Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 5691 No. 3: 10 Sept. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-09-10
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5691.3.8
Page range: 587-595
Abstract views: 134
PDF downloaded: 3

New hosts for Temnocephala iheringi (Platyhelminthes, Rhabdocoela) and analysis of inter-population morphological variability

División Zoología Invertebrados; Museo de La Plata (FCNyM-UNLP); La Plata; (1900).
División Zoología Invertebrados; Museo de La Plata (FCNyM-UNLP); La Plata; (1900).; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). La Plata; (1900). Argentina.
División Zoología Invertebrados; Museo de La Plata (FCNyM-UNLP); La Plata; (1900).; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). La Plata; (1900). Argentina.
División Zoología Invertebrados; Museo de La Plata (FCNyM-UNLP); La Plata; (1900).; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). La Plata; (1900). Argentina.
Platyhelminthes Argentina Chilina iguazuensis Pomacea americanista Neotropical region epibiont

Abstract

Temnocephala iheringi Haswell, 1893 is a species of temnocephalan endemic to the Neotropical region, distributed from the center of Brazil to Uruguay and the southern Pampean region in Argentina. It is an ectocommensal of gastropods, particularly Ampullariidae snails. Previous studies have noted the morphological variation present in the species. In this study, we present two new host species: Pomacea americanista (Ihering, 1919) (Caenogastropoda, Ampullariidae) and Chilina iguazuensis Gutiérrez Gregoric & Rumi, 2008 (Heterobranchia, Chilinidae), representing the first Heterobranchia host for temnocephalids. Using morphological comparisons of the penial stylet (an important diagnostic character) from new material and literature data, we attempt to establish whether the morphological variation could be attributed to geographical range or a difference in host species. Results showed that the stylet from specimens found on P. americanista was the largest recorded among all host species. The introvert in temnocephalans associated with C. iguazuensis and P. americanista was longer than in other populations, and in the case of C. iguazuensis it was also narrower at its base. The record of new hosts for T. iheringi and the characterization of the populations developed on them are a step forward in the understanding of the interactions between host and commensal species and their adaptations.

 

