Rhabdias filicaudalis n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae) from the snake Spilotes pullatus (Serpentes: Colubridae) in Brazil

Abstract

Rhabdias filicaudalis n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae) from the lung of Spilotes pullatus (Serpentes: Colubridae) is described. The host snake was captured in the municipality of Avaré, São Paulo State, Brazil. Rhabdias filicaudalis n. sp. differs from all other species by the combination of the following characters: straight body, truncated anterior end, six weakly developed lips arranged in two opposite groups of three, pre-equatorial vulva, oesophagus length/body length ratio (%) 4.9 -7.5 (5.8^0.6), nerve ring distance from anterior end/oesophagus length ratio (%) 36.9-61.1 (49.8^6.4), tail length/body length ratio (%) 3.0 -5.5 (4.0^0.5), vulva distance from anterior end/body length ratio (%) 39.9 -51.7 (45.9^3.5), and a cuticular filiform tail tip.

Morphometric and phylogenetic analyses of Serpentirhabdias viperidicus n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae) from the lancehead snake Bothrops moojeni Hoge, 1966 (Reptilia: Serpentes: Viperidae) in Brazil

“…(3.89–5.83 vs. 4.35–6.91, respectively), with a truncated anterior end, while the new species has a rounded anterior end. In S. filicaudalis the lips are weakly developed (lips slightly noticed in the new species) and the tail is long with a filiform terminal prolongation of the cuticle (Barrella et al ., 2010), unlike S. viperidicus n. sp., which has a narrow tail that is conical and slightly tapering in the extremity.…”

“…Serpentirhabdias viperidicus n. sp. is also distributed in the south-east of Brazil (see Barrella et al ., 2010). However, S. filicaudalis is slightly smaller than S. viperidicus n. sp.…”

“…fuscovenosa in its oral shape (rounded), but differs from this species in body size and relative lengths of oesophagus, tail and lips. Finally, all these species are parasites of colubroidean snakes (Pereira, 1927; Pereira, 1928; Martínez-Salazar & León-Régagnon, 2006; Barrella et al ., 2010; Kuzmin et al ., 2014), except S. atroxi, which has been considered the only record of this genus in viperidian snakes.…”

“…Seemingly, S. filicaudalis, described with a buccal capsule by Barrella et al . (2010), would be the only separate species from this group (Kuzmin et al , 2014). However, analysing specimens deposited in the ‘Coleção Helmintológica do Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu’ (CHIBB), more than once, we could observe that Barrella et al .…”

“…cf. fuscovenosa (Railliet, 1899), S. labiata (Pereira, 1927), S. vellardi (Pereira, 1928), S. lamothei (Martínez-Salazar & León-Régagnon, 2006), S. filicaudalis (Barrella, Santos & Silva, 2009) and S. atracti Kuzmin, Melo & Santos, 2014 (Barella et al ., 2010; Kuzmin et al ., 2014); and only S. atroxi Kuzmin, Giese, Melo, Costa, Maschio & Santos, 2016 has been reported in viperidian snakes. Among these nematodes, five have been recorded in snakes from Brazil, S. vellardi in Philