Abstract
Two cultured populations of Acrobeloides saeedi are described from India. Morphologically and morphometrically this material agrees with other species of the Maximus-group (A. bodenheimeri, A. longiuterus, and A. maximus), especially with A. longiuterus. However, molecular studies based on 18 S, 28 S and ITS rDNA confirmed the Indian material is well differentiated from all of these species. According to this, A. saeedi is considered a valid taxon distinguished mainly from A. bodenheimeri by having dextral female reproductive system (vs sinistral), from A. longiuterus by having larger females (1.03-1.57 vs 0.57-0.88 mm) and from A. maximus by having seta-like labial processes (vs absent) and males as frequent as females (vs males very infrequent). Molecular and phylogenetic studies revealed the present specimens to be conspecific to undescribed Acrobeloides sp. population from Iran, and hence, both regarded to be conspecific to each other. In addition, other similar species are revised: Acrobeloides ishraqi is considered new junior synonym of A. saeedi, Acrobeloides mushtaqi is considered new junior synonym of A. bodenheimeri, while Acrobeloides gossypia is also considered junior synonym of A. saeedi.
Highlights
18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, Acrobeloides bodenheimeri, Acrobeloides gossypii n. syn., Acrobeloides ishraqi n. syn., Acrobeloides longiuterus, Acrobeloides maximus, Acrobeloides mushtaqi n. syn., description, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA, taxonomy
Acrobeloides saeedi was described by Siddiqi et al (1992) to erect the material previously described as Cephalobus litoralis (Akhtar, 1962; Andrássy, 1984) from Pakistan by Saeed et al (1988)
Oral opening is triangular leading into a narrow cephaloboid stoma bearing well-developed refringent rhabdia, cheilostom is short with bar-shaped cheilorhabdia, gymnostom is very short and stegostom is elongated with robust rhabdia
Summary
18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, Acrobeloides bodenheimeri, Acrobeloides gossypii n. syn., Acrobeloides ishraqi n. syn., Acrobeloides longiuterus, Acrobeloides maximus, Acrobeloides mushtaqi n. syn., description, ITS rDNA, taxonomy.
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