Ophiotaenia lapata sp n. (Eucestoda: Proteocephalidea) from Madagascar: a parasite of the endemic snake Madagascarophis colubrinus (Colubridae)

Abstract

Ophiotaenia lapata sp. n. (Cestoda: Proteocephalidea) from Madagascar: a parasite of the endemic snake Madagascarophis colu - brinus (Colubridae). - a new proteocephal idean cestode, Ophiotaenia lapata sp. n., is described from the gut of the endemic col ubrid snake Madagascarophis colubrinus (schl egel , 1837) (Col ubridae) from madagascar. The new species differs from al l but one Ophiotaenia species parasitic in african snakes by the presence of an apical organ. Ophiotaenia lapata differs from O. adiposa Rudin, 1917, which al so possesses an apical organ, by the number of testes (89-170 in the new species versus 170-220 in O. adiposa ), by the position of the genital pore in rel ation to the anterior margin (43-53% of progl ottis l ength in O. lapata versus 20-25%) and the scol ex width (240-280 µ m in the former species versus 500-600 µ m in the l atter). The new species possesses, unl ike al l but one Ophiotaenia species parasitic in african snakes, a three-l ay ered embry ophore. The other african species have two-l ay ered embry ophore ex cept for Ophiotaenia georgievi de Chambrier, ammann & schol z , 2010, which can be distinguished by the absence of an apical organ, by the number of uterine branches on each side (23-28 in O. georgievi versus 41-68 in O. lapata ) and by the total l ength of the strobil a (50 mm in O. georgievi and 295 mm in O. lapata ). Ophiotaenia lapata is the third proteocephal idean cestode reported from madagascar.