Postporinae Yamaguti, 1958

Blend, Charles K., Karar, Yasser F. M. & Dronen, Norman O., 2017, Revision of the Megaperidae Manter, 1934 n. comb. (Syn. Apocreadiidae Skrjabin, 1942) including a reorganization of the Schistorchiinae Yamaguti, 1942, Zootaxa 4358 (1), pp. 1-44 : 9-10

Subfamily Postporinae Yamaguti, 1958

Diagnosis. (Based on Manter 1947; Yamaguti 1958; Cribb 2005) Body small, rounded, oval-elongate. Tegument spinous. Eye-spot pigment present as granules in forebody. Oral sucker subterminal, unspecialized. Ventral sucker unspecialized, pre-equatorial. Prepharynx very short. Pharynx large. Esophagus short, muscular. Intestinal bifurcation in forebody. Caeca wide, end blindly, extend well into post-equatorial region. Testes two, tandem, postovarian, in hindbody. Cirrus pouch absent. Seminal vesicle tubular. Pars prostatica present. Genital pore median, immediately posterior to ventral sucker. Ovary globular, smooth, in hindbody, median to submedian, pre-testicular. Canalicular seminal receptacle and Mehlis’ gland present. Laurer’s canal present. Vitellarium follicular; follicles lateral, mainly in hindbody and just enter forebody. Uterus between ovary and ventral sucker. Eggs medium in size, thin-shelled. Excretory vesicle I-shaped, extend to level of pharynx; excretory pore terminal. Adults in intestine of marine serranid fishes; Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Type and only genus. Postporus Manter, 1949 (Syn. Opisthoporus Manter, 1947 pre-occupied).

Remarks. Members of the Postporinae are unique within the Megaperidae n. comb. in possessing a genital pore that is median and immediately posterior to the ventral sucker. At present, this is a monotypic subfamily with Postporus as the type and only genus ( Cribb 2005).

Manter (1947) erected Opisthoporus Manter, 1947 with the description of Opisthoporus epinepheli Manter, 1947 parasitizing the intestine of the red grouper, Epinephelus morio (Valenciennes) , and Opisthoporus mycteropercae Manter, 1947 infecting the intestine of the yellowfin grouper, Mycteroperca venenosa (Linnaeus) ( Perciformes : Serranidae ), from off Dry Tortugas, Florida. This digenean genus was renamed Postporus when Manter (1949) discovered that Opisthoporus was pre-occupied, and Cribb & Gibson (2017b) have since designated Postporus mycteropercae ( Manter, 1947) Manter 1949 a synonym of Postporus epinepheli ( Manter, 1947) Manter 1949 , the type and only species known of this genus. As alluded to by Cribb (2005, p. 624), the Postporinae remains highly dubious and needs further (especially molecular) study.