Diplostomes from the brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis (Pelecanidae), from the Galveston, Texas area, including two new species of Bursacetabulusgen. n.
No. Dronen et al., Diplostomes from the brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis (Pelecanidae), from the Galveston, Texas area, including two new species of Bursacetabulusgen. n., J HELMIN S, 66(1), 1999, pp. 21-24
Citations number
4
Categorie Soggetti
Animal Sciences
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE HELMINTHOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
During a study of digeneans of shorebirds from the Galveston, Texas, area o
f the Gulf of Mexico, brown pelicans, Pelecanus occidentalis, were found to
be infected with 2 species of a new genus of Diplostomidae, Bursacetabulus
pelecanus sp. n, and B. macrobursus sp. n. Bursacetabulus gen. n. can be d
istinguished from all other genera of Diplostominae by having an inconspicu
ous, pouchlike tribocytic organ that contains portions of the uterus and vi
tellaria, a suckerlike copulatory bursa, and ceca terminating some distance
anterior to the posterior end of the body. The new genus is most similar t
o Tylodelphys but has a much shorter hind body, the vitellaria do not exten
d past the testes in the hind body, and it lacks a prepharynx, genital cone
, and highly structured tribocytic organ. Bursacetabulus macrobursus sp. n.
can be distinguished from B. pelecanus sp, n. by having a larger body size
and a large bell-shaped skirt around the copulatory bursa. One of the brow
n pelicans also harbored Bolbophorus confusus, not previously reported from
this host.