Monticellia santafesina n. sp. (Cestoda: Proteocephalidea), a parasite of Megalonema platanum (Günther) (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) in the Paraná River basin, Argentina

• Published in: Systematic parasitology 2010-06, Vol.76 (2), p.103-110
• Main Authors: Arredondo, Nathalia J, Gil de Pertierra, Alicia A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animal Anatomy; Animal Ecology; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Animals; Argentina - epidemiology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Catfishes - parasitology; Cestoda - anatomy & histology; Cestoda - classification; Cestoda - physiology; Cestode Infections - epidemiology; Cestode Infections - parasitology; Cestode Infections - veterinary; Fish Diseases - epidemiology; Fish Diseases - parasitology; Histology; Life Sciences; Morphology; Prevalence; Rivers; Species Specificity; Zoology
• ISSN: 0165-5752; 1573-5192
• DOI: 10.1007/s11230-010-9238-y

The proteocephalidean tapeworm Monticellia santafesina n. sp. is described from the siluriform catfish Megalonema platanum (Günther) (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) in the Paraná River basin, Argentina. The new species is allocated to Monticellia La Rue, 1911 (Proteocephalidae: Monticelliinae) because of the cortical position of the testes, ovary, vitelline follicles and uterus, a globular scolex without a metascolex and uniloculate suckers. The new species differs from all other species of Monticellia (except for M. lenha Woodland, 1933) in possessing a vaginal canal opening anterior or posterior to the cirrus-sac. M. santafesina can be distinguished from M. lenha by the following characteristics: a larger body size; a weakly developed internal longitudinal musculature arranged in 15-35 slim bundles of muscle fibres; vitelline follicles not interrupted at the level of the cirrus-sac and vaginal canal, and with a few paramuscular and/or medullary follicles; the absence of large spinitriches on the anterior margin of the suckers; and the utilisation of Megalonema platanum (in the Paraná River basin) as its host, rather than Sorubimichthys planiceps (Spix & Agassiz) (in the River Amazon). Monticellia santafesina exhibits low values of prevalence (9%) and intensity of infection (1). Megalonema platanum was parasitised by two proteocephalidean cestodes, Rudolphiella cf. lobosa (Riggenbach, 1895) and the new species described in this paper.