DOI: 10.2478/s11686-014-0291-6
© W. Stefański Institute of Parasitology, PAS
Acta Parasitologica, 2014, 59(4), 606–609; ISSN 1230-2821
New species of Gorgoderina (Digenea; Gorgoderidae)
and other helminths in Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis
(Anura: Dicroglossidae) from Dehradun, (Uttarakhand),
India
Charles R. Bursey1* Anjum N. Rizvi2 and Pallab Maity2
1
Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Shenango Campus, Sharon, Pennsylvania 16146, USA;
2
Zoological Survey of India, Northern Regional Centre, Dehradun-248 195, Uttarakhand, India
Abstract
Gorgoderina spinosa sp. nov. (Digenea, Gorgoderidae) from the bladder of the water skipper, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis (Anura,
Dicroglossidae), from Dehradun, India is described and illustrated. Gorgoderina spinosa is the 6th Indian species assigned
to the genus and is separated from its congeners based upon the morphology of vitelline glands and the presence of a spinose
integument. Two additional digenean species, Diplodiscus amphichrus and Ganeo tigrinus, and 3 nematode species, Cosmocerca
kalesari, Gendria chauhani, and unidentified larvae were found. Diplodiscus amphichrus, Ganeo tigrinus, Cosmocerca
kalesari, and Gendria chauhani have previously been reported to infect Indian individuals of Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis.
Keywords
Gorgoderina spinosa sp. nov. Digenea, Diplodiscus amphichrus, Ganeo tigrinus, Cosmocerca kalesari, Gendria chauhani,
Nematoda, India
Introduction
helminths collected from these hosts and to revise the parasite list of E. cyanophlyctis.
The water skipper, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis (Schneider,
1799), occurs from southeastern Iran, southern Afghanistan,
Pakistan (except the far north), Nepal (lower elevations),
southern Bhutan and eastern India through Bangladesh and
northeastern India to extreme western Myanmar, Sir Lanka,
Malaya and Minh Hai Province, Vietnam (Frost, 2014). During a helminthological examination of 17 specimens of
E. cyanophlyctis collected in Dehradun, India, 1 was found to
harbour 4 individuals of a previously undescribed species of
Gorgoderina Looss, 1902 as well as individuals of the digeneans, Diplodiscus amphichrus and Ganeo tigrinus, and the
nematodes, Cosmocerca kalesari and Gendria chauhani and
an unidentified larval form (Table I). Of the 55 species of Gorgoderina found worldwide (Mata-López et al., 2005), 5 are
known from Indian amphibian hosts, G. carli Baer, 1930,
G. ellipticum Dwivedi 1968, G. infundibulata Dwivedi 1968,
G. symmetriorchis Dwivedi 1968, and G. guptai Jahan, 1973.
The purpose of this paper is to describe the 6th species from
India assigned to Gorgoderina, to provide prevalence of other
Materials and Methods
Specimens of Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis were collected by
water net. Frogs were brought live to the laboratory and
pithed, the body cavity was opened by a longitudinal lateral incision and the gastrointestinal tract was removed. The oesophagus, lungs , stomach, small intestine and large intestine,
small intestine, and large intestine of each frog were examined separately for helminths. Both digeneans and nematodes
were found. Each digenean was removed, washed, slightly
coverslip pressed and fixed in AFA (alcohol-formalin-acetic
acid), stained with Semichon’s carmine, dehydrated and
mounted in Canada balsam. Each nematode was removed,
fixed in formalin, dehydrated in glycerin alcohol and examined in wax sealed slides. Subsequently, they were studied and
photomicrographed with a BX51 DIC/BF Olympus research
microscope with DP20 digital camera from which the illus-
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
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New species of Gorgoderina
Table I. Number of helminths found(N), prevalence as percentage, mean intensity (X ± 1SD) and range for helminths from Euphlyctis
cyanophlyctis collected in Village Budhna, Dehradun, India
Trematoda
Diplodiscus amphichrus
Ganeo tigrinus
Gorgoderina spinosa sp. nov.
Nematoda
Cosmocerca kalesari
Gendria chauhani
Unidentified larvae
Number
Prevalence
Mean intensity (range)
ZSI/NRC/ Reg. No.
5
31
4
4/17 (24%)
8/17 (47%)
1/17 (6%)
1.3 ± 0.5 (1-2)
3.9 ± 3.0 (1-10)
4
ZSI/NRC/IV.1033
ZSI/NRC/IV.1032
ZSI/NRC/IV.1030& 1031
2
12
14
1/17 (6%)
4/17 (24%)
6/17 (35%)
2
3.0 ± 1.4 (2-5)
2.3 ± 2.2 (1-6)
ZSI/NRC/IV.1035
ZSI/NRC/IV.1034
ZSI/NRC/IV.UC1
trations were made. Measurements are in micrometers unless
otherwise stated.
Results
Forty digeneans also representing 3 species and 28 nematodes also representing 3 species were collected (Table I).
Of the digeneans, 4 individuals represented an undescribed
species of Gorgoderina. A description of the new species
follows.
Taxonomic summary
Type host: Water skipper frog, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis
(Schneider, 1799); symbiotype, ZSI/NRC/F.C.1/25/x/13.
