Nematodes from the caecum and colon of Pogonomys (Muridae: Anisomyini) from Papua New Guinea with the descriptions of a new genus of Oxyuridae (Nematoda: Oxyurida) and a new species of Trichuridae (Nematoda: Enoplida)

Abstract

Nematodes, comprising 2 species, a new genus from the family Syphaciidae and a new species from the family Trichuridae were collected from the lower digestive tracts of 4 species of Pogonomys; P. championi, Flannery (12 individuals), P. loriae, Thomas (14 individuals), P. macrourus, (Milne Edwards) (19 individuals) and P. sylvestris, Thomas (27 individuals) from Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Pogonomicola rugala n. gen., n. sp. differs from all other genera in the Sypaciidae in having cervical alae with numerous folds and a single weakly defined mamelon. Trichuris germani n. sp. differs from all congeners, including the cosmopolitan T. muris, the only other trichurid reported from the region, by the lengths of the spicules and vagina, the ratio of anterior to posterior body length and the number of convolutions of the testis. The genus Pogonomys, with four species from four nematode families had a relatively rich helminth fauna in the lower digestive tract compared to other ansomyins studied. The Oxyuridae, with three genera comprising 5 species was the dominant group found in the lower digestive tract of the Anisomyini, indicating the possibility that the isolation of the old endemic rodents in New Guinea has been associated with a period of coevolution between anisomyin hosts and their syphaciine parasites.

Two new species of Trichuris (Nematoda: Trichuridae) collected from endemic murines of Indonesia

“…nov. (Chandler, , 1946. Trichuris germani, an endemic congener parasitic in the endemic murids of Papua New Guinea, differs from the present species by having smaller eggs (42.5-63 by 25.5-27.7 μm) in addition to the rounded distal end of the spicule (Smales, 2013).…”

“…By having a small body, the present species is readily distinguished from all congeners known from murids because all have average body length over 10 mm in males and 15 mm in females (cf. Skrjabin et al, 1957;Quentin, 1966;Bernard, 1969;Tenora, 1969;Johnson, 1973;Sadighian et al, 1974;Feliu et al, 2000;Robles, 2011;Ribas et al, 2013;Smales, 2013;Robles et al 2014). The present species is characteristic by having a gradually-tapered and sharply pointed distal end of the spicule, being readily distinguished from most congeners parasitic in murids, which have dull or round distal end or suddenly narrowed near distal end of the spicule (cf.…”

“…The present species is characteristic by having a gradually-tapered and sharply pointed distal end of the spicule, being readily distinguished from most congeners parasitic in murids, which have dull or round distal end or suddenly narrowed near distal end of the spicule (cf. Quentin, 1966;Robles, 2011;Robles et al, 2014;Smales, 2013;Feliu et al, 2000;Ribas et al, 2013). Among the congeners parasitic in murids, only T. petrowi in Arvicola terrestris of Tatarstan, Russia, and T. spalacis in the mole rat, Spalacis microphthalmus, of Ukraine, have been known to have gradually tapered and pointed spicule (Petrov & Potekhina, 1953;Skrjabin et al, 1957).…”

“…It has been considered that ancestors of the old endemics arrived in the Miocene and early Pliocene, whereas the new endemics colonized later (see Rowe et al, 2016 and literature cited therein). Because a new whipworm, T. germani Smales, 2013, was recently described from Pogonomys spp., old endemic murines, in Papua New Guinea (=East New Guinea) (Smales, 2013), it is expected that more Trichuris species may be present in the endemic murines in these areas. On examination of nematode material collected from old endemic rats of Indonesia, two new species of Trichuris were recovered.…”

Redescription of <i>Subulura</i> (<i>Murisubulura</i>) <i>andersoni</i> (Cobbold, 1876) (Nematoda: Subuluridae) from <i>Bunomys</i> spp. (Rodentia: Muridae) of Sulawesi, Indonesia, with special reference to <i>S</i>. (<i>M</i>.) <i>suzukii</i> and other related species in the adjacent areas

“…Subulura ( Murisubulura ) andersoni (Cobbold, 1876) (Nematoda: Subuluridae) is widely distributed in the areas ranging from India to Australia [ 2 , 3 , 8 , 10 , 17 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Although it was first described from a sciurid in India [ 2 ], this nematode is known as a common parasite of murine rodents in Indonesia [ 3 ].…”