Benedenia jaliscana Bravo-Hollis, 1952

Whittington, I. D., Deveney, M. R. & Wyborn, S. J., 2001, A revision of Benedenia Diesing, 1858 including a redescription of B. sciaenae (van Beneden, 1856) Odhner, 1905 and recognition of Menziesia Gibson, 1976 (Monogenea: Capsalidae), Journal of Natural History 35 (5), pp. 663-777 : 708-711

Benedenia jaliscana Bravo-Hollis, 1952

(®gure 24)

Material studied. IBUNAM: No. 24-5 (paratypes) (7 slides, 7 individuals) ex gills of Epinephelus labriformis (Jenyns) (Serranidae) from Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico (collected 1951); IBUNAM: No. 219-6 (6 slides, 6 individuals) ex gills of E. analogus (Gill) (Serranidae) from Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico (collected 1963).

Observations. The original description by Bravo-Hollis (1952) is good and should be consulted for details. Our study of 13 specimens has enabled a few details to be added. Benedenia jaliscana , 4±5.5 mm long, is a medium-sized species (e.g. ®gure 3B). Bravo-Hollis (1952) remarked that when ®xed, the haptor was always folded transversely in half but it is easy to see the haptoral sclerites. The accessory sclerites have a median inātion and a pointed distal end (®gure 24B) and tendons pass through their notched proximal end. The anterior hamuli are large with a broad root and are strongly recurved distally (®gure 24C). The posterior hamuli are slender, straight and about half the length of the anterior hamuli (®gure 24D). The proximal ends of the anterior hamuli overlap the proximal ends of the accessory sclerites and the distal portion of the anterior hamuli totally overlap the posterior hamuli. We observed 14 hooklets. The marginal valve is arranged as follows: one lobe between hooklets of pair II; one lobe between hooklet II and distal tips of the hamuli; one lobe between hamuli tips and hooklet III; one lobe between each of hooklets III and IV and between IV and V; three smaller lobes between hooklets V and VI; four smaller lobes between hooklets VI and VII; approximatel y seven small lobes between hooklets VII and VIII; number of lobes between hooklets of pair VIII not determined.

The anterior attachment organs of B. jaliscana are not disc-shaped as in most Benedenia species but are more irregular and ellipsoidal and appear bipartite (®gure 1C; anterior region more glandular(?) and less muscular than posterior region, like those described in some species of Neobenedenia (see Whittington and Horton, 1996)).

Bravo-Hollis (1952) described the penis as ending in three stout, curved hooks, two of which are clearly depicted in her ®gure 1. Whittington et al. (1994) studied specimens of B. jaliscana when diOEerentiating B. rohdei and pointed out that the penis of B. jaliscana ends in elongate papillae with conical tips rather than sclerotized hooks. The penis itself also has a bulbous proximal portion which is strongly muscular, lies inside the penis canal and appears to enclose a conspicuous swelling of the accessory gland duct (®gure 24A). A thin-walled accessory gland reservoir is proximal and apparently external to the bulbous distal end of the penis and its canal. The wall of this reservoir abuts the penis canal, the wall of which is weakly muscular (®gure 24A). This arrangement diOEers from the usual arrangement of these structures shown in ®gure 2A for other Benedenia species. Bravo-Hollis described the vas deferens as ending in the inātion of the accessory gland reservoir inside the penis. However, we determined that the vas deferens enters the penis proximally, passes the inātion of the accessory gland duct inside the penis and continues separate from the accessory gland reservoir duct until close to the distal end of the penis (®gure 24A). The glands of Goto are large. The vagina is spacious, muscular and opens well-posterior to the common genital pore (see Bravo-Hollis, 1952, her ®gure 1).

Type-host and locality. Epinephelus labriformis (Serranidae) , Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, Paci®c Ocean Coast.

Published records. Bravo-Hollis (1952); Lamothe-Argumed o (1963).

Description. Bravo-Hollis (1952).

Published host records. Serranidae : Epinephelus labriformis (see Bravo-Hollis, 1952); E. analogus (see Lamothe-Argumedo, 1963).

Site . Gills.

Distribution. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico ( Bravo-Hollis, 1952); Zihuatanejo, Gro., Mexico ( Lamothe-Argumedo, 1963).

Remarks. Benedenia jaliscana is probably the most distinctive of all Benedenia species. It is easily distinguished from other Benedenia species by a combination of the following features: the shapes of the accessory sclerites and anterior hamuli; bipartite anterior attachment organs; the presence of three conspicuous conical papillae at the distal end of the penis; a bulbous muscular portion at the proximal end of the penis containing a prominent inātion of the duct of the accessory gland reservoir (a second accessory gland reservoir?); large glands of Goto; and a spacious, muscular vagina opening well-posterior to the common genital pore. It could be argued that B. jaliscana is su ciently diOEerent from all other Benedenia species to warrant separate generic status. If more species are described in the future with features akin to B. jaliscana , then the proposal of a new genus to accommodate them could possibly be justi®ed. On current evidence, however, and taking into account the present level of knowledge of the diversity of benedeniines, we consider it pertinent to retain B. jaliscana as a species in Benedenia .

Bravo-Hollis (1952) commented that the haptor of B. jaliscana is always folded in half when the material was preserved. It seems likely that this feature represents the method by which this species attaches to the gills of its hosts by folding the haptor transversely around gill surfaces similar to that described by Kearn (1971) for the trochopodine, Trochopus pini (van Beneden and Hesse, 1863) Massa, 1903 .