Monocystis ribbonae, Sarkar & Kundu & Bandyopadhyay, 2020

Sarkar, Sutapa, Kundu, Beauty & Bandyopadhyay, Probir K., 2020, Description of three new species of Aseptate Gregarine, Monocystis von Stein, 1848 of Oligochaetes collected from Dhaka, Bangladesh, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 120 (3), pp. 211-219 : 215-218

Monocystis ribbonae sp. nov.

Zoobank: http://Zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:043C8E0E-A3F8-4956-BCE1-E8AACBD32A2F

Description: In present form trophozoite irregular, ribbon-like contains two lobes. One lobe is more spherical and rounded than the other lobe. Nucleus spherical, situated at the middle of the body. Presence of highly granulated endoplasm contains paraglycogen granules. Gametocyst ovoid in shape (Clopton G7). Oocyst are fusiform in shape (Clopton B4).

Trophozoites measure 86.50 - 90.40 (88.24 ± 10.01) μm × 22.00 - 25.00(16.50 ± 8.20) μm. Nucleus measures 14.2 - 16.42 (11.50 ± 3.0) μm × 9.1 - 11.05 (10.00 ± 1.5) μm. Gametocysts measure 55.50 - 60.25 μm (59.25 ± 3.8) μm × 67.40 - 72.45 (70.37 ± 3.75) μm. Oocysts measuring 5.5 - 9.50 (7.5 ± 1.60) μm × 3.5 - 4.25 (4.00 ± 0.09) μm.

Type material: Monocystis ribbonae sp. nov.

Site of infection: Seminal vesicles

Type Host: Metaphire peguana Rosa, 1980

Type locality: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Prevalence: Fourteen out of forty host earthworms (35%) were infected with the parasite.

Material deposited:

Holotype: PR/ MC/30 /11 has been deposited at the Parasitology Laboratory , Department of Zoology , University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741235, West Bengal, India.

Paratype: The paratype has been deposited in the Harold W Manter, Laboratory of Parasitology , Systematic Research Collections, University of Nebraska State Museum ,

W 436, Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0514 USA, (Accession no. P-2014-002; Reg. no. HWML 49902 ) .

Etymology: The specific epithet “ ribbonae ” has been given after the shape of the parasite under discussion.

Remarks: The present species under discussion shows some resemblance with Monocystis bengalensis Ghosh, 1923 and Monocystis sahadatae Sarkar and Bandyopadhyay,

2013. The present form has flat shaped trophozoites contain curved body giving a ribbon-like shape to the trophozoite while it is solitary, irregular in shape, anterior end is rounded and posterior end is cylindrical, blunt in M. sahadatae and it is oval shaped in young stage and elongated or club shaped in mature stage and rounded anterior end is wider than pointed posterior end in M. bengalensis . Nucleus spherical in present form but it rounded in earlier recorded species. Moreover, shape and size of gametocyst and oocyst of the current species are different from the previously recorded species. In addition, M. bengalensis has been recorded from Pheretima posthuma of Calcutta, West Bengal, India and M. sahadatae has been recorded from Metaphire posthuma of Narayanganj, Bangladesh, while the present form has been described from Metaphire peguana of Dhaka, Bangladesh ( Table 6).

Considering all these aspects the species under discussion seems to be a new one. Hence the name Monocystis ribbonae sp. nov. is being proposed in this communication.