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A new species of Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) (Nematoda: Anisakidae) in

Hypostomus cordovae (Pisces: Loricariidae) from Argentina

Article  in  Zootaxa · March 2009

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2045.1.5

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 Zootaxa 2045: 60–64 (2009) ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)
www.mapress.com / zootaxa/ Article ZOOTAXA
Copyright © 2009 · Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)

A new species of Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) (Nematoda: Anisakidae) in

Hypostomus cordovae (Pisces: Loricariidae) from Argentina

GERALDINE RAMALLO
Instituto de Invertebrados, Fundación Miguel Lillo. Miguel Lillo 251. (4000) San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
E-mail: gramallosl@yahoo.com.ar

Abstract

A new species of Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) (Anisakidae) from the intestine of Hypostomus cordovae is described. It
represents the fourth South American species, and the first species reported from Argentina. It is separated from its
congeners by possessing three pairs of postanal papillae, and by the shape and size of the lips.

Key words: Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris), Nematoda, Parasites, freshwater fishes, Argentina

Introduction

Members of the Loricariidae are mainly distributed in freshwaters of South America and some areas of
Central America, even though some species exhibit some tolerance to the brackish biotope. About 70 genera
and 600 nominal species have been recorded. Species are currently found in lotic habitats (rivers and streams)
with sandy and/or rocky substrata, or in lentic habitats of muddy substrata, building and inhabiting caves or
galleries on the costs (López & Miquelarena, 1991).
In Argentina, 4 genera of the Loricariidae, Rhinelepis von Spix, Cochliodon Heckel , Hypostomus
Lacepede and Pterygoplichthys Gill, have been recorded. In addition, 12 nominal species of the genus
Hypostomus have been recorded, and, among them, H. cordovae is endemic in Argentina (López &
Miquelarena, 1991).
Members of the Anisakidae are parasites of vertebrates. Nematodes of this family that occur in
Neotropical freshwater fishes as adults belong to five genera: Goezia Zeder, Hysterothylacium Ward &
Magath, Terranova Leiper & Atkinson, Raphidascaroides Yamaguti and Raphidascaris Railliet & Henry.
Goezia, Hysterothylacium and Raphidascaris are almost cosmopolitan in their distribution, although some
species of Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) have been recorded in several localities along South America
(Moravec, 1998).
Three species of Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) Petter & Cassone (1984) occur in Neotropical freshwater
fishes: Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) hypostomi (Petter & Cassone, 1984) from Paraguay and Brazil,
Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) manherti (Petter & Cassone, 1984) from Paraguay, Brazil and Venezuela, and
Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) pimelodi (Petter & Cassone, 1984) from Paraguay (Petter & Cassone, 1984;
Moravec et al.1990; Royero et al. 1997; Moravec, 1998).
The aim of this paper was to describe the fourth species of Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) in a species of
Hypostomus from South America, and the first species of this subgenus recorded from Argentina.

60 Accepted by G.P.-P. de León: 21 Feb. 2009; published: 18 Mar. 2009

Materials and methods

In October 2006, four specimens of Hypostomus cordovae (sex not specified; Lst = 6-20 cm) from Río
Marapa, (27º 37' 22” S; 65º 41' 40” W), Tucumán, Argentina were collected and examined for helminths.
Fishes were fixed in 10% formalin before preservation in 70% ethanol. Body cavity was opened by a mid-
ventral incision and the digestive tract was removed. Nematodes were cleared in lactophenol and examined
under light microscope. Drawings were made with the aid of a drawing tube attached to a LEICA microscope.
Quantitative descriptors of parasite populations were estimated based on definitions by Bush et al. (1997).
Measurements are given in millimeters unless otherwise stated. For SEM (scanning electronic microscopy)
specimens were dehydrated throughout an ethanol series, acetone and ether, coated with gold and examined in
a Jeol JSM-35CF SEM.
Type specimens were deposited in the Colección Helmintológica Fundación Miguel Lillo (CH-FML),
Miguel Lillo 251, (4000) San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. The fishes were deposited in the Colección
Ictiológica Fundación Miguel Lillo (CI-FML).

Taxonomy

Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) marano sp. nov.

(Figures 1–15)

Taxonomy summary
Type specimen: Holotype: male CH-FML # 07462-A; allotype: female CH-FML # 07462-B, and
paratypes (2 males, and 2 females) CH-FML # 07463.
Type host: Hypostomus cordovae Günther, 1880 (Pisces, Loricariidae), CI-FML # 10259, collected in
2006.
Type locality: Río Marapa (27º 37' 22” S; 65º 41' 40” W), Juan Bautista Alberdi Deparment, Province of
Tucumán, Argentina.
Prevalence: 100% (4/4). Hypostomus cordovae harbored 21 specimens of Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris)
marano sp. nov.
Site of infection: Intestine.
Mean intensity: 5.2 nematodes per infected fish.
Etymology: The specific name is given in honor to Claudia Marano, collegue, friend, and bird ecologist.
Description. General: Medium or large sized nematodes. Cuticle bearing transverse striations from the
lips in the anterior end to the tail. Lips well developed, simply structured, symmetrical and equal.
Membranous elevations or finger-shaped lateral cuticular outgrowths absent; true interlabia absent. Excretory
pore slightly posterior to ring nerve level (Figs.1, 15). Lateral alae present in both sexes, beginning in
ventrolateral region of lips and reaching almost to tail tip (Fig. 4). Oesophagus muscular, club shaped,
provided with small ventriculus; posterior directed ventricular appendix present. Intestinal caecum absent
(Fig. 1). Spicules simple, equal, rough -sclerotized, with rounded distal tips. Caudal alae lack. Vulva
preequatorial. Larvated eggs. Mouth triangular, surrounded by one dorsal and two ventrolateral lips. Dorsal
lip bears 2 subdorsal double subventral papillae; each ventrolateral lip with 1 double subventral papilla, 1
small single papilla, and amphid situated laterally (Fig. 2, 3, 12, 13). Males and females lack phasmids. Tail of
both sex slender and sharply pointed.
Adult male (n=8) measurements of holotype in parentheses. Body 4.50–10.1 (6.90) long, 0.44–0.94
(0.54) wide. Lips 0.11–0.14 (0.15) long. Esophagus 0.50–1.00 (0.71) long, 0.20–0.40 (0.23) wide. Ventriculus
0.11–0.12 (0.10) long, 0.10–0.19 (0.16) wide. Ventricular appendix 0.22–0.34 (0.29) long, 0.10–0.16 (0.12)
wide. Nerve ring 0.22–0.37 (0.33), excretory pore 0.35–0.44 (0.43). Spicules 0.25–0.30 (0.27) long (Fig. 5).

A NEW SPECIES OF NEMATODE FROM ARGENTINA Zootaxa 2045 © 2009 Magnolia Press · 61
FIGURE 1–11. Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) marano sp. nov. (1) Female, anterior end, lateral view. (2) Female, apical
view. (3) Female, cephalic end, lateral view. (4) Female, cephalic end, ventral view. (5) Spicules. (6) Male, posterior end,
lateral view. (7) Male, posterior end, ventral view. (8) Female, vulva, lateral view. (9) Egg. (10) Female, posterior end,
lateral view. (11) Female, posterior end, ventral view .

62 · Zootaxa 2045 © 2009 Magnolia Press RAMALLO

FIGURE 12–15. Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) marano sp. nov. (12) Female, cephalic end, ventral view. Scale = 40
µ.(13) Female, apical view. Subdorsal double papillae (white arrows); amphids (discontinuous white arrows); single
papillae (black arrows). Scale = 33.3 µ. (14) Female, vulva. Scale = 64 µ. (15) Male, excretory pore. Scale = 5 µ.

Gubernaculum absent. Lateral alae 0.023–0.080 (0.030) wide. Twenty six caudal papillae pairs (22 preanal; 1
adanal and 3 postanal pairs) (Figs. 6, 7). Phasmids absent. Conical tail 0.17–0.23 (0.24) long.
Adult female (n=6 gravid specimens). Body 13.2–14.8 (10.4) long, 0.74–1.34 (0.80) wide. Lips
0.17–0.20 (0.18) long. Esophagus 0.94–1.27 (0.90) long, 0.31–0.43 (0.32) wide. Ventriculus 0.11–0.15 (0.10)
long, 0.15–0.27 (0.19) wide. Ventricular appendix 0.24–0.28 (0.21) long, 0.10–0.17 (0.12) wide. Nerve ring
0.22–0.37 (0.33); excretory pore 0.35–0.44 (0.43) from anterior extremity. Vulva preequatorial 1.70–2.54
(1.74) from anterior end (Fig. 8). Vulvar lips prominent (Fig. 14). Eggs thin-shelled, 0.05–0.07 (0.06) long,
0.04–0.05 (0.03) wide (Fig. 9); those nearest vulva containing larvae. Phasmids absent.Tail 0.53–0.58 (0.43)
long (Figs. 10, 11).

A NEW SPECIES OF NEMATODE FROM ARGENTINA Zootaxa 2045 © 2009 Magnolia Press · 63
 Discussion

Of the four species of R. (Sprentascaris) reported from South America, only R. (S.) marano sp. nov. possess
three pairs of postanal papillae, and longer, symmetrical, equal, simple (without processes or protrusions) lips.
Raphidascaris (S.) marano sp. nov. most closely resembles to R. (S.) manherti, because both possess
lateral alae. These species differ by cuticle morphology (transversely striated vs. almost smooth), phasmids
(absent vs. present ), postanal papillae number (three pairs vs. six-seven pairs); spicule tip shape (rounded vs.
pointed), caudal alae (absent vs. present), adanal papillae (one pair vs. absent), and preanal papillae number
(22 pairs vs. 8–14 pairs).
Males of R. (S.) marano sp. nov. lack caudal alae. In fact the described structure corresponds to the lateral
alae extension that begins in the base of the ventrolateral lips and extends almost to tail tip. Not partition of the
structure is observed; this morphological character is exclusive for R. (S.) manherti and supports the presence
of its caudal alae.
Members of the subgenus Sprentascaris (genus Raphidascaris) are restricted to South America. The new
species herein described is endemic to Argentina following the endemic character of its host H. cordovae
which is only found in Argentinean freshwaters. However, the endemic character of R. (S.) marano sp. n.
should be confirmed in further investigations.
In this paper we describe the fourth species of Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) from South America, and
the first species of the subgenus from Argentina.

Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to the Fundación Miguel Lillo for providing financial support for fish collections, particularly
to Lic. Fabiana Cancino, ichthyologist, for providing the specimens of Hypostomus cordovae; We also thank
Gustavo Sánchez for his technical support in figures digitalization, and to the staff of the Laboratory of
Electron Microscopy for their assistance, especially to Alberto Andrada Barone.

References

Bush, A.O., Lafferty K.D., Lotz J.M. & Shostak, A.W. (1997) Parasitology meets ecology on its own terms: Margolis et
al. revisited. Journal of Parasitology, 83, 575–583.
López, H. L. & Miquelarena A.M. (1991) Los Hypostominae (Pisces: Loricariidae) de Argentina. Fauna de agua dulce
de la República Argentina, 40, 64 pp.
Petter, A.J. & Cassone, J. (1984) Nématodes de Poissons du Paraguay; I.Ascaridoidea: Sprentascaris, n.gen. Revue
Suisse of Zoologie, 91, 617–634.
Moravec, F., Kohn, A. & Fernandes, B.M.M. (1990) First record of Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) hypostomi (Petter &
Cassone, 1984) comb. n. and R. (S.) manherti (Petter & Cassone, 1984) comb. n. (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from
Brazil with remarks on the taxonomic status of this genus Sprentascaris Petter et Cassone, 1984. Folia
Parasitologica, 37, 131–140.
Moravec, F. (1998) Nematodes of freshwater fishes of the Neotropical Region. Academia, Praha, 464 pp.
Royero R., Prouza A. & Moravec, F. (1997) Some nematodes of freshwater fishes in Venezuela. Folia Parasitologica,
44, 33–47.

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