NEIHPID

Homalogaster paloniae (Poirier Poirier) Back

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Taxonomy

Platyhelminthes »
       TREMATODA »
              Digenea »
                     Paramphistomidae Fischoeder, 1901 »
                            Gastrodiscinae Monticelli, 1892 »
                                   Homalogaster Poirier, 1883 »
                                           Homalogaster paloniae, Poirier 1883

Synonyms

H. poirier Giard et Billet, 1892, in Railliet et al. 1914; H. philippinensis Stiles et Goldberger, 1910

Host

Bos (indicus), Bubalus (bubalis)

Habitat

Intestine

Locality

Guwahati (Assam), Silchar (Assam), Shillong (Meghalaya), Nongstoin (Meghalaya), Jowai (Meghalaya), Tura (Meghalaya)

Description

Body elongated; divided into large, flat, ventrally papillated anterior portion and small spherical posterior portion, papillae arranged in 19-21 rows; 7.59-14.73 mm in length, 4.74-6.05 mm in width; ratio of body width to body length1:1.57-1:2.43.Acetabulum large, ventero-terminal, 1.94-2.53 mm in external diameter; ratio to body length 1:3.82-1:5.82; of homalogaster type (sensu Sey, 1984, with amendment by Jones, 1986); in specimens derived from cattle, units of dorsal and ventral circular muscles in lateral sides as follows : d.e.c.m. 16-22, d.i.c.m. 31-36, v.e.c.m.1. 7-12, v.e.c.m.2. 5-8, v.i.c.m. 27-30; specimens of buffalo origin showed division of ventral as wel1 as dorsal exterior circular muscle units into two parts as follows : d.e.c.m.1.6-9, d.e.c.m.2. 6-13, d.i.c.m. 31-36, v.e.c.m.1. 7-12, v.e.c.m.2. 5-8, v.i.c.m. 27-30. Pharynx with pharyngeal bulb and secondary pharyngeal sacs, 0.63-0.85 mm in length, 0.54-0.67 mm in width; ratio to body length 1:12.04-1:17.32, to diameter of acetabulum 1:2.97-1:3.42; of homalogaster type (sensu Sey, 1984) in median sagittal section. Oesophagus 0.90-2.16 mm long, with muscular bulb. Caeca sinuous, reaching anterior level of acetabulum. Testes lobed, tandem, inter-caecal; anterior testis 0.45-1.35 mm in length, 0.58-1.89 mm in width; posterior testis 0.45-1.35 mm 1n length, 0.63-1.98 mm in width. Cirrus pouch absent, pars prostatica absent, pars musculosa straight. Ovary 0.36-0.54 mm by 0.36-0.54 mm, close to Mehlis' gland. Laurer's canal not crossing excretory vesicle, opening anterior to excretory pore at level of ovary. Vitellaria densely packed in lateral fields, from oesophageal bifurcation to anterior level of acetabulum. Eggs 0.094-0.126 mm by 0.045-0.054 mm. Genital pore pre-bifurcal; terminal genitalium of homalogaster type (sensu Sey, 1984) in median sagittal section, characterized by stout, protrusible genital papilla and tegumental papillae along genital fold.

Remarks

H. paloniae has previously been recorded from Uttar Pradesh and Assam (Mukherjee and Chauhan, 1965) in India. Though the present observations agree with those of Näsmark (1937), Sey (1984a) and Jones, (1986) in major features, a striking difference was observed in the specimens collected from Bubalus bubalis, in that a distinct division also of the dorsal exterior circular muscle units of acetabulum into two series by obliquely running muscle fibers occurred.

Helminthological collections record

NEHU/Z - TM/18

Specimen Type

Holotype; W7792/1 in Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.

References

Mukherjee, R. P. and Chauhan, B. S. (1965) Studies on the trematode fauna of India. Part V. Sub-class Digenea: Paramphistomidae Fischoeder (1901). Journal of the Zoological Society of India. 17:pp 151-225.

Sey, O. (1984a). Description of Watsonius papillatus sp.n. and the revision of the subfamily Watsoniinae Näsmark,1937 (Trematoda:Paramphistomata) . Acta Zoologica Hungarica. 30:pp 493-510.

Jones, A. (1986) A comparative morphological study of the subfamily Gastrodiscinae Monticelli, 1892. (Paramphistomidae) with comments on some members of related subfamilies. Journal of Natural History. 20 :pp 863- 880

Näsmark, K. E. (1937) Revision of the trematode family Paramphistomidae. Zoologiska Bidrag fran Uppsala. 16:pp 301-565.