Glypthelmins californiensis ( Cort, 1919 ) Miller, 1930

León, Pérez-Ponce De, 2008, Taxonomic revision of the genus Glypthelmins Stafford, 1905 (Platyhelminthes: Digenea: Plagiorchiida), parasites of anurans in the Americas, Zootaxa 1882, pp. 1-45 : 20-22

Glypthelmins californiensis ( Cort, 1919) Miller, 1930

( Figs. 6–8 )

Synonyms

Margeana californiensis Cort, 1919: 283 –298; Glypthelmins californiensis Miller (1930: 242) ; Margeana californiensis Cheng (1959: 73, 74, 76, 77, 80, 84) Plate 1, Fig. 4 ]; Glypthelmins californiensis of Pulido-Flores (1992: 20 –23; 1994: 205–206) [In parti].

Taxonomic summary

Type-host: Rana aurora Baird & Girard.

Habitat: Intestine.

Type-locality: San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

Type specimens deposition: The description presented by Cort (1919) was based on specimens observed in vivo, and there is no mention about the deposition of specimens in any museum collection.

Diagnosis: The distinctive trait of this species is the distribution of the vitellaria along the body. Vitelline follicles extend from the level of the pharynx to the anterior border of the testes, and are confluent dorsally in the region between the caecal bifurcation and the genital pore. In addition, G. californiensis possess a combination of the following traits: The pharynx is larger than the ventral sucker, has symmetrical testes, and intracaecal uterine loops.

Description: Body oval to elongated, with round posterior and anterior ends. Numerous scale-like spines present on the body tegument, in the anterior third of body, except by the oral sucker. Spines decreasing in number in the post-acetabular region and are absent in the posterior third of body. Oral sucker subterminal, rounded to oval. Ventral sucker rounded, smaller than oral sucker, preequatorial. Oral sucker/ventral sucker ratio 1:0.58 long, 1:0.55 width. Mouth opens in the middle of oral sucker, while the prepharynx is short. Pharynx small, muscular, with ventral, dorsal and lateral medial glands. Ducts of medial glands directed anteriorly towards prepharynx. Oesophagus short and wide. Caeca extending posteriorly to almost reach the end of body. Left caeca slightly larger than right caeca. Testes rounded, intercaecal, symmetrical, and located at the mid-level of body. Cirrus pouch well-developed, large, dorsal to ventral sucker, containing a bi-partite seminal vesicle, prostatic gland and unarmed cirrus. Cirrus opens into the genital pore, which is immediately preacetabular. Ovary located sinistrally to the ventral sucker, rounded, smaller than testes. Seminal receptacle rounded, between the ovary and testes. Uterus coiled, entirely intercaecal. Uterine loops transversally arranged. In the testicular region uterus is ventral to testes. Muscular metraterm opens into the genital pore. Vitelline gland follicular. Vitelline follicles distribute into two fields along the caeca, from the level of pharynx or the posterior border of oral sucker, posterior to the region between the ovary and the anterior end of testes. At the level of caecal bifurcation, follicles are confluent dorsally. Eggs operculated, yellow, 36–48 µ m long by 14–21 µ m wide. Excretory vesicle I shaped extending to the level of testes. Excretory pore located at the posterior border of body.

Host, geographic distribution and specimen deposition

Hyla regilla Baird & Girard (= Pseudacris regilla ): U.S.A.: (locality not specified) ( Lehmann, 1965).

Rana aurora Baird & Girard : Canada: Vancouver Island, British Columbia ( Moravec, 1984); Bonsall Creek, Duncan, Vancouver Island and Langley, British Columbia ( O’Grady, 1987); Victoria, Columbia Britanica ( Rannala, 1990, 1991, 1992); Diversion reservoir, Sooke, Vancouver Island ( Zamparo & Brooks, 2005). U.S.A.: San Francisco, California ( Cort 1919), San Diego and Butte Counties, California ( Ingles 1936), U.S.A. ( Walton 1938, 1947). Specimen deposition: USNPC: 95033.

Rana aurora draytoni Camp. U.S.A. : (locality not specified) ( Walton 1947).

Rana berlandieri : México: Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz ( Lamothe-Argumedo et al. 1997).

Rana catesbeiana : (Locality not specified). Specimen deposition: HWML: 31390.

Rana boylii Baird : U.S.A.: San Diego and Butte Counties, California ( Ingles 1936), U.S.A. ( Walton 1938, 1947), Marin and Sonoma Counties, California ( Lehmann, 1960).

Rana dunni : México: Lago de Pátzcuaro, Michoacán ( Pulido-Flores, 1994; Lamothe-Argumedo et al. 1997); Lago de Pátzcuaro and Lago Zacapu, Michoacán, ( Razo-Mendivil, 1999; 1999; Pérez- Ponce de León et al 2000). Specimen deposition: CNHE: 1561, 3280, 3281, 3283, 3284, 4682, 4685; USNPC: 93031–93033.

Rana montezumae : México: Xochimilco, Distrito Federal ( Caballero & Sokoloff, 1934; Caballero, 1942); México ( Walton 1938); Xochimilco, Distrito Federal and Ciénaga de Lerma, Estado de México ( Lamothe-Argumedo et al. 1997; Pérez-Ponce de León et al. 2000); Ciénaga de Lerma, Estado de México ( Razo-Mendivil et al. 1999). Specimen deposition: CNHE: 1181, 1461, 1514, 2495, 3235, 3282; HWML: 1208, 21695, 33956, 33957.

Rana pipiens : México: Distrito Federal ( Caballero & Sokoloff, 1934); México ( Walton, 1938); Ciénaga de Lerma, Estado de México ( Caballero, 1942). U.S.A.: Virginia ( Cheng, 1959).

Rana pretiosa : U.S.A.: (locality not specified) ( Lehmann, 1965).

Life cycle

The life cycle was partially described by O’Grady (1987). Adult forms inhabit the intestine of Rana aurora . Eggs are released with the feces, containing the miracidia. Eggs are ingested by gasteropods of the species Physa gyrina and P. propinqua (Physidae) ; miracidia hatch from the eggs to form sporocysts. It is not known how many generations of sporocysts are formed. Within sporocysts, xyphidocercariae are produced, and once in the water, they swim to find the second intermediary host, usually tadpoles. They attach to the skin and encyst in the epithelium, losing the tail and transforming into metacercariae. During molt, frogs feed upon their own skin and they become infected.

Figures

FIGURES 6 – 8. Glypthelmins californiensis (Cort, 1919) Miller, 1930. 6. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Rana dunni, Michoacán, Mexico (CNHE 3282). Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 7. Detail of the anterior end showing medial glands around the pharynx ex Rana dunni, Michoacán, Mexico (CNHE 3282). Scale bar = 0.1 mm. 8. Detail of the terminal genitalia ex Rana dunni, Michoacán, México (CNHE 4682). Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 2 – 5. Glypthelmins quieta (Stafford, 1900) Stafford, 1905. 2. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Rana catesbeiana, Nebraska, U. S. A. (personal collection Dr. Daniel R. Brooks). Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 3. Detail of the anterior end showing the peripharyngeal glands ex Rana neovolcanica, Michoacán, Mexico (CNHE 3272) Scale bar = 0.1 mm. 4. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Rana spectabilis, Oaxaca, Mexico (CNHE 4689). Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 5. Immature specimen ex Rana montezumae, Estado de Mexico, Mexico (CNHE 3275). Scale bar = 0.3 mm.