Prochristianella clarkeae Beveridge, 1990

Schaeffner, Bjoern C. & Beveridge, Ian, 2012, Prochristianella Dollfus, 1946 (Trypanorhyncha: Eutetrarhynchidae) from elasmobranchs off Borneo and Australia, including new records and the description of four new species, Zootaxa 3505, pp. 1-25 : 21-22

Prochristianella clarkeae Beveridge, 1990

Material examined: Holotype from H. uarnak off Fog Bay, Northern Territory, Australia ( SAM V4132); paratypes from H. uarnak off Fog Bay, Northern Territory ( SAM AHC 18320) and Dasyatis thetidis Ogilby off Cowell, South Australia, Australia ( SAM AHC 18323); 1 voucher specimen from Aptychotrema vincentiana (Haacke) off Musgrave Shoal, South Australia, Australia ( SAM AHC 18321); 2 voucher specimens from Ca. milii off Cowell, South Australia, Australia ( SAM AHC 18317/1, 4); 1 voucher specimen from H. toshi off Nickol Bay, Western Australia, Australia ( SAM AHC 18326); 1 voucher specimen from Dipturus cerva (Whitley) off Point Stanvac, South Australia, Australia ( SAM AHC 18319); 1 voucher specimen from Dipturus whitleyi (Iredale) off Cowell, South Australia, Australia ( SAM AHC 18318/2); 2 voucher specimens from Glaucostegus typus (in Bennett) off Heron Island, Queensland, Australia (QM G217561–62); voucher specimen from Rhynchobatus djiddensis (Forsskål) off Mackay, Queensland, Australia ( SAM AHC 18324); 28 voucher specimens from Taeniura lymma (Forsskål) off Heron Island, Queensland, Australia (QM G217532–60); 1 voucher specimen from Trygonorrhina fasciata Müller & Henle off Cowell, South Australia, Australia ( SAM AHC 18327/5); New material: 1 specimen from Dasyatis cf. zugei (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia ( SAM AHC 35312; BO-477); 3 specimens from Glaucostegus thouin (in Lacépède) off Pagatan, South Kalimantan, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35315; KA-70); 6 specimens from G. typus off Weipa ( SAM AHC 35336, 35339, 35343; CM03-12, CM03-35, CM03-55); 5 specimens from H. astra off Weipa, Queensland ( SAM AHC 35348; CM03-82), and Wessel Islands, Northern Territory, Australia ( SAM AHC 35355; NT-90); 3 specimens from Himantura gerrardi (Gray) off Sematan and Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia ( SAM AHC 35287, 35291; BO-23, BO-49); 42 specimens from Himantura cf. gerrardi 1 (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia and Sepuk Laut, West Kalimantan, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35299, 35300, 35327; BO-92, BO-93, KA-305); 16 specimens from Himantura cf. gerrardi 2 (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Pulau Mabul, Sabah, Malaysia and Sidu, Singkawang and Sungai Kakap, West Kalimantan, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35306, 35320, 35321, 35326; BO-138, KA-118, KA-145, KA-211); 7 specimens from Himantura granulata (Macleay) off Weipa, Queensland, Australia ( SAM AHC 35346; CM03-74); 4 specimens from H. jenkinsii off Sarawak, Malaysia and Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35311, 35323; BO-339, KA-185); 1 specimen from Himantura lobistoma Manjaji-Matsumoto & Last off Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia ( SAM AHC 35309; BO-268); 23 specimens from H. pastinacoides off Mukah, Sarawak and Kampung Tetabuan and Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia ( SAM AHC 35292, 35293, 35296; BO-61, BO-76, BO-79); 1 specimen from Himantura polylepis (Bleeker) from Kinabatangan River, Kampung Abai, Sabah, Malaysia ( SAM AHC 35301; BO-108); 4 specimens from H. toshi off Weipa, Queensland, Australia ( SAM AHC 35347; CM03-81); 22 specimens from H. uarnacoides off Sandakan and mouth of Kinabatangan River, Sabah, and Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia, and Singkawang and Sidu, West Kalimantan, and Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35294, 35295, 35308, 35313, 35322, 35324, 35325; BO-77, BO-78, BO-261, BO-498, KA-146, KA-206, KA-210); 6 specimens from H. uarnak off Nickol Bay, Western Australia ( SAM AHC 35333; collected by B. Robertson, 11.xi.1986), Weipa, Queensland, Australia ( SAM AHC 35344; CM03-57) and Sematan, Sarawak ( SAM AHC 35289; BO-25); 10 specimens from H. uarnak 1 (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Lahad Datu and Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia ( SAM AHC 35297, 35314; BO-82, HBO-109); 15 specimens from H. uarnak 2 (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Weipa, Queensland, Australia ( SAM AHC 35337, 35338; CM03-24, CM03-25); 2 specimens from Himantura undulata (Bleeker) off Sematan, Sarawak, Malaysia, and Sungairaya, West Kalimantan, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35288, 35328; BO-24, KA-326); 3 specimens from Himantura walga (Müller & Henle) off Sematan, Sarawak, Malaysia, and Muara Kintap, South Kalimantan, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35290, 35307, 35317; BO-30, BO-152, KA-88); 3 specimens from Himantura sp. A off Weipa, Queensland, Australia ( SAM AHC 35342; CM03-54); 3 specimens from Neotrygon cf. ningalooensis (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Nhulunbuy (West Woody Island), Northern Territory, Australia ( SAM AHC 35350; NT-8); 22 specimens from N. kuhlii 1 (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Pulau Banggi and Pulau Mabul, Sabah, Malaysia, and Muara Kintap, South Kalimantan, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35305, 35310, 35316, 35318; BO-135, BO-320, KA-85, KA-92); 10 specimens from N. kuhlii 4 (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Weipa, Queensland, Australia ( SAM AHC 35340, 35341; CM03-46, CM03-47); 1 specimen from Pastinachus gracilicaudus Last , Manjaji- Matsumoto off Sukadana, West Kalimantan, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35329; KA-387); 13 specimens from Pristis clavata Garman off Darwin (Buffalo Creek), Northern Territory, Australia ( SAM AHC 35334, 35335; AU-136, AU-138); 3 specimens from Rhinobatus sp. off Weipa, Queensland, Australia ( SAM AHC 35345; CM03-72); 8 specimens from Rhynchobatus cf. laevis (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Weipa, Queensland, Australia ( SAM AHC 35349; CM03-83); 2 specimens from Rhynchobatus palpebratus Compagno & Last off the Wessel Islands, Northern Territory, Australia ( SAM AHC 35354; NT-42); 15 specimens from T. lymma 1 (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Pulau Mabul and Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia, and Pulau Rabu Rabu and Tanjung Batu, East Kalimantan, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35298, 35302–35304, 35330–35332; BO-84, BO-122, BO-125, BO-131, KA-417, KA-418, KA- 419); 12 specimens from T. lymma 2 (sensu Naylor et al. 2012) off Nhulunbuy (West Woody Island), Northern Territory, Australia ( SAM AHC 35351–35353; NT-9, NT-11, NT-13), and off Takisung, South Kalimantan, Indonesia ( SAM AHC 35319; KA-98).

