Review of Anoplocephaloides species from African rodents, with the proposal of Afrobaeria n. g. (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae)

Abstract

57 SummaryThe anoplocephalid cestodes from African rodents previously assigned to Anoplocephaloides Baer, 1924 sensu Rausch (1976) represent a new genus. Afrobaeria n. g. differs from related genera in the morphology of the anterior strobila and scolex (neck absent), distribution of testes (dorsal), structure and position of the early uterus (tubular with lateral protuberances, positioned in the middle of the medulla, antero-posteriorly and dorso-ventrally) and alternation of the genital pores (irregularly and very frequently alternating). Two species of Afrobaeria are recognized, i.e. Af. acanthocirrosa (Baer, 1924) n. comb. (type species) and Af. isomydis (Setti, 1892) n. comb. It is shown that they can be differentiated from one another primarily by the structure of the cirrus sac and seminal receptacle. Afrobaeria acanthocirrosa parasitizes rodents of the genus Otomys (type host O. irroratus), and Af. isomydis has been found from Arvicanthis abyssinicus (type host), Oenomys hypoxanthus and, possibly, from Otomys spp. The systematic characters used for the classification of Anoplocephaloides sensu Rausch (1976) are discussed, and a redescription of Af. acanthocirrosa is provided.

Nematodes and cestodes of rodents in South Africa: baseline data on diversity and geographic distribution

“…Based on previous studies, only two of the present helminth species, Afrobaeria acanthocirrosa (see Haukisalmi, 2008) and Rodentolepis taterae (see Collins, 1972), displayed a likely genus-specific host association in Otomys sp. and G. brantsii , respectively.…”

Influence of Storage Time on the DNA Integrity and Viability of Spermatozoa of the Spider Crab Maja brachydactyla

“…These structures comprise an evolutionary solution that allows females to lay more than one brood without the need to copulate again. Its existence is very widespread among the Myriapoda [81,82], worms [83], Chelicerata [84,85], Tardigrada [86,87], and Onychophora [88,89] and Insecta [90,91]. It must be considered that the moment of copulation tends to be one of the moments when the individuals are more defenceless against predators; therefore, the time is usually minimised.…”

Hidden diversity of cestodes in wild African carnivores: I. Non-taeniid cyclophyllideans

“…For numerous African wildlife cestodes, detailed morphological descriptions date back to the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, valuable achievements which still serve as principal references for morphological identification ( Setti, 1897 ; Baer, 1926 ; Baer, 1933 ; Ortlepp, 1938 ). Thus, eight cyclophyllidean families are known from African terrestrial mammals as definitive hosts: Anoplocephalidae (mostly ungulates and Rodentia) ( Round, 1968 ; Hunkeler, 1974 ; Haukisalmi, 2008 , 2013 ), Davaineidae (Hyracoidea, Carnivora, Manoidea and Rodentia) ( Yamaguti, 1959 ; Quentin, 1964 ; Round, 1968 ; Hunkeler, 1974 ), Dilepididae (Rodentia) ( Quentin, 1964 ; Hunkeler, 1974 ); Dipylidiidae (Carnivora) ( Round, 1968 ; Schuster, 2020 ), Taeniidae (mainly Carnivora, with other mammals as intermediate hosts) ( Round, 1968 ; Verster, 1969 ; Loos-Frank, 2000 ), Hymenolepididae (Carnivora) ( Round, 1968 ; Hunkeler, 1974 ; Greiman and Tkach, 2012 ), Mesocestoididae (Hyracoidea and Carnivora) ( Round, 1968 ) and Catenotaeniidae (Rodentia) ( Round, 1968 ; Haukisalmi et al, 2018 ).…”