Heligmostrongylus undetermined
Creators: name: Panti-May, Jesús Alonso
name: Moguel-Chin, Wilson Isaias
name: Hernández-Mena, David Iván
name: Cárdenas-Vargas, Miguel Humberto
name: Torres-Castro, Marco
name: García-Prieto, Luis
name: Digiani, Maria Celina
name: Hernández-Betancourt, Silvia F.
name: Vidal-Martínez, Víctor Manuel
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Nematoda
Chromadorea
Rhabditida
Heligmonellidae
Heligmostrongylus
Heligmostrongylus undetermined

description: Heligmostrongylus sp.
Site of infection: Small intestine
Host species: Peromyscus yucatanicus and Ototylomys phyllotis
Locality: Santa Cruz cattle ranch, Vallazoo (Yucatan) and Balam Nah eco-hotel (Quintana Roo)
Specimens deposited: CNHE 12022
GenBank accession numbers: OR271675, OR271676
Comments: The specimens found in the Yucatan Peninsula belong to the genus Heligmostrongylus according to the features described by Durette-Desset et al. (2017), i.e., synlophe with 10‒14 ridges; careen made up of two large continuous ridges and other ridges discontinuous or scalloped; single axis of orientation subfrontal; bursal pattern of type 2-2-1; dorsal ray dividing generally within proximal half; gubernaculum absent; spicules ending in a single sharp tip. Our specimens had a synlophe with 13 ridges; a well-developed careen made up of two ridges plus 11 interrupted, scalloped ridges, arranged in linear series (five dorsal and six ventral) (Figure 4J), single axis of orientation subfrontal; bursal pattern of type 2-2-1, dorsal ray dividing within proximal third, rays 9 long, slightly hook-shaped, crossing over rays 8 ventrally, gubernaculum absent (Figure 4K); and spicules 570–620 long.
Following the keys of Durette-Desset et al. (2017) the genus Heligmostrongylus includes nine species reported from the Cuniculidae, Echimyidae and Dasyproctidae in South America: Heligmostrongylus almeidai (Durette-Desset & Tchéprakoff) in Brazil, Heligmostrongylus chiarae Durette-Desset, Deharo, Santiváñez-Galarza & Chabaud in Bolivia, Heligmostrongylus crucifer (Travassos) in Brazil, Heligmostrongylus differens Lent & Freitas in Brazil, Heligmostrongylus echimyos Diaw in French Guiana, Heligmostrongylus elegans (Travassos) in Brazil, Heligmostrongylus proechimysi Durette-Desset in Colombia, Heligmostrongylus sedecimradiatus (Linstow) in Brazil, and Heligmostrongylus squamastrongylus (Travassos) in Brazil. Our specimens differ from He. almeidai, He. chiarea, He. elegans, He. echimyos, He. proechimysi, He. sedecimradiatus, and He. squamastrongylus by having rays 9 crossing over rays 8 (in these seven species rays 9 do not touch rays 8). In the case of He. differens and He. crucifer, differences in the pattern of rays 9 can be observed. Heligmostrongylus crucifer has rays 9 oriented to the dorsal lobe of bursa and He. differens has rays 9 smaller than rays 10, whereas our specimens have slightly curved rays 9, oriented to the lateral lobes and as long as rays 10. In addition, He. crucifer has 12 ridges in both sexes and He. differens possesses spicular alae developed. Based on these differences, the specimens from Mexico may represent a species not described yet.
This is the first record of Heligmostrongylus in North American rodents and for representatives of the Cricetidae.
description: Published as part of Panti-May, Jesús Alonso, Moguel-Chin, Wilson Isaias, Hernández-Mena, David Iván, Cárdenas-Vargas, Miguel Humberto, Torres-Castro, Marco, García-Prieto, Luis, Digiani, Maria Celina, Hernández-Betancourt, Silvia F. & Vidal-Martínez, Víctor Manuel, 2023, Helminths of small rodents (Heteromyidae and Cricetidae) in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: an integrative taxonomic approach to their inventory, pp. 205-240 in Zootaxa 5357 (2) on pages 220-221, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5357.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/10017978