Redescription of Testudotaenia testudo (Magath, 1924) (Eucestoda: Proteocephalidea), a parasite of Apalone spinifera (Le Sueur) (Reptilia: Trionychidae) and Amia calva L. (Pisces: Amiidae) in North America and erection of the Testudotaeniinae n. subfam.

Abstract

Testudotaenia testudo (Magath, 1924) is redescribed from the intestine of the softshell turtle Apalone spinifera (Le Sueur) (Trionychidae) and the bowfin Amia calva Linnaeus (Amiidae) from Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee, United States. A new subfamily, the Testudotaeniinae, is erected. The new taxon differs from all proteocephalidean subfamilies in the position of the genital organs in relation to the longitudinal internal musculature, i.e. the testes are cortical, rarely medullary; the ovary is partly medullary, with cortical lobes; the vitelline follicles are mainly medullary, with some follicles in the cortex; and the uterus is cortical. A key to the subfamilies of the order Proteocephalidea Mola, 1928 is provided. The most characteristic features of T. testudo are the precocious uterine aperture, the presence of internal uterine pores (as previously described for Proteocephalus paraguayensis (Rudin, 1917)), the eggs laid unripe, the very long strobila (up to 970 mm), and the presence of an anterior circular musculature in the suckers, which is considered as a good differential character. Three other species were found in Amia calva: Proteocephalus perplexus La Rue, 1911, P. ambloplitis (Leidy, 1887) and a new, undescribed form. Sequences of the partial nuclear 28S rRNA gene of specimens of T. testudo from Apalone spinulifera and Amia calva confirm the conspecificity of samples from these two very distinct hosts, which may represent a capture phenomenon. As the subfamily Adenobrechmoinae Bursey, Goldberg & Kraus, 2006 and the genus Adenobrechmos Bursey, Goldberg & Kraus, 2006 are based on the presence of an apical organ, a character which reflects a rather common convergence, we consider the Adenobrechmoinae to be a junior synonym of the Proteocephalinae La Rue, 1911 and Adenobrechmos a junior synonym of Ophiotaenia La Rue, 1911. Adenobrechmos greeri Bursey, Goldberg & Kraus, 2006 thus becomes Ophiotaenia greeri (Bursey, Goldberg & Kraus, 2006) n. comb.