References

  1. Baer, J.G. (1953) Zoological results of the Dutch New Guinea Expedition 1939: No. 4. Temnocephales. Zoologische Mededelingen, 32 (13), 119–140. [https://repository.naturalis.nl/pub/318015]
  2. Blanchard, E. (1849) Fauna Chilena (Annulares-Articulados). In: Gay, C. (Ed.), Historia Fisica y Politica de Chile – Zoologia, Paris, pp. 51–52. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16438158]
  3. Bruguière, J.G. (1792) Catalogue des coquilles envoyées de Cayenne, à la Société d'histoire naturelle de Paris, par M. Le Blond. Actes de la Socieìteì d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris, 1, 126–129. [http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/45494960]
  4. Cannon, L.R. & Sewell, K.B. (1995) Craspedellinae Baer, 1931 (Platyhelminthes: Temnocephalida) ectosymbionts from the branchial chamber of Australian crayfish (Crustacea: Parastacidae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 38 (2), 397–418. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40060180#page/85/mode/1up]
  5. Damborenea, M.C. (1991) Temnocephala (Platyhelminthes, Temnocephalidae) de la Argentina: Revisión de caracteres específicos. Iheringia, Série Zoologia, 71, 111–120. [https://archive.org/details/biostor-80236]
  6. Damborenea, M.C. (1992) Especies de Temnocephala (Platyhelminthes, Temnocephalidea) de crustáceos y moluscos de la Argentina. Iheringia, Série Zoologia, 72, 3–21. [https://naturalis.fcnym.unlp.edu.ar/handle/628872547/53069]
  7. Damborenea, M.C. (1996) Patrones de distribución y abundancia de Temnocephala iheringi (Platyhelminthes: Temnocephalidae) en una población de Pomacea canaliculata (Mollusca: Ampullariidae). Gayana Zoología, 60 (1), 1–12.
  8. Damborenea, M.C., César, I.I. & Armendáriz, L.C. (1997) Especies de Temnocephala (Platyhelminthes: Temocephalidae) de la Isla Martín García, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Neotrópica, 43 (109–110), 123–124.
  9. Garcés, A.C., Puerta, L., Tabares, Y., Lenis, C. & Velásquez, L.E. (2013) Temnocephala colombiensis n. sp. (Platyhelminthes: Temnocephalidae) from Antioquia, Colombia. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad, 84 (4), 1090–1099. https://doi.org/10.7550/rmb.30259
  10. Goetsch, W. (1935) Biologie und Regeneration von Temnocephala chilensis. Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilung für Systematik, 67, 195–212.
  11. Gurovich, F.M., Burela, S. & Martín, P.R. (2017) First description of egg masses, oviposition and copulation of a neglected apple snail endemic to the Iguazú and Alto Paraná Rivers. Molluscan Research, 37 (4), 242–251. https://doi.org/10.1080/13235818.2017.1357090
  12. Gutiérrez Gregoric, D.E. & Rumi, A. (2008) Chilina iguazuensis (Gastropoda: Chilinidae), new species from Iguazú National Park, Argentina. Malacologia, 50 (1), 321–330. https://doi.org/10.4002/0076-2997-50.1-2.321
  13. Haswell, W.A. (1893) A monograph of the Temnocephaleae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, The Macleay Memorial Volume, 1893, 93–152.
  14. Ihering, H. von. (1919) Las especies de Ampullaria de la Argentina y la historia del Rio de la Plata. Primera reunión de la Sociedad Argentina de Ciencias Naturales, Tucuman, 1916, 329–350.
  15. Lamarck, J.B.M. (1799) Prodrome d'une nouvelle classification des coquilles, comprenant une rédaction appropriée des caractères géneriques, et l'établissement d'un grand nombre de genres nouveaux. Mémoires de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris, 1, 63–91. [http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13585626]
  16. Lamarck, J.B.M. (1822) Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres. Tome Sixième. 2me Partie. Verdière, Paris, 232 pp.
  17. Lenis, C., Ruiz, F., Muskus, C., Marcilla, A. & Vélez, I. (2020) A new flatworm species of Temnocephala (Rhabdocoela, Temnocephalidae) ectosymbiont on the freshwater crab Valdivia serrata (Decapoda, Trichodactylidae) from Amazonas, Colombia. ZooKeys, 918, 1. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.918.38201
  18. Margolis, L., Esh, G.W., Holmes, J.C., Kuris, A.M. & Schad, G.A. (1982) The use of ecological terms in parasitology (report of an ad hoc committee of the American Society of Parasitologists). The Journal of Parasitology, 68 (1), 131–133. https://doi.org/10.2307/3281335
  19. Martínez-Aquino, A., Brusa, F. & Damborenea, C. (2014). Checklist of freshwater symbiotic temnocephalans (Platyhelminthes, Rhabditophora, Temnocephalida) from the Neotropics. Zoosystematics and Evolution, 90 (2), 147–162. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.90.8688
  20. Martín, P.R., Estebenet, A.L. & Burela, S. (2005) Factors affecting the distribution and abundance of the commensal Temnocephala iheringi (Platyhelminthes: Temnocephalidae) among the southernmost populations of the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata (Mollusca: Ampullariidae). Hydrobiologia, 545 (1), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-005-1825-6
