OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME 44, NUMBER 1, JANUARY 1977
reported that it was not possible to ascertain
the number of glands in the middle row of his
specimens. Clearly, these two species need to
be re-examined.
Literature Cited
Bates, B. H., Jr. and Meade, T. G. 1972. Helminth parasites of the king rail, Rallits elegans And., and clapper rail, Rallus longirostris Boddaert, of the Bolivar Peninsula,
Texas. Proc. Helm. Soc. Wash. 39: 146-147.
Deblock, S. and Heard, R. W., III. 1969. Contribution a 1'etude des Microphallidae Travassos, 1920 (Trematoda). XIX—Description de
Maritrema prosthometra n. sp. et de Longiductotrema nov. gen. parasites d'Oiseaux
d'Amerique du Nord. Ann. Parasit. Hum.
Comp. 44: 415-424.
Harwood, P. D. 1939. Notes on Tennessee
helminths. IV. North American trematodes
65
of the subfamily Notocotylinae. J. Tenn. Acad.
Sci. 14: 421-437.
Heard, R. W., III. 1968. Parasites of the clapper rail, Rallus longirostris Boddaert. I. The
current status of the genus Levensenilla with
description of Levenseniella byrdie n. sp.
(Trematoda: Microphallidae). Proc. Helm.
Soc. Wash. 35: 62-67.
. 1970. Parasites of the clapper rail,
Rallus longirostris Boddaert. II. Some trematodes and cestodes from Spartina marshes of
the eastern United States. Proc. Helm. Soc.
Wash. 37: 147-153.
Lumdsen, R. D., and Zischke, J. A. 1963.
Studies on the trematodes of Louisiana birds.
Zeitschr. Parasitenk. 22: 316-366.
Nickol, B. B., and Heard, R. W., III. 1970.
Arythmorhynchus frassoni from the clapper
rail, Rallus longirostris, in North America. J.
Parasit. 56: 204-206.
Allocorrigia filiformis gen. et sp. n. (Trematoda: Dicrocoeliidae)
from the Crayfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852)
HUGH M. TURNER AND KENNETH C. CORKUM
Department of Zoology and Physiology, Louisiana State University,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803
ABSTRACT: Allocorrigia filiformis gen. et sp. n. is described from infections in the antennal glands
of 57 of 88 crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, collected in the vicinity of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Unlike most dicrocoeliids, this species attains sexual maturity in an invertebrate host. Allocorrigia resembles Corrigia Strom, 1940, but differs in the relative size of its suckers, extent of
the ceca and uterus, the absence of a seminal receptacle and character of the vitellaria.
Dicrocoeliid trematode infections have been
noted in the swamp crayfish, Procambarus
clarkii (Girard, 1852) collected in the vicinity
of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Of the 88 specimens of P. clarkii examined, 57 had one to
three live worms threaded through the interstices of their antennal or green glands. In 34
of the 57 crustaceans infected, both glands
were involved. The worms ranged in development from mature to fully gravid. Other
species of crayfishes examined from the same
or similar habitats have not been found to be
infected with this species of worm. Worms
were dissected out of the antennal gland and
studied live or fixed under coverslip pressure
in AFA and examined as whole mounts. Infected, whole antennal glands were removed
and studied in section. The following description is based on 20 worms. The drawing was
made with the aid of a microprojector and all
measurements are given in microns unless indicated otherwise.
Allocorrigia gen. n.
DESCRIPTION: Body filiform, spinous. Acetabulum very near anterior end, postbifurcal,
smaller than oral sucker. Prepharynx short.
Esophagus short or absent. Ceca to near posterior end. Genital pore at level of or slightly
anterior to cecal bifurcation. Common genital
Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington
66
.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE HELMINTHOLOGIGAL SOCIETY
Figure 1. Allocorrigia filiformis gen. ct sp. n. from Procambnrus clarkii. Adult worm.
Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington
OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME 44, NUMBER 1, JANUARY 1977
atrium present. Cirrus pouch preacetabular,
seminal vesicle internal. Testes separate, tandem in anterior fourth of body. Ovary posttesticular in anterior of mid-third of body.
