Longior similis Morffe, Garcia & Ventosa, 2009

Morffe, Jans & Garcia, Nayla, 2011, On some Cuban species of the genus Longior Travassos & Kloss, 1958 (Oxyurida, Hystrignathidae), with description of a new species, ZooKeys 78, pp. 1-14 : 9-11

Longior similis Morffe, Garcia & Ventosa, 2009 Figure 4 A–DFigure 5 G–H

Material examined.

♂ voucher; Cuba, La Habana Province, Jaruco, Escaleras de Jaruco; in Passalus interstitialis ; 16.III.2008; E. Fonseca, J. Morffe, F. Alvarez coll.; CZACC 11.4630.

Measurements.

Male (n = 1) a = 15.66, b = 4.15, c = 54.80, total length = 1.370, maximum body width = 0.088, stoma length = 0.045, procorpus length = 0.260, isthmus length = 0.028, diameter of basal bulb = 0.040, total length of oesophagus = 0.330, nerve ring to anterior end = 0.145, excretory pore to anterior end = 0.500, cloaca to posterior end = 0.025, distance from the mammiform papillae to the posterior end = 0.153, distance from the dorso-lateral papillae to the posterior end = 0.068.

Description.

Male body comparatively slender, shorter than female. Cuticle thin, finely annulated. Sub-cuticular longitudinal striae present. Head short, rounded, set-off from body by a single groove, papillae not observed. First cephalic annule not differentiated. Stoma as in the female. Oesophagus with its second half slender than first, hardly set-off from the isthmus. Basal bulb rounded, valve plate developed. Intestine simple, slender, its fore region dilated. Anus inconspicuous. Nerve ring encircling procorpus at about 40% of its length. Excretory pore located at about 1.5 body widths posterior to basal bulb. Testis single, full of spermatids, commencing just behind excretory pore, its second third slightly inflated. Spicule absent. A large, mid-ventral, precloacal, mammiform papilla situated at about 1.5 body widths before the tail tip. A pair of dorso-lateral, precloacal papillae at little less than a body width before the tail tip. Dorsal cuticle of the posterior end thickened from the level of the pair of papillae to almost the tail tip. Ventral cuticle expanded, forming a bursa-like structure with the distal end terminating before the tail tip. Tail short, conical, ending in a rounded tip. Posterior end slightly reflexed toward dorsal region.

Differential diagnosis (only based on males).

The male of Longior similis resembles Longior longicollis mainly by the form of the tail endbut differs by having the nerve ring displaced to the first half of the procorpus, at about the 40% of its length (in Longior longicollis the nerve ring is at the middle of procorpus). The procorpus of Longior longicollis is cylindrical in all its extension, while in Longior similis it is slightly wider in its first half. The tail is also comparatively shorter in the Cuban species (c = 54.8: 30.66-32.83).

From Longior longior sp. n., the other species where the male is known differs by having the cervical cuticle without visible annule and the tail tip reflexed toward the back. Longior longior sp. n. has the cervical cuticle annulated up to about the first third of the procorpus and the tail tip unreflexed. Also, Longior similis has a comparatively shorter oesophagus (b =4.15 vs. 3.13-3.63).

Host.

Passalus interstitialis Escholtz, 1829 ( Coleoptera , Passalidae ).

Site.

Gut caeca.

Locality.

Escaleras de Jaruco, Jaruco, La Habana Province, Cuba.