CERCARIAL CHAETOTAXY OF EUPARYPHIUM-ALBUFERENSIS ESTEBAN ET-AL., 1997(TREMATODA, ECHINOSTOMATIDAE), WITH A REVIEW OF SOME GENERA OF THE ECHINOSTOMATINAE

Euparyphium albuferensis Esteban et al., 1997 (Trematoda: Echinostomat idae) is a parasite of the mollusc Gyraulus chinensis (D.) (Gastropoda : Planorbidae) and the mammals Rattus spp in a nature park near Valenc ia, Spain. In the present work, the cercarial chaetotaxy is fully dete rmined for specimens emitted by naturally infected G. chinensis. Of pa rticular importance are the following sensillary arrangements: 5 CIV D L, 3 CIV CIV D at the dorso-cephalic level and 0 UV and 22-26 UD in th e tail. Evidence is presented to the effect that these sensillary clus ters are characteristic of the genus Euparyphium and allow an easy dia gnosis, unlike in the case of the adult worms where there are sometime s few or no differences between Echinoparyphium and Echinostoma. A tab le synthesises the main data on the cercarial sensilla of Euparyphium spp, and the closely related genera Echinoparyphium, Echinostoma, Hypo deraeum, Moliniella, Neoacanthoparyphium, Paryphostomum and Isthmiopho ra. This shows clear variations in their respective numbers, from 3-5 in CIV DL, 2-4 in CIV D, 0-15 in UV and 19 to 57 in UD, according to t he genus. These clusters appear adequate to identify, at the cercarial stage, the principal genera of the Echinostomatinae.