Seminal receptacle absent. Laurer's canal
present. Uterus with single posterior and anterior loop. Vitellaria postovarian with lobed
follicles confined to mid-third of body. Excretory bladder tubular, reaching level of vitelline field.
67
TYPE SPECIMENS: USNM Helm. Coll.: Holotype: No. 74053.
PARATYPES: No. 74054.
Discussion
On morphological grounds, Allocorrigia filiformis most nearly resembles members of the
genus Corrigia Strom, 1940. It differs, however, in the following characters: anterior
sucker larger than acetabulum; ceca not extending to posterior extremity; seminal receptacle
Allocorrigia filiformis sp. n.
absent; vitellaria large, lobose follicles; uterus
not exceeding posterior level of ceca. There is
(Fig. 1)
DESCRIPTION: Body filiform, 6.29-11.6 mm a general similarity between Allocorrigia and
long by 0.09-0.28 mm wide. Tegument with Skrjabinosomum Evranova, 1944, but a disminute spines extending only to level of phar- parity exists in relative size of the acetabulum.
ynx. Anterior sucker terminal, 52-100 by 56- Further comparison will be difficult until more
112. Mouth slightly subterminal. Acetabulum descriptive information becomes available rein anterior sixteenth of body, postbifurcal, lative to the latter genus.
Allocorrigia filiformis is one of the few dicroweakly formed, 44-78 by 42—70. Prepharynx
coeliids known to attain maturity and reproducshort, 54 by 50. Pharynx muscular, 48 by 68. tivity
in an invertebrate host. A similar kind
Esophagus short or absent. Ceca unequal in
length, exceeding vitelline field and extent of of infection was described from Malaysia by
uterus but not reaching posterior end of body. Macy and Basch (1972) in which a dragonfly
as host. Like the species in Malaysia,
Genital pore median at level of or slightly served
A. filiformis is not encysted within the arthroanterior to cecal bifurcation. Common atrium pod. Unlike the Asian form, it would not seem
present. Cirrus pouch preacetabular, elongate, necessary
for the crayfish to be eaten by a
291 by 43. Seminal vesicle elongate, cirrus not predator before the eggs could be liberated.
spirted. Testes elongate, tandem in anterior Eggs containing active miracidia were frefourth of body, not separated by uterine coils. quently observed in the gravid worms, and in
Anterior testis, 256 by 111. Posterior testis, sectioned antennal glands a few eggs were
307 by 114. Vasa efferentia unite midway
before entering cirrus pouch. Ovary posttes- observed in the excretory tubules. It could be
assumed that eggs readily pass from the crayticular, in anterior of mid-third of body, 233 by fish
by way of the excretory pore of the anten150. Seminal receptacle absent, basal portion
nal gland. The possible role of a vertebrate
of uterus congested with sperm. Laurer's canal cannot
be completely ruled out, however, for
present, directed anteriorly and extending to
what
we
know of other dicrocoeliid life cycles
mid level of ovary. Uterus with single loop
indicates
a
strong linkage between an arthropod
extending to near posterior end of body before
and
vertebrate
host. In any event, it is probproceeding anteriorly as a single loop. Eggs
able
that
an
aquatic
snail host is involved in
25-30 by 12-14. Vitellaria postovarian with
the
cycle
and,
as
pointed
out by Macy and
large lobose follicles confined to mid-third of
Basch
(1972),
even
though
most dicrocoeliids
body. Mehlis' gland poorly defined. Excretory have a terrestrial cycle, closely
related plagiorbladder tubular, extending to level of vitelline
chiids
use
an
aquatic
mollusc.
field before receiving primary trunks.
TYPE HOST: Procambarus clarkii (Girard,
Literature Cited
1852).
Macy, R. W., and P. F. Basch. 1972. OrthetroHABITAT: Antennal gland.
trema monostomum gen. et sp. n., a progenetic
TYPE LOCALITY: Sorrento, Ascension Parish,
trematode (Dicroceliidae) from dragonflies
in Malaysia. J. Parasit. 58: 515-518.
Louisiana.
Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington