Otobothrium minutum Subhapradha, 1955

Beveridge, Ian & Justine, Jean-Lou, 2007, Redescriptions of four species of Otobothrium Linton, 1890 (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha), including new records from Australia, New Caledonia and Malaysia, with the description of O. parvum n. sp., Zootaxa 1587, pp. 1-25 : 22

Otobothrium minutum Subhapradha, 1955

Types: none indicated in original description.

Type host: Rhizoprionodon acutus (Rüppell, 1837) .

Type locality: Madras, India.

Site in host: spiral valve.

Remarks. The original description of this species is limited ( Subhapradha 1955) with no illustrations of the mature segment. However, the description of the segment with no testes posterior to the ovary appears to be a key distinguishing feature of the species. A specimen in USNPC (9016) identified as O. crenacolle by Linton (1909) from Carcharhinus leucas (Valenciennes) (syn. C. platyodon Poey ), collected in the Dry Tortugas, Florida, conforms with the description of O. minutum rather than that of O. crenacolle . However, the tentacles of this specimen are not everted and hence its identification remains uncertain. It does confirm Subhapradha’s description (1955) of a species with no testes posterior to the ovary, a distinctive feature within the genus. Consequently, O. minutum is considered to be a valid but poorly described species characterised by the lack of testes posterior to the ovary.