Studies on Monogenetic Trematodes. XLII. New Species of Gyrodactylus from Amphibia

Abstract

Two new species of Gyrodactylus from amphibian larvae in California are described: G. aurorae from Rana a. aurora, Del Norte County, and G. ambystomae from Ambystoma macrodactylum, Lassen County. Mizelle, Kritsky, and Bury (1968) reviewed the general occurrence of Monogenea on the classes of vertebrates and described the first species of Gyrodactylus from Amphibia. This species was recovered from the external surface of larvae of the Pacific giant salamander, Dicamptodon ensatus (Eschscholtz), from Marin County, California. Earlier, Stunkard and Dunihue (1933) reported but did not describe a species of this genus from the skin of tadpoles of Rana catesbeiana Shaw, in New York. In the present work two additional species of Gyrodactylus from Amphibia have been collected and are described below. MATERIALS AND METHODS Parasites were collected by the method of Putz and Hoffman (1963). Specimens were selected with a capillary pipette, stained in a mixture of equal parts of Gomori's trichrome stain and Ehrlich's acid hematoxylin, and mounted in Gray and Wess medium. All measurements are in microns. Gyrodactylus aurorae sp. n.