Brasacanthus sphoeroides gen. n., sp. n. (Acanthocephala, Echinorhynchidae) from a coastal marine fish of Paraná State, Brazil

Brasacanthus sphoeroides gen. n., sp. n. (Acanthocephala, Echinorhynchidae) from a coastal marine fish of Paraná State, Brazil¹

Vernon E. Thatcher

Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná. Caixa Postal 19020, 81531-990 Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil. Research fellow of the CNPq

ABSTRACT

Brasacanthus sphoeroidesgen. n.. sp. n. is described from the marine fish, Sphoeroides greeleyi (Steindachner), taken in Paranaguá Bay, Paraná State, Brazil. The new genus differs from Acanthocephalus Koelreuter, 1771, the nearest genus in the family Echinorhynchidae, by having very flat and variable lemnisci in both sexes and a uterine egg reservoir in the female. The species is characterized by its spherical body form and in having parallel or diagonal testes.

Key words: Acanthocephala, fish parasite, puffer parasite, Paraná, Brazil, South America

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. The author is grateful to Walter P. Boeger, Departamento de Zoologia. Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil, for making these specimens available for study.

Recebido em 25.V.2001; aceito em 01.XI.2001.

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Contribuição número 1338 do Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  03 June 2009
• Date of issue
  Dec 2001

History

• Accepted
  01 Nov 2001
• Received
  25 May 2001