Abstract
Abstract: A new species of the genus Temnocephala Blanchard, 1849 from southern Brazil was found on two species of anomuran crustaceans, Aegla spinipalma Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994 and Aegla grisella Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994, the latter classified as a vulnerable species by the "Lista de Referência da Fauna Ameaçada de Extinção no Rio Grande do Sul. Decreto no 41.672, de 11 junho de 2002". The crustaceans were collected from a tributary creek of the Forqueta river, Perau de Janeiro, Arvorezinha and a tributary creek of the Fão river, Pouso Novo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; both localities belong to the Sub-Basin of Forqueta River. The new species differs from seven other temnocephalans epibionts on Aegla Leach, 1820, by having the following characters: 1. a long and slightly curved cirrus, 2. two vaginal sphincters, one proximal, big and asymmetric, and one distal, smaller and symmetric, and; 3. longer than wide, elongated epidermal 'excretory' syncytial plates (EPs), with a almost horizontally central excretory pore, displaced to the anterior portion of the plate. The new species' EP is the largest in total length among epibionts temnocephalans in crustaceans already registered. Regarding the similarities with the male reproductive system of Temnocephala axenosMonticelli, 1898, the new species has important differences in the female reproductive system. It has a larger proximal vaginal sphincter, located in the middle of the vagina, while the smaller distal one is at the extreme end of the organ. Besides that, the vaginal portion between the proximal and distal sphincters is conspicuous, with a strong muscular wall. This is the first record of a species of Temnocephala in the Taquari Valley, as well in the 'Perau de Janeiro', which is an area with a rich endemic fauna.
Highlights
The first host taxon of temnocephalans was recorded on Crustacea Brünnich, 1772
The present study aims to describe a new species of Temnocephala ectosymbiont on Aegla spinipalma Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994 and Aegla grisella Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994 (Fig. 2a), which is classified as a vulnerable species by Rio Grande do Sul State Law (Marques et al 2002)
Based on 63 temnocephalans specimens collected from A. grisella and 34 specimens from A. spinipalma: 13 whole mounted adults from A. grisella, 12 whole mounted adults from A. spinipalma, 3 dissected cirri from A. grisella, and 2 dissected cirri from A. spinipalma measured
Summary
The first host taxon of temnocephalans was recorded on Crustacea Brünnich, 1772. This group has the largest number of epibiont species of the genus Temnocephala Blanchard, 1849. From the 21 ectosymbiont species on crustaceans, seven were recorded from the species of the genus Aegla Leach, 1820: Temnocephala chilensis (Moquin-Tandon, 1846), Temnocephala axenos Monticelli, 1898, Temnocephala mexicana Vayssière, 1898, Temnocephala talicei Dioni, 1967, Temnocephala cyanoglandula Amato, Amato & Daudt, 2003, Temnocephala mertoni Volonterio, 2007, and Temnocephala dionii Ponce de León, Berón Vera & Volonterio, 2015. Temnocephala chilensis was the first species of the genus to be described and was recorded consistently after that (Dioni 1967a, Damborenea 1992). Both publications were based on specimens collected from Procambarus digueti (Bouvier, 1897) and Pseudothelphusa jouyi Rathbun, 1893 (added by Lamothe-Argumedo in 1968) from Mexico
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have