Aller au contenu principal

    New Antarctic deep-sea weird leech (Hirudinida: Piscicolidae): morphological features and phylogenetic relationships

    Demander un document de réunion
    Numéro du document:
    WG-FSA-18/P01
    Auteur(s):
    A. Utevsky and S. Utevsky
    Soumis par:
    Leonid Pshenichnov (Ukraine)
    Approuvé par:
    Kostiantyn Demianenko (Ukraine)
    Point(s) de l'ordre du jour
    Publication:
    Syst. Parasitol., (2018). Springer, Netherlands, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-018-9816-y. This article was registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) as 0FFF1867-BF3B-4D2B-83EFBE894F838912
    Résumé

    A new fish leech Ambulobdella shandikovi n. g., n. sp. (Hirudinida: Piscicolidae), a parasite of Whitson’s grenadier Macrourus whitsoni (Regan) (Macrouridae: Gadiformes) collected in the Ross Sea at depths from 1,221 to 1,433 m, is described and compared with related taxa based on morphological and molecular characters. Ambulobdella shandikovi n. sp. is characterised by prominent segmental tubercles on the venter and dorsal segmental tubercles, an uncommon appearance of its anterior sucker with earlike edges and an inner membrane around the mouthpore, well-developed musculature and a unique combination of features of the reproductive and digestive systems. The presence of uncommon tubercles can be attributed, in part, to temporary associations of A. shandikovi n. sp. with its fish hosts and a need for well developed sensory and locomotory organs. A certain locomotory function of ventrolateral tubercles of A. shandikovi n. sp. is hypothesised and discussed. Further deep-sea surveys are obviously needed to shed light on the behaviour and mode of locomotion of this species.