Glypthelmins pennsylvaniensis Cheng, 1961

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 : 30-32

Glypthelmins pennsylvaniensis Cheng, 1961

( Figs. 19–20 )

Synonyms

Glypthelmins pennsylvaniensis Cheng, 1961a: 469 –477, Plate 1, Figs. 1–7 and Plate 2, Figs. 8–15 ; Choledocystus pennsylvaniensis Byrd & Maples (1963a: 521–536) Figs. 1–8 ; Hylotrema pennsylvaniensis Sullivan (1972: 1–158).

Taxonomic summary

Type-host: Pseudacris crucifer (= Hyla crucifer ).

Habitat: Intestine.

Type-locality: Lake Warren, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Type specimens deposition: USNPC 59515.

Diagnosis: This species can be distinguished by the following traits: Intestinal caeca do not extend to the extreme posterior end of the body, vitelline glands conformed by scarce follicles distributed extracaecally, never converge. Uterine loops distributed to extracaecal region and occupiyng the pre-testicular region.

Description: Body elongated, with round posterior and anterior ends. Numerous thin spines present on body tegument, from the oral sucker level to the posterior end. Oral sucker subterminal, rounded, larger than pharynx and ventral sucker. Ventral sucker rounded, preequatorial. Oral sucker/ventral sucker length ratio 1:0.7. Prepharynx short, while the pharynx globose, wider than long, muscular, surrounded by medial glands that extend to the oeasophageal region. Oesophagus short, wide. Caeca narrow, extending posteriorly to almost reach the end of body. Testes rounded, intercaecal, oblique, located at mid-level of body. Cirrus pouch well-developed, slightly curved, containing a bi-partite seminal vesicle and a coiled and unarmed cirrus. Cirrus opens into the genital pore that is immediately preacetabular. Ovary located sinistrally to the ventral sucker, oval, smaller than testes. Seminal receptacle oval. Uterus coiled. Uterine loops transversally arranged, with loops located in the inracaecal, caecal and extracaecal regions. Caecal loops occupy almost the entire post-caecal region. Muscular metraterm opens into the genital pore. Vitelline gland follicular. Vitelline follicles distributed from the level of caecal bifurcation to the posterior end of left testis. Eggs operculated, yellow, 30–38 µm long by 15–21 µm wide. Excretory vesicle “I” shaped extending to the level of testes. Excretory pore terminal.

Host, geographic distribution and specimen deposition

Hyla cinerea : U.S.A.: Savannah River Plant, South Carolina ( Sullivan, 1972). Specimen deposition: USNPC: 72272.

Hyla crucifer = Pseudacris crucifer : Canada: Savannah River Plant, South Carolina. Haliburton, Ontario, Canada, ( Rannala, 1990, 1991, 1992). U.S.A.: Lake Warren, Bucks County, Pennsylvania ( Cheng, 1961a; Walton, 1962; Martin, 1969); Clarke and Chatham Counties, Georgia ( Byrd & Maples, 1963a, 1963b; Sullivan, 1972); Farmington, Oconee County, Georgia and Franklin Counties, Tennessee ( Sullivan & Byrd, 1970). Specimen deposition: USNPC: 59515, 72274, 76745, 90918; HWML: 21343.

Hyla chrysoscelis : U.S.A.: Waukesha County, Wisconsin ( Bolek & Coggins, 1998).

Pseudacris crucifer crucifer : U.S.A.: Otis Lake, Barry Game Area, Barry County, Michigan ( Muzzall & Peebles, 1991); Wayne County, West Virginia ( Joy & Dowell, 1994); Marshes Beech Fork and Shoals, Wayne County; Marsh Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia ( Tucker & Joy, 1996). Specimen deposition: CNHE: 4693; USNPC83429, 84279; HWML: 15240, 38397.

Pseudacris nigrita : U.S.A.: Bucks County, Pennsylvania; Athens, Clarke and Chatham Counties, Georgia ( Byrd & Maples, 1963a, 1963b); Oconee County, Georgia ( Sullivan, 1972); Savannah River Plant, South Carolina ( Sullivan, 1972). Specimen deposition: USNPC: 72273.

Pseudacris triseriata : U.S.A.: Colorado ( Ubelaker et al. 1967); Rose Lake Wildlife Area, Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, Michigan ( Muzzall & Peebles, 1991). Specimen deposition: USNPC: 81867; HWML: 39470.

Pseudacris triseriata triseriata : U.S.A.: Waukesha County, Wisconsin ( Bolek & Coggins, 1998).

Rana sylvatica : U.S.A.: Fairfield County, Ohio ( Sullivan, 1972).

Helisoma trivolvis : U.S.A.: Lake Warren, Bucks County, Pennsylvania (Cheng, 1961b; Cheng & Snyder, 1962; Cheng & Cooperman, 1964).

Physa gyrina: Experimental infection ( Sullivan & Byrd, 1970).

Life cycle

The life cycle was originally described by Cheng (1961a), Sullivan & Byrd (1970) and Sullivan (1972). Adults inhabit the intestine of members of Hylidae , after which eggs with the fully formed miracidium are released with the feces of the hylid definitive host. Once in the water, eggs are ingested by snails of the species Helisoma trivolvis and Physa gyrina . In the intestine of the first intermediate host, miracidia hatches from eggs and transform to mother sporocyst, giving rise to daughter sporocysts that are located in the body cavity. These sporocysts then migrate to the hepatopancreas and daughter sporocysts with cercariae are formed (this cercariae possess no stylet). Cercariae emerge from the snail and swim actively until they find and penetrate the skin of tadpoles, forming the metacercaria disc, which remains unencysted in the body cavity of the host during molt. Apparently, matecercariae migrate to the intestine and become adults in that habitat, although this has not been experimentally shown.

GenBank

28s: AF433676 (1250 pb), AY875676 (1274 bp).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phylogenetic hypothesis of Razo-Mendivil et al. (2006) showing the placement of Glypthelmins, Rauschiella and Choledocystus within the Plagiorchiforms. The Glypthelmins clade is marked in red.

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.

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 19 – 20. Glypthelmins pennsylvaniensis Cheng, 1961. 19. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Pseudacris c. crucifer, Pennsylvania, U. S. A. (CNHE 4693). Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 20. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Pseudacris c. crucifer, Pennsylvania, U. S. A. (CNHE 4693). Scale bar = 0.3 mm.

FIGURES 9 – 11. Glypthelmins parva Travassos, 1930 9. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Rana vaillanti, Veracruz, México (CNHE 3396). Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 10. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Rana vaillanti, Veracruz, México (CNHE 4690). Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 11. Detail of the terminal genitalia ex Rana vaillanti, Veracruz, México (CNHE 4690). Scale bar = 0.1 mm

FIGURES 12 – 15. Glypthelmins intestinalis (Lucker, 1931) O´Grady, 1987. 12. Mature specimen, ventral view ex Rana luteiventris, Montana, U. S. A. (CNHE 4692). Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 13. Detail of the ventral sucker and suctorial disc showing 9 papillae, ex Rana luteiventris, Montana, U. S. A. (CNHE 4692). Scale bar = 0.05 mm. 14. Mature specimen, dorsal view ex Rana luteiventris, Montana, U. S. A. (CNHE 4692). Scale bar = 0.3 mm. 15. Detail of the terminal genitalia ex Rana luteiventris, Montana, U. S. A. (CNHE 4692). Scale bar = 0.1 mm.