Ap. Shinn et al., ARGENTOPHILIC STRUCTURES AS A DIAGNOSTIC CRITERION FOR THE DISCRIMINATION OF SPECIES OF THE GENUS GYRODACTYLUS VON NORDMANN (MONOGENEA), Systematic parasitology, 37(1), 1997, pp. 47-57
The mapping of argentophilic surface sensory structures (chaetotaxy) i
s a technique which has contributed to the taxonomy of larval digenean
s. Four species of Gyrodactylus from four different hosts (Salmo salar
, Gasterosteus aculeatus, Poecilia reticulata and Carassius auratus) w
ere investigated using this technique in order to ascertain its useful
ness in distinguishing species of this monogenean genus. A formula for
the arrangement of the natural aggregations of sensilla similar to th
ose prepared for cercariae is proposed. Although the greatest concentr
ation of sensilla occur adjacent to the anterior extremity of the body
, it is the region just posterior to the pharynx which most readily pe
rmits the discrimination of Gyrodactylus spp. based on the number and
spatial configuration of these sensilla. Maps have been constructed to
demonstrate these differences. It is concluded that chaetotaxy shows
potential as a simple and reliable method of distinguishing species of
this genus.