Vexillata liomyos n. sp (Nemata : Ornithostrongylidae) from Liomys pictus (Rodentia : Heteromyidae) from Mexico, with comments on the synlophe of Vexillata armandae

Individuals of a new species of Vexillata were collected from the small int estines of Liomys pictus from the Estacion de Biologia Chamela, in Jalisco State, Mexico. The new species shows an array of characters that allow us t o recognize it: as a member of Vexillata; however, it can be distinguished from other species of the genus in that males possess an asymmetrical cauda l bursa, females possess a characteristic cuticular inflation at the level of the ovijector and both sexes possess a synlophe with 9 ridges at the mid body. Additional detail of the synlophe of Vexillata armandae Gardner et al ., 1994 from Chaetodipus hispidus in New Mexico shows that both sexes have 12 cuticular ridges just posterior to the cephalic inflation, and in the po sterior region of the body, females have 9 ridges of equal size while males possess 11 equal-sized ridges. In both sexes, the carene disappears at the posterior end of the body.