Anthocephalum jensenae Ruhnke, Caira & Cox, 2015, n. sp.
Creators: name: Ruhnke, Timothy R.
name: Caira, Janine N.
name: Cox, Allison
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Platyhelminthes
Cestoda
Rhinebothriidea
Rhinobothriidae
Anthocephalum
Anthocephalum jensenae

description: Anthocephalum jensenae n. sp.
(Figs. 1 C, 4A–B, 5A–E)
Type host. Himantura jenkinsii (Annandale).
Type locality. Arafura Sea east of Wessel Islands (11°17'44"S, 136°59'48"E), Northern Territory, Australia (NT–94, NT–106, NT–118).
Site of infection. Spiral intestine.
Type material. Holotype (QM G234603); 3 paratypes (QM G234604-G234606); 3 paratypes (USNM 1251812–1251814), 6 paratypes (LRP 8528–8533), hologenophore (LRP 8513).
Etymology. The species is named in honor of Dr. Kirsten Jensen, who participated in the collection of specimens of the type series of this and many other new rhinebothriidean species.
Description. based on 47 whole mounts and 2 scoleces prepared for SEM: Worms slightly craspedote, euapolytic, 2.5–7.4 mm long, with 12–28 proglottids; maximum width 275–1,016 at scolex. Scolex with 4 bothridia and short cephalic peduncle. Bothridia stalked, slightly folded posteriorly, each with 61–78 marginal loculi and round apical sucker; apical sucker 22–40 in diameter. Proximal surfaces of bothridial rims covered with acicular filitriches; proximal surfaces of marginal loculi sparsely covered with small scolopate spinitriches and acicular filitriches (Figures 5 B, C); proximal non-locular bothridial surfaces covered with acicular filitriches (Figure 5 D). Distal bothridial surfaces and distal surfaces of apical sucker covered with small gladiate spinitriches and acicular filitriches (Figure 5 E).
Immature proglottids initially wider than long, becoming much longer than wide with maturity, length:width ratio at mid-strobila 1.2-3.5:1. Terminal proglottids 662–1,294 long by 125–231 wide, length:width ratio 3.3–8.6. Testes 14–20 in number, slightly oblong, 42–78 long by 28–71 wide, arranged in 2 regular columns anterior to cirrus-sac. Cirrus-sac posteriorly recurved, 93–236 long by 29–90 wide, containing coiled cirrus; cirrus armed with spinitriches. Vas deferens dorsal, coiled anterior to cirrus-sac, expanded and descending to ovarian bridge. Genital pores lateral, 30–39% of proglottid length from posterior end, irregularly alternating. Vagina sinuous, extends from Mehlis’ gland anteriorly, then ventral and lateral to cirrus-sac, opening into genital atrium. Ovary near posterior end of proglottid, follicular, H-shaped in frontal view, essentially symmetrical, 84–412 long 48–93 wide. Ovicapt at posterior margin of ovarian bridge, ventral, 20–30 in diameter. Uterus median, ventral, extending from ovarian bridge to anterior margin of proglottid; uterine duct inconspicuous. Vitellarium follicular; follicles 3–16 long by 3–19 wide, in 2 lateral bands; each band consisting of 2–3 dorsal and 2–3 ventral columns of follicles, extending from near anterior to posterior end of proglottid, interrupted by ovary and cirrus-sac, post-poral follicles lacking. Excretory ducts lateral, consisting of 1 dorsal and 1 ventral pair.
Remarks. With respect to the 11 species of Anthocephalum, A. jensenae n. sp. differs from all except A. alicae, A. decrisantisorum, A. kingae and A. michaeli in having testes arranged in two regular, rather than multiple, columns. The new species possesses conspicuously fewer testes than A. alicae, A. kingae and A. michaeli (14–20 vs. 31–45, 30–37 and 30–49, respectively). Furthermore, unlike A. decrisantisorum, this new species lacks a muscularized genital pore.
description: Published as part of Ruhnke, Timothy R., Caira, Janine N. & Cox, Allison, 2015, The cestode order Rhinebothriidea no longer family-less: A molecular phylogenetic investigation with erection of two new families and description of eight new species of Anthocephalum, pp. 51-81 in Zootaxa 3904 (1) on pages 63-64, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3904.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/287633