Phonorhynchopsis capillaris Diez, Sanjuan, Reygel & Artois, 2018

Diez, Yander L., Hernández, Claudia Sanjuan, Reygel, Patrick, Roosen, Paulien & Artois, Tom, 2018, First record of Polycystididae (Platyhelminthes, Kalyptorhynchia) from Cuba, with the description of a new genus and five new species, and remarks and the description of one new species from Panama, Zootaxa 4514 (1), pp. 107-125 : 112

Phonorhynchopsis capillaris Diez, Sanjuan, Reygel & Artois sp. n.

( Fig. 1 D–F, 2G–H)

Material and distribution in Cuba. Observations on two live specimens, whole mounted afterwards, one of them designated holotype (FMNH http://id.luomus.fi/KV.602), the other one reference material (HU VIII.3.02), from El Masío (type locality) (June 30, 2016), intertidal, in very fine sand, upper 10 cm of the sediment, area with strong wave action, salinity 33 ‰.

Etymology. The epithet capillaris refers to the general morphology of the accessory stylet, which is as thin as a hair (Lat. capillum = hair).

Diagnosis. Species of Phonorhynchopsis with a prostate stylet type IV slightly bent in the middle, 57–60 µm long, 8–10 µm wide proximally and 5 µm subdistally, distal end rounded. Accessory stylet type IV slender, 284– 300 µm long, five times longer than the prostate stylet, proximally 10 µm wide, with the same width in the rest of the length (2 µm). Distally ending in a sharp tip, claw shaped.

Description. Animals 0.9–1.2 mm long measured on the whole mounts. Body translucent; proboscis small, about 10% of the body length; a pair of pigmented eyes behind the proboscis. Pharynx in the middle of the body.

Male copulatory structures organized as in P. haegheni . Prostate stylet type IV ( Fig. 1D , 2H ) slightly curved in the middle, 57–60 µm long, 8–10 µm wide proximally, 5 µm subdistally in both specimens, distally rounded. Accessory stylet type IV ( Fig. 1 E–F, 2G) slender and slightly undulating, 284–300 µm long, 10 µm wide proximally, 2 µm wide in the middle and further distally. Sharp distal tip, claw shaped and preceded by a small dilatation in both specimens ( Fig. 1F ). Accessory gland type IV oval shaped and larger than the prostate gland, proximally connected with small extracapsular glands. Paired testes located behind the pharynx. Bursa bipartite. Paired vitellaria extending from the pharynx to the caudal end of the body.

Discussion. See the Discussion after the description of P. sublinguatus sp. n.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phonorhynchoides minor sp. n. A, Habitus (from the live animal). B, prostate stylet type IV. C, accessory stylet type IV. Phonorhynchopsis capillaris sp. n. D, prostate stylet type IV. E, proximal end of the accessory stylet type IV. F, distal end of the accessory stylet type IV. Phonorhynchopsis sublinguatus sp. n. G, prostate stylet type IV. H, proximal end of the accessory stylet type IV. I, distal end of the accessory stylet type IV. Drawings of the stylets are from the holotypes of the respective species.

FIGURE 2. Phonorhynchopsis haegheni (Artois & Schockaert, 2001) (specimen from Cuba). A, accessory stylet type IV. B, prostate stylet type IV. Phonorhynchopsis linguatus (Artois & Tessens, 2008). C, accessory stylet type IV. D, prostate stylet type IV (reference specimen HU III.4.47 from Kenya). E, accessory stylet type IV. F, prostate stylet type IV (reference specimen HU IV.1.17 from Zanzibar). Phonorhynchopsis capillaris sp. n. (holotype). G, accessory stylet type IV. H, prostate stylet type IV. Phonorhynchopsis sublinguatus sp. n. (holotype). I, accessory stylet type IV. J, prostate stylet type IV.