Anthocephalum papefayei 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 papefayei

description: Anthocephalum papefayei n. sp.
(Figs. 1 G, 8 A–B, 9 A–E)
Type host. Dasyatis margaritella Compagno & Roberts.
Type locality. Mbour, Senegal, 14°24'22"N, 16°58'6"W (SE–225).
Site of infection. Spiral intestine.
Type material. Holotype (MNHN HEL 435); 1 paratype (MNHN HEL 436); 2 paratypes (USNM 1251825, 1251826), 6 paratypes (LRP 8549–8554); hologenophore (LRP 8517).
Etymology. The species is named for Senegalese fisherman Pape Faye, in honor of his substantial contributions to the collection of hosts throughout our fieldwork in Senegal.
Description. Based on 29 whole mounts and 2 scoleces prepared for SEM. Worms slightly craspedote, euapolytic, 3.9–12.7 long, with 106–177 proglottids; maximum width 400–521 at scolex. Scolex with 4 bothridia and short cephalic peduncle. Bothridia stalked, circular, with 45–60 marginal loculi and round apical sucker; apical sucker 37–48 in diameter. Proximal surfaces of bothridial rims covered with capilliform filitriches; proximal surfaces of marginal loculi adjacent to rims densely covered with small scolopate spinitriches and acicular filitriches (Figures 9 C), area away from rims with acicular filitriches only; proximal non-locular bothridial surfaces covered with acicular filitriches (Figure 9 D). Distal bothridial surfaces and distal surfaces of apical suckers covered with small gladiate spinitriches and capilliform filitriches (Figure 9 E).
Immature proglottids initially wider than long, becoming longer than wide with maturity, length:width ratio at mid-strobila 0.7–1.7:1. Terminal proglottid 200–750 long by 73–160 wide, length:width ratio 1.8-7:1. Testes 6–9 in number, oblong, 12–24 long by 19–29 wide, arranged in 1–2 irregular columns anterior to cirrus-sac. Cirrus-sac oval, slightly posteriorly recurved, 45–58 long 26–38 wide, containing coiled cirrus. Vas deferens dorsal, coiled, anterior to cirrus-sac, extending dorsal to cirrus-sac; expanded, descending to ovarian bridge in mature proglottids. Genital pores lateral, 37–47% of proglottid length from posterior end of proglottid, irregularly alternating. Vagina extending from Mehlis’ gland to genital atrium, initially median, then extending ventral and lateral to cirrus-sac in mature proglottids, opening into shallow genital atrium. Ovary near posterior end of proglottid, H-shaped in frontal view, essentially symmetrical, 63–155 long by 53–82 wide. Ovicapt not observed. Uterus ventral, extending from ovarian bridge to anterior end of proglottid in mature proglottids; uterine duct inconspicuous. Vitellarium follicular; follicles 7–14 long by 14–19 wide, in 2 lateral bands; each band consisting of 1–3 dorsal and 1–3 ventral columns of follicles, extending from near anterior margin of proglottid to anterior margin of ovary. Excretory ducts lateral, consisting of 1 dorsal and 1 ventral pair.
Remarks. Anthocephalum papefayei n. sp. is one of the most distinctive members of its genus. It possesses conspicuously fewer testes than A. alicae, A. cairae, A. currani, A. decrisantisorum, A. duszynskii, A. gracile, A. healyae, A. jensenae, A. kingae, A. lukei, A. mattisi, A. meadowsi, A. micheali, A. odonnellae and A. wedli (6–9 vs. 31–45, 28–52, 37–50, 17–24, 35–71, 32–50, 35–75, 14–20, 26–32, 32–48, 36–52, 15–25, 30–49, 26–52, and 100–130, respectively). It further differs from all of these species in that the bands of vitelline follicles do not extend posterior to the ovary.
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 page 70, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3904.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/287633