Description of a New Species of Uvitellina Witenberg, 1923 (Cyclocoelidae: Haematotrephinae), from the White-Tailed Lapwing, Vanellus leucurus (Lichtenstein) (Charadriiformes: Charadriidae) from Iraq

Abstract

Forty-eight specimens of cyclocoelids (47 specimens representing Uvitellina iraquensis n. sp. [Haematotrephinae] and 1 specimen representing a second unidentified species of Cyclocoelum [Cyclocoelinae]) collected from the air sacs of 6 of 12 white-tailed lapwings, Vanellus leucurus (Charadriidae), collected from Huwazah marsh in northeastern Basrah Province of Iraq were described. Of the 11 species in the genus, only Uvitellina teesae, Uvitellina indica, and Uvitellina kaniharensis are like U. iraquensis n. sp. by having a rudimentary oral sucker. Uvitellina iraquensis n. sp. differs from these 3 species by having the oral sucker wider than the pharynx (1∶1.0–1∶1.3 compared to 1∶0.9, 1∶1.08–1∶0.9, 1∶0.9, respectively). The new species differs from U. teesae by having a longer oral sucker (210–310 compared to 160) and from U. indica by having longer eggs (193–219 compared to 136–153). The new species further differs from U. teesae and U. indica by having wider eggs (63–88 compared to 49, 50–59), respectively. and a shorter pharynx (310–350 long compared to 410 and 417). It further differs from U. kaniharensis by having a smaller body (7,750–10,450 compared to 13,440–16,128).