Urogonimus turdi (Digenea: Leucochloridiidae) from the White's Thrush, Zoothera aurea, in the Republic of Korea

• Published in: Korean journal of parasitology 2019, Vol.57 (5), p.461-467
• Main Authors: Kim, Hyeon Cheol, Hong, Eui Ju, Ryu, Si Yun, Park, Jinho, Yu, Do Hyeon, Chae, Joon Seok, Choi, Kyoung Seong, Sim, Cheolho, Park, Bae Keun
• Format: Article
• Language: Korean
• ISSN: 0023-4001; 1738-0006

Avian trematodes, Urogonimus turdi (Digenea: Leucochloridiidae), were collected from the intestine of wild birds, Zoothera aurea, 2013-2017 in the Daejeon Metropolitan City, Korea. The body was ellipsoidal, attenuated and/or round ends, 1,987-2,120 long and $819-831{\mu}m$ wide. The oral sucker was subterminal, rounded anteriorly, and $308-425{\times}351-432{\mu}m$ in size; the prepharynx and esophagus were almost lacking; pharynx was well-developed, $142-179{\times}78-170{\mu}m$ in size; intestine narrow, bifurcating just after pharynx, ascending to the oral sucker before looping posteriorly and terminating near the posterior end; ventral sucker larger, in almost median, $536-673{\times}447-605{\mu}m$ and approximately 1.5 times larger than oral sucker. A phylogenetic tree constructed with 18S ribosomal RNA showed inter- and intraspecific relationships. Based on these morphological and molecular findings, we report here a U. turdi from White's thrushes in Korea.