Anthocephalum veronicae Sakai, Marques & Trevisan, 2025, n. sp.
Creators: name: Sakai, Lilian F.
name: Marques, Fernando P. L.
name: Trevisan, Bruna
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Platyhelminthes
Cestoda
Rhinebothriidea
Anthocephaliidae
Anthocephalum
Anthocephalum veronicae

description: Anthocephalum veronicae n. sp.
(Figs. 3D, 6G–H, 7D–F, 8F–J)
Type host: Styracura schmardae (Werner, 1904) —Chupare stingray.
Type locality: Coast of Tobacco Caye, Stann Creek, Belize (16°54’15.2”N, 88°03’38.2”W).
Additional localities: Head Caye, Toledo, Belize (16°49’43.1”N, 88°04’48.1”W).
Site of infection: Spiral intestine.
Prevalence of infection: 40% (two of five valves).
Specimens deposited: Holotype (HWML 217959) and three paratypes (HWML 217960–217962); four paratypes (LRP 11291–11294); and three paratypes (MZUSP 8062, 8063a–b).
Etymology: This species honors Dr. Veronica Mantovani Bueno for her contributions to cestodes taxonomy and systematics.
Description. [Based on 18 specimens: 9 whole mounts of mature worms, 8 scolexes prepared for SEM and cross sections of 1 mature proglottid]: Worms euapolityc, 22.6–43.5 mm (n=9) long with 116–180 proglottids (n=9) in number, maximum width 2472–2828 (n=3) at level of scolex (Fig. 3D). Scolex (Figs. 7D, 8F) with four stalked bothridia, each one with 180–190 (n=3) marginal loculi and one oval apical sucker; apical sucker 75–107 (n=2) long by 56.5–78 (n=2) wide. Short cephalic peduncle present. Proximal surfaces of marginal loculi next to the bothridial rims covered with acicular filitriches and scolopate spinithriches (Fig. 8G, H); bothridial rims covered with acicular filitriches (Fig. 8I); distal surface of bothridium covered with capiliform filitriches (Fig. 8J).
Proglottids craspedote. Immature proglottids wider than long, becoming longer than wide with maturity, 104– 178 in number (n=9) (Fig. 3D). Mature proglottids (Fig. 7E) 1667–2230 (n=6) long by 405–577 (n=6) wide, 1–3 in number (n=9). Testes arranged in four columns from near anterior margin of proglottid to anterior margin of genital pore, and 1 row-deep in cross section (Figs. 7E, 6G). Testes 44–79 (n=5) by 31–66 (n=5) wide, 64–90 (n=4) in number. Cirrus-sac pyriform bent posteriorly, 80.5–272 (n=6) long by 76.5–161 (n=6) wide, containing coiled cirrus (Fig. 7F). Cirrus armed with spinitriches. Genital pores lateral, irregularly alternating, 29.5–38.6% (n=6) of proglottid length from posterior end (Fig. 3D, 7F). Ovary near posterior end of proglottid, H-shaped in frontal view (Figs. 3D, 7E), tetralobed in cross-section (Fig. 6H), slightly asymmetrical, 393.5–649.5 (n=6) long by 209.5–340.5 (n=6) wide; ovarian bridge near middle of ovary. Mehli’s gland posterior to ovarian bridge. Vagina thick-walled, sinuous, extending medially in proglottid from ootype to anterior margin of cirrus-sac, then laterally to open into genital atrium anterior to cirrus (Fig. 7F). Vitellarium follicular; vitelline follicles 46–74.5 (n=6) by 10.5–22.5 (n=5) wide arranged in two lateral bands, each band consisting of one dorsal and one ventral column of vitelline follicles, extending from posterior margin of the second or third anterior-most row of testes to near posterior margin of the proglottid, interrupted by genital pore both dorsally and ventrally (Figs. 7E, F). Uterus saccate, ventral, extending along median line of proglottid from near the ovarian bridge to posterior margin of first or second anterior-most row of testes (Fig. 7E).
Remarks: Anthocephalum veronicae n. sp. is morphologically distinct from all except two species within its genus— A. haroldsoni and A. gravisi —by possessing uninterrupted vitelline follicles by the ovary. However, the new species is clearly different from A. haroldsoni and A. gravisi in total length (22.6–43.5 mm vs. 1.8–3.7 mm and 3.6–7.9 mm, respectively), by possessing a larger number of proglottids (116–180 vs. 9–16 and 17–29, respectively), a higher number of loculi (180–190 vs. 43–52 and 41–57, respectively), and more testes in number (64–90 vs. 23–38 and 25–32, respectively).
description: Published as part of Sakai, Lilian F., Marques, Fernando P. L. & Trevisan, Bruna, 2025, Diversity and phylogenetic position of the amphi-American lineages of the tapeworms of the genus Anthocephalum Linton, 1890 (Rhinebothriidea: Anthocephaliidae), pp. 151-178 in Zootaxa 5584 (2) on page 167, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5584.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14830734