4 NEW SPECIES OF OSWALDOCRUZIA (NEMATODA, TRICHOSTRONGYLINA, MOLINEOIDEA) PARASITIZING AMPHIBIANS AND LIZARDS FROM ECUADOR

Description of four new species of Oswaldocruzia parasitizing Iguanida e and Leptodactylidae from Ecuador, demonstrate that they are morpholo gically close to each other. Like most of the other neotropical and ho larctic Oswaldocruzia, they are characterized by spicules with three m ain branches: blade, shoe and fork; the division of the fork within th e distal third of the spicule length appears to be characteristic of t he neotropical species. Oswaldocruzia bainae n. sp. parasitizing Anoli s chrysolepis and Anolis fuscoauratus possesses a synlophe visible onl y on transversal sections of the body It is composed of rounded and no t pointed ridges. Oswaldocruzia tcheprakovae n. sp. parasitizing Eleut herodactylus altamazonicus is closely related to O. bainae, but the sy nlophe is present only in the anterior and posterior extremities of th e body. Oswaldocruzia cassonei n. sp. parasitizing Eleutherodactylus l anthanites is closely related to O. taranchoni, Ben Slimane and Durett e-Desset, 1995, a parasite of Bufo marinus from Brazil. It is differen tiated by the synlophe and the measurements. Oswaldocruzia petterae n. sp. parasitizing Leptodactylus pentadactylus is closely related to O. chambrieri, Ben Slimane and Durette-Desset, 1993, parasitizing Bufo a nd Eleutherodactylus in the same region. It is differentiated since, f or an equivalent length of the body, the ridges are almost two times f ewer and the spicules smaller.