Cairaeanthus healyae Kornyushin & Polyakova, 2012 parasite in collection

Type host

Dasyatis pastinaca (Linnaeus, 1758)

Type locality

Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol

Other locality

Black Sea, Cape Foros

Description

Based on holotype, 4 paratypes and 26 specimens from D. pastinaca from the Black Sea. Worms mid-size, craspedote, apolytic, 108—315 mm (188 ± 8.8; n = 31) long, 200—1700 (687 ± 49; n = 31; n = 62) wide. Proglottids 1003—2395 (1450 ± 74; n = 31) in number. Scolex large, 720—3000 (1650 ± 75; n = 31; n = 34) long, 1250—3000 (2133 ± 67; n = 31; n = 35) wide, tetrabothridiate (figs 9, 13). Myzorhynchus absent. Bothridia 600—1620 (1002 ± 42; n = 30; n = 33) long, 260—1440 (631 ± 42; n = 30; n = 54) wide; posteriorly bifid; with numerous marginal loculi, each 10—30 (25 ± 1; n = 31; n = 51) long, 10—30 (24 ± 1; n = 31; n = 51) wide; with pedicel 180—500 (318 ± 14; n = 31; n = 38) long, 130—540 (244 ± 14; n = 31; n = 41) wide (fig. 14). Apical sucker absent. Cephalic peduncle very long, 2.2—11.7 mm (8.1 ± 0.3; n = 31) in length, 200—750 (465 ± 20; n = 31; n = 43) wide. Lateral excretory ducts 10—90 (31 ± 2.2; n = 31; n = 43) in diameter. Immature proglottids square, 30—380 (130 ± 8; n = 31; n = 71) long, 230—950 (516 ± 19; n = 31; n = 70) wide, initially wider than long (fig. 10), becoming longer than wide with maturity. Mature proglottids trapezoid, 230—1170 (445 ± 28; n = 31; n = 38) long, 400—1500 (918 ± 39; n = 31; n = 41) wide. Terminal proglottids, 520—2100 (1024 ± 63; n = 31; n = 50) long, 320—1700 (859 ± 44; n = 31; n = 51) wide, greatly elongate, sometimes oval, tapered to posterior end (fig. 17). Testes numerous, 103—157 (127 ± 2; n = 31; n = 51) in number (fig. 10, 12, 17), median, arranged in two layers, round, 20—80 (46 ± 2.3; n = 31; n = 44) in diameter; post-poral testes absent. Cirrus-sac big, oval, 50—280 (148 ± 8.5; n = 31; n = 46) long, 50—450 (169 ± 13; n = 31; n = 40) wide (fig. 11, 15, 16). Cirrus armed with spinitriches. Total length of everted cirrus 850—1350 (1052 ± 92; n = 5), of inverted 260—1030 (427 ± 20; n = 30; n = 53). Vas deferens 10—180 (63 ± 5; n = 31; n = 43) in diameter, coiled, extending anteriorly to cirrus-sac; median, slightly displaced to poral side in mature proglottids; seminal vesicle absent. Genital pores lateral, 20—50 % (30 ± 1.2; n = 31; n = 47) of proglottid length from posterior end, irregularly alternating. Vagina extending from Mehlis’ gland to genital atrium, initially median, straightened, then lateral to cirrus-sac in mature proglottids, opening anterior to cirrus-sac in genital atrium; wall of distal end of vagina dense, glandular, with inside folds almost closing vaginal duct; vaginal sphincter absent. Genital atrium 40—210 (98 ± 9; n = 31; n = 33) long, 30—180 (71 ± 5; n = 31; n = 35) wide; its proximal part near to opening of cirrus-sac covered by numerous spinitriches (fig. 11, 15, 16). Ovary near posterior end of proglottids, median, H-shaped, tetralobed in cross-section; lobes asymmetrical. In mature proglottids, ovary lobes surrounding excretory ducts, extending almost to lateral margin of proglottid, separating vitellarium from posterior end of proglottid. Aporal ovary lobe 100—640 (197 ± 20; n = 31; n = 38) long, 110—500 (262 ± 13; n = 31; n = 38) wide, poral ovary lobe 100—550 (166 ± 16; n = 31; n = 38) long, 110—440 (248 ± 13; n = 31; n = 38) wide. Ovicapt 50—200 (94 ± 5; n = 31; n = 34) in diameter. Mehlis’ gland cariniform, fabiform or spherical, 10—60 (28 ± 2; n = 29) wide. Uterus ventral to vagina, extending from isthmus to median line of proglottid, reaching its anterior end (figs 12, 17). Vitellarium follicular; follicles numerous, 10—90 (43 ± 3; n = 31; n = 38) in diameter in mature proglottids; in 2 lateral fields, 90—400 (173 ± 11; n = 31; n = 37) wide, each consisting of one dorsal and one ventral row of follicles, between which excretory ducts passes; extending from anterior end of proglottid to anterior margin of ovary, not interrupted at level of genital atrium, becoming thin, not extending posteriorly to ovary. Eggs oval, 40 long, 20 wide (n = 1).

Remarks and Differential diagnosis.

Remarks. In the living specimen of C. healyae bothridia are very mobile and resemble the movement of the octopus feelers. The specimens of C. healyae are very delicate in comparison with the scolex and the strobila of C. ruhnkei. Spinitriches were found in the genital atrium of C. healyae near opening of cirrus-sac, but their shape was not good examined in the present work. However, size of these spinitriches exceeds the size of the spinitriches of the cirrus. In immature proglottids the spinitriches of the genital atrium are located in its central part on equal distance from the cirrus-sac and the vagina (fig. 15, A) looking as «muff».
Differential diagnosis. Cairaeanthus healyae sp. n. significantly differs from C. ruhnkei sp. n. in longer strobila (108—315 mm vs 56—255 mm), smaller sizes of marginal loculi (10—30×10—30 vs 50—100×30—100), larger length of cephalic peduncle (2.2—11.7 mm vs 200—680), smaller diameter of testes (20—80 vs 30—130) and smaller width of vitelline fields (90—400 vs 100—720), number of testes (103—157 vs 51—98) and proglottids (1003—2395 vs 495—1803). Additionally, the wall of the genital atrium is armed by the spinitriches in C. healyae, but is not in C. ruhnkei. In addition to characters mentioned in generic diagnosis, C. healyae can be distinguished from all known Anthocephalum spp. by larger total length (108—315 mm vs 40—50 mm in A. gracile, 11—20 mm in A. centrurum, 4—9 mm in A. alicae, 8—14 mm in A. cairae, 18—31 mm in A. duszynskii, 8.6—13 mm in A. kingae, 5.7—16.3 mm in A. michaeli, 7.9—17.2 mm in A. lukei, 6.6—14.4 mm in A. currani), more proglottids per worm (1003—2395 vs 500—600, 35—65, 9—15, 80—110, 120—160, 33—50, 23—41, 28—56, 35—70, respectively) and by larger number of the testes (103—157 vs 100—130, 35—75, 30—67, 28—52, 35—71, 30—37, 30—49, 32—48, 37—50, respectively).

Bibliography

First published in

Kornyushin V. V., Polyakova T. A. 2012. Cairaeanthus gen. n. (Cestoda, Rhinebothriidea), with the description of two new species from Dasyatis pastinaca in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Vestnik zoologii. 46(4).P. 291-308.

Specimens in collection

	exemplar				found	in	host
1.C.2t.h	holotype	gravid		wholemount	2002-07-10	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
2.C.2t.p1	paratype	gravid		wholemount	2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
3.C.p2t.p2	paratype	gravid			2001-12-28	Black Sea, Cape Foros	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
4.C.2t.p3	paratype	gravid		wholemount	2001-12-28	Black Sea, Cape Foros	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
5.C.2t.p4	paratype	gravid			2001-12-28	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
6.C.2t.p5	paratype	gravid			2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
7.C.2t.p6	paratype	gravid			2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
8.C.2t.p7	paratype	gravid			2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
9.C.2t.p8	paratype	gravid			2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
10.C.2t.p9	paratype	gravid			2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
10.C.2t.v10	vaucher	gravid			2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
11.C.2t.p11	paratype	gravid			2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
12.C.2t.p12	paratype	gravid			2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
13.C.2t.p13	paratype	gravid			2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract
14.C.2t.p14	paratype	gravid			2001-07-21	Black Sea, Martynova Bay, Sevastopol	Dasyatis pastinaca	Digestive tract