AN ELECTROPHORETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF LABIOSTRONGYLUS (LABIOMULTIPLEX) UNCINATUS (NEMATODA, CLOACINIDAE), WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES, LABIOSTRONGYLUS-CONTIGUUS, FROM MACROPUS-PARRYI (MARSUPIALIA, MACROPODIDAE)
Nb. Chilton et Lr. Smales, AN ELECTROPHORETIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF LABIOSTRONGYLUS (LABIOMULTIPLEX) UNCINATUS (NEMATODA, CLOACINIDAE), WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES, LABIOSTRONGYLUS-CONTIGUUS, FROM MACROPUS-PARRYI (MARSUPIALIA, MACROPODIDAE), Systematic parasitology, 35(1), 1996, pp. 49-57
An electrophoretic study was conducted on Labiostrongylus (Labiomultip
lex) uncinatus, nematodes that occur in the stomachs of two species of
Australian macropodid, Macropus dorsalis and M. parryi. The allelic p
rofiles of these nematodes were compared to those of a morphologically
distinct species, L. (Lm.) billardierii, which infests Thylogale bill
ardierii. Nematodes were genetically characterized at 17 enzymes encod
ing a presumptive 18 loci. The results revealed the existence of two s
pecies, one in M. dorsalis and the other in M. parryi, that had fixed
genetic differences at 72% of loci. This level of fixed difference bet
ween these species is equivalent to that when each is compared to L. b
illardierii (87-89%). The new species in M. parryi, Labiostrongylus co
ntiguus n. sp., is described herein. A morphological comparison with L
. uncinatus revealed slight but consistent differences in the morpholo
gy of their anterior end; namely, rectangular rather than conical shap
ed lateral lips, small inconspicuous, not larger hook-shaped cephalic
papillae, and convex rather than flat floor of the buccal capsule for
L. (Lm.) contiguus as compared with L. (Lm.) uncinatus. Differentiatio
n of L. contiguus from L. uncinatus is more clearly demonstrated by bi
ochemical characters than morphological. ones.