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Proteocephalus filicollis (Rudolphi, 1802) and Proteocephalus ambiguus (Dujardin, 1845), Two Hitherto Confused Species of Cestodes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2009

J. J. Willemse
Affiliation:
Zoological Laboratory, University of Amsterdam*

Extract

Several kinds of data were collected from worms belonging to the genus Proteocephalus, living in the intestines of Pygosteus pungitius and Gasterosteus aculeatus.

a. Morphological data. When we compare the morphological characteristics of worms from the two hosts we find small differences in those characteristics commonly used in the descriptions of species of the genus Proteocephalus. Regularly differences of the same magnitude are used to separate species.

b. Experimental infections show that a high degree of host specificity exists in worms from the two hosts. It is impossible to cultivate worms originally coming from one host species in the intestine of the other. These experimental infections were carried out either by feeding intermediate hosts carrying plerocercoids to fishes free of infection, or by collecting worms from the intestine of one fish and introducing them into the intestine of another fish.

Experimental infections of alien hosts failed whereas infections of the proper host, carried out as controls, always were successful.

c. Mixed populations of Gasterosteus and Pygosteus living in a small closed canal system gave additional data indicating the existence of a high degree of host specificity. Throughout the year Gasterosteus showed no infection at all whereas Pygosteus was “normally” infested.

d. Monthly dissections of Pygosteus showed that in Proteocephalus living in this fish species no seasonal cycle exists similar to that found by Hopkins in Proteocephalus from Gasterosteus. The stages of development of Proteocephalus collected during the dissections of Gasterosteus correspond with Hopkins' seasonal cycle.

e. As a result of these observations it is proposed to consider the worms from Pygosteus as belonging to a distinct species. Since Dujardin was the first to describe worms belonging to the genus Proteocephalus and living in the intestine of Pygosteus as Proteocephalus ambiguus (Dujardin, 1845) this obviously ought to be the name of the species involved. The use of the name P. filicollis (Rudolphi, 1802) is restricted to material from Gasterosteus.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1968

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References

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