Enchodelus (Enchodelus) distinctus, gdh, 1980

MAQSOOD AHMAD & M. SHAMIM JAIRAJPURI, 1980, A REVIEW OF THE GENUS ENCHODELUS THORNE, 1939 WITH DESCRIPTIONS - OF SPECIES FROM INDIA, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 15, pp. 1-42 : 22-25

III. Enchodelus (Enchodelus) distinctus n. sp.

(Fig. 3, A-G)

Dimensions:

Holotype female: L= 1. 8 5mm; a == 20;b == 5.1;c = 58;c 1 =0.76 V == S3; G1=16; G~=17.

3 Entire female

u); m sp. l lbn

Description

Female Body upon fixation ventrally curved, more so in posterior third, tapering towards extremities. Cuticle finely striated, its thickness on body 4 μm on tail tip 12 μm. Dorsal, ventral and lateral QQ“, PU pores; UD indistinct.

Lip region distinctly set ofi" from the body, 1 /5th as wide as body at base of oesophagus. Amphids cup-shaped with curved slit-like apertures occupying about one half of corresponding bodywidth. Odontostyle 36 μm or 2.2 head-widths long with an aperture about 1 /20 of its length. Guiding ring 1.4 head-width from anterior end. Odontophore 46 μm or 1.3 times the odontostyle length. Maximum width of fianges 7 um.

Basal expanded part of oesophagus occupying about 44% of 'neck length. Location of oesophageal gland nuclei and their orifices as given in Table III. Nerve ring surrounding the anterior slender part of oesophagus at 50% of neck length from anterior end of body. Cardía heınispheroid, surrounded by intestinal tissues. A well developed oesophago-intestinal disc present. Prerectum about three and rectum about one anal body-width long.

Vulva a transverse slit. Vagina extending one half across the body, encircled proximally by cuticularization and distally by sphincter muscles. Gonads amphidelphic. Uterus divided into a proximal glandular and distal muscular part. Ovaries short reflexed, oocytes arranged in single row except in growth region.

Tail 0.8 anal body-width long, hemispheroid, with two caudal honnlon nn park eÎrlP Male Not found Type habitat and locality Soil around roots of unidentified grasses, Rohtang Pass, (altitudes approx. 4,400 m) district Kulu, Himachal Pradesh.

Type specimen Holotype female mounted on slides H. A. 5/ Enchodelus distinctus n. sp. /, deposited in the Department of Zoo-1 logy, Aligarh Muslim University.

Differential diagnosis: Enchodelus distinctus n. sp. comes close to E. microdoroides Baqri & Jairajpuri, 1974 and E. macrodorus (de Man,.1880) Thorne, 1939 but differs from E. microdoroides in baving a longer body and distinctly set off lip region and more posterior vulva (V= 53). From E. macrodorus it differs in having a distinctly set off lip region and more posterior vulva (V =42 in E. macrodorus ).