Type Locality: Village Budhna, Lakhwad Range, Dehradun,
Latitude: N = 30°29.317´E = 077°52.923´, elevation 612 m.
Site of infection: Intestine.
Type specimens: Holotype, ZSI/NRC/IV.1030; Paratype
ZSI/NRC/IV.1031 (Zoological Survey of India Northern
Regional Centre, Dehradun).
Description
Gorgoderina Looss, 1902
Gorgoderina spinosa sp. nov. (Fig. 1)
Description based on holotype and 3 paratypes. Body elongate oval, 1600–1950 in length, with narrow anterior, maximum width 710–860 near mid-body with tapering posterior
end. Integument spinous. Oral sucker almost circular, 310–
330 × 330–340 in diameter, sub-terminal in position. Acetabulum larger than oral sucker, also almost circular,
470–500 × 460–480, situated approximately one-third of
body length from anterior end. Pharynx absent, esophagus
(85–85 length), bifurcating midway between oral sucker and
acetabulum into 2 intestinal caeca. Caeca simple, long, terminating near posterior end. Testes 2, opposite, post-ovarian, post-acetabular, inter-caecal with lateral margin in
contact with adjacent caecum, margin irregularly lobed;
right testis 270–310 × 180–230; left testis 280–320 × 205–
210. Vesicula seminalis, 100–130 × 75–90, between intestinal bifurcation and ventral sucker transversely placed.
Genital pore medial, between caecal bifurcation and anterior margin of ventral sucker, medial in position. Ovary
200–210 × 130–180, sinistral at midbody, margin entire and
near the left testis; oviduct arising from antero-dorsal side of
ovary. Mehlis’ gland cells surrounding junction of oviduct,
uterus and common vitelline duct. Laurer’s canal meeting
oviduct in middle. Uterus extensive, filling available postacetabular space. Vitellaria as 2 pyriform bodies, margin
smooth, inter-caecal, directly posterior to ventral sucker.
Vitelline glands 30 × 16. Eggs small, numerous, oval, 28–30
× 18–20.
Fig. 1. Gorgoderina spinosa sp. nov., entire, ventral view
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Charles R. Bursey et al.
Table II: Key to the Indian species of Gorgoderina
1a. Vitelline glands entire .................................................................................................................................................................................2
b. Vitelline glands lobed ................................................................................................................................................G. guptai Jahan, 1973
(syn G. indica Gupta and Jahan, 1971)
2a. Integument spinous ........................................................................................................................................................G. spinosa sp. nov.
b. Integument aspinous ...................................................................................................................................................................................3
3a. Body spatulate ................................................................................................................................................ G. ellipticum Dwivedi, 1968
b. Body elongate ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
4a. Testes opposite ....................................................................................................................................... G. symmetriorchis Dwivedi, 1968
b. Testes oblique ............................................................................................................................................................................................5
5a. Testes irregularly lobed, unequal in size ................................................................................................. G. infundibulata Dwivedi, 1968
b. Testes unlobed, equal in size ....................................................................................................................................... G. carli Baer, 1930
Etymology: The new species is named after the distinctive
spinose tegument.
Remarks
Five species of Gorgoderina have been described from
amphibians of India. Baer (1930) described G. carli from the
caecilians Uraeotyphlus oxyurus and Ichthyophis orthoplicatus. Dwivedi (1968) described two species, G. symmetriorchis
from Rana limnocharis (currently Fejerarya limnocharis) and
G. infundibulata from Bufo melanostictus (currently Duttaphrynus melanostictus). Jahan (1973) described G. guptai
from Bufo sp., probably a renaming of G. indica Gupta and
Jahan, 1971, a species from the same host and locality but
described only in an abstract (Gupta and Jahan, 1971). Gorgoderina spinosa sp. nov. is most similar to G. ellipticum in
that both species have similar body shapes, narrow anterior
and tapering posterior end, maximum width in their immediate post-equatorial region; the other 4 species have elongate
body shapes. Gorgoderina spinosa sp. nov. differs from G. ellipticum in smaller body length (1.60–1.95 vs. 4.69–5.72,
position of ovary (above left testis vs. above right testis) and
integument (spinous vs. aspinous). A key to the Indian species
of Gorgoderina isprovided in Table II.
Fig. 2. Unidentified nematode larvae. A – entire. B – anterior end, teeth. C – tail
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New species of Gorgoderina
Discussion
References
Tubangui (1933) described Diplodiscus amphichrus from
Philippine frogs (Rana spp,); 2 subspecies, D. a. brevis Nama
and Khichi, 1973 and D. a. mangus Srivastava, 1934, have
been described from Rana cyanophlyctis collected in India and
D. sinicus Li, 1937 described from Fejervarya limnocharis
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(Fig. 2b). The tail is 175 to 315 in length and terminates in
a short flexible filament (Fig. 2c). The shape of the esophagus, presence of pharyngeal teeth and the location of larvae in
the lungs suggest to us a member of the Strongyloididae Chitwood and Mcintosh, 1934. However, additional hosts will
need to be examined before the identity of these larvae can be
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Acknowledgements. Our thanks to the Director, Dr. K. Venkataraman, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata, for facilities and encouragements.
Received: April 18, 2014
Revised: May 5, 2014
Accepted for publication: June 27, 2014
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