Abbreviata nyassae n.sp. (Physalopteridae, Spiruroidea) from Agama atricollis in Nyasaland

Abstract

The cuticle is finely striated and is partially reflected over the lips. The cervical papillae are symmetrically placed and occupy a position just anterior to the junction of the two parts of the oesophagus at about the same level as the nerve ring, some 0·32 mm. from the anterior end. The pseudolips are hemispherical and lateral. Each of the two pseudolips carries two papillae, one towards the latero-dorsal border and one towards the latero-ventral border. An amphid is situated centrally between the two papillae on each pseudolip. Internal to the pseudolips there is a complete denticular crest comprising externo-lateral teeth, interno-lateral teeth, paired submedian teeth and intervening denticles (Fig. 1). The externo-lateral teeth are large and pointed; the interno-lateral teeth, somewhat more posteriorly placed (Fig. 2), are smaller and also pointed. The four pairs of sub-median teeth are easily distinguished by their greater size from the denticles. The four spaces between the sub-median teeth and the externo-lateral teeth are each occupied by six to seven denticles. These denticles are larger in size than the very small denticles of which ten occupy the dorsal and ten occupy the ventral angles of the denticular crest.