Site: Spiral intestine.

Remarks: Beveridge (1990) described P. clarkeae from a wide array of host species, namely H. uarnak (typehost), N. kuhlii (as Amphotistius kuhlii ), Ap. vincentiana , Ca. milii , Dasyatis thetidis Ogilby , Dasybatus sp., Di. cerva (as Raja cerva ), Di. whitleyi (as R. whitleyi ), H. toshi , Rh. djiddensis , Tr. fasciata (as Tr. guanerius ) and Urolophus expansus McCulloch. The current study adds 29 new host records, expanding the host range of P. clarkeae to 43 different host species (i.e. 1 species of chimaera and 42 species of rays). Specimens of the present study were obtained from several localities from Borneo and the northern parts of Australia. Prochristianella clarkeae was described from Fog Bay, Northern Territory ( Australia) ( Beveridge 1990), with further records from Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia ( Beveridge 1990) and New Caledonia ( Beveridge & Justine 2010). A single, dubious specimen from Sri Lanka (ʻCeylon Pearl Banks’) deposited in the Natural History Museum, London (BMNH 1977.11.4.24–26), was included in the original description. Beveridge (1990) considered P. clarkeae a species with a wide geographic distribution. The present study adds 28 new locality records from the Indo-Malayan (i.e. 22 localities) and Australian (i.e. 6 localities) regions to the currently known distribution of P. clarkeae . This makes P. clarkeae one of the most widespread species of Prochristianella in the Australasian realm.

One difficulty encountered in identifying specimens of P. clarkeae was that the enlarged microtriches covering the scolex were readily lost in poorly preserved specimens. Usually, some residual microtriches could be observed microscopically between the scolex and the free posterior margin of the bothrium. However, in several series of well preserved specimens from the same host individual an occasional specimen could be found entirely lacking microscopically visible microtriches. Whether this was variation within the species or an indication that, as currently defined, P. clarkeae constitutes a species complex is not known as no other morphological differences were observed. A re-examination of specimens from South Australia revealed a complete absence of enlarged microtriches on their scoleces, even though most of the specimens were well preserved. No obvious explanation can be advanced for these observed differences. Thus, whether these specimens represent a different species or a isolated variant of P. clarkeae is not known.