralong and Gilles Roth, both of the Natural History Museum, Geneva, and helpful suggestions of two anonymous reviewers are also much appreciated.

Funding

This work was partially funded by CAPES (postdoc scholarship to PVA, grant 88887.508591/2020-00), NSF-PBI awards (grants 0818696 and 0818823), and the Institute of Parasitology (RVO: 60077344).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Av. Presidente Antônio Carlos, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil

    Philippe Vieira Alves

  2. Department of Invertebrates, Natural History Museum, P.O. Box 6434, 1211, Geneva 6, Switzerland

    Alain de Chambrier

  3. Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Tomáš Scholz

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  1. Philippe Vieira Alves
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  2. Alain de Chambrier
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  3. Tomáš Scholz
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Correspondence to Philippe Vieira Alves.

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Alves, P.V., de Chambrier, A. & Scholz, T. Description of the first species of Pseudoendorchis (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae) with uniloculate suckers from the pimelodid catfish Megalonema platycephalum, with comments on the taxonomic importance of the terminal vagina. Syst Parasitol 98, 535–545 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-021-09994-0

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