ON THE SYSTEMATIC POSITION OF HYMENOLEPIS-BLARINAE RAUSCH AND KUNS, 1950 (CESTODA, HYMENOLEPIDIDAE), WITH A RE-DESCRIPTION OF THE HOLOTYPE

The systematic position of the cestode Hymenolepis blarinae Rausch & K uns, 1950, a parasite of shrews in North America, is reconsidered. The authors disagree with both Yamaguti (1959), who transferred H. blarin ae to the genus Rodentolepis, and Schmidt (1986), who considered Roden tolepis to be a synonym of Vampirolepis and transferred this species t o the latter genus. The morphological characters of H. blarinae, such as the shape and number of rostellar hooks, strobila size, the topogra phy of the reproductive organs and the well-defined ornamentation of t he cirrus, do not permit the allocation of this species to any known g enus of hymenolepidids. Therefore, a new taxon Blarinolepis n. g., is established, with B.blarinae (Rausch & Kuns, 1950) n. comb. as the typ e-species. A generic diagnosis is presented and morphology of holotype of B. blarinae is redescribed and figured.