  21. Maton, W.G. (1811) Description of seven new species of Testacea. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, 10 (2), 325–332. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1810.tb00022.x
  22. Moquin-Tandon, A. (1846) Monographie de la famille des Hirudinces. Bailliere, Paris, 448 pp., atlas. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.6598
  23. Perry, G., Busby, T.L. & Mathews, G.M. (1811) Arcana, or, The museum of natural history: containing the most recent discovered objects: embellished with coloured plates, and corresponding descriptions: with extracts relating to animals, and remarks of celebrated travellers; combining a general survey of nature. George Smeeton, London, 100 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.58980
  24. Philippi, R.A. (1851–1852) Die Gattung Ampullaria. In Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen. In: Schuberth, G.H. & Wagner, J.A., (Eds.), Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet von Martini und Chemnitz. Neu herausgegeben und vervollständigt. Ersten Bandes zwanzigste Abtheilung. Bauer & Raspepp, Nürnberg, pp. 1–74. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.124253
  25. Pilsbry, H.A. (1933) Zoological results of the Matto Grosso expedition to Brazil in 1931: II. Mollusca. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 85, 67–76. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/4064169]
  26. Ponce de León, R. (1979) Especies americanas de Temnocephalidea Benham (Platyhelmintha), I. Descripción de Temnocephala rochensis n. sp. de la cámara paleal de Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck). Revista de Biología del Uruguay, 7 (1), 39–48.
  27. Ponce de León, R. (1989) Description of Temnocephala haswelli n. sp. (Platyhelminthes) from the mantle cavity of Pomacea canaliculata (Lamarck). The Journal of Parasitology, 524–526. https://doi.org/10.2307/3282900
  28. R Core Team. (2020) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. https://www.R-project.org/ (accessed 18 August 2025)
  29. Seixas, S.A., Amato, J.F. & Amato, S.B. (2010a) Redescription of Temnocephala iheringi (Platyhelminthes: Temnocephalida) based on specimens from Pomacea canaliculata (Mollusca: Ampullariidae) of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: the possible type host and type locality. Zoologia, Curitiba, 27 (2), 245–257. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-46702010000200012
  30. Seixas, S.A., Amato, J.F. & Amato, S.B. (2010b) First report of Temnocephala haswelli (Platyhelminthes: Temnocephalida) in Pomacea canaliculata (Mollusca: Ampullariidae) from Brazil: description update based on specimens from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Zoologia, Curitiba, 27 (3), 455–464. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-46702010000300020
  31. Seixas, S.A., Amato, J.F. & Amato, S.B. (2010c) First report of Temnocephala rochensis (Platyhelminthes: Temnocephalida) from Pomacea canaliculata (Mollusca: Ampullariidae) outside Uruguay: description update based on specimens from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Zoologia, Curitiba, 27 (5), 820–828. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-46702010000500019
  32. Seixas, S.A., Amato, J.F. & Amato, S.B. (2015) A new species of Temnocephala (Platyhelminthes, Temnocephalida) ectosymbiont on Neritina zebra (Mollusca, Neritidae) from the Brazilian Amazonia. Neotropical Helminthology, 9 (1), 41–53. [http://sisbib.unmsm.edu.pe/bvrevistas/neohel/v9n1/pdf/a05v9n1.pdf]
  33. Seixas, S.A., Amato, S.B. & Amato, J.F. (2020) Temnocephalan epibionts (Platyhelminthes, Temnocephalida) on mollusks from Pantanal wetland, Brazil. Zootaxa, 4858 (3), 341–357. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4858.3.2
  34. Sewell, K.B., Cannon, L.R. & Blair, D. (2006) A review of Temnohaswellia and Temnosewellia (Platyhelminthes: Temnocephalida: Temnocephalidae), ectosymbionts from Australian crayfish Euastacus (Parastacidae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 52 (1), 199–279.
  35. Sowerby, G.B. (1825) A catalogue of the shells contained in the collection of the late Earl of Tankerville: arranged according to the Lamarckian conchological system; together with an appendix containing descriptions of many new species. Printed by E. J. Stirling for G. B. Sowerby, London, vii + 92 + xxxiv pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.39559
  36. Sowerby, G.B. (1838) Chilina. In: Sowerby, G.B. (Ed.), The Conchological Illustrations; or coloured figures of hitherto unfigured Recent shells. Privately published, London, pp. 135–136. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.51602

How to Cite

Zivano, A., de Lucía, M., Gutiérrez Gregoric, D.E. & Damborenea, C. (2025) New hosts for Temnocephala iheringi (Platyhelminthes, Rhabdocoela) and analysis of inter-population morphological variability. Zootaxa, 5691 (3), 587–595. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5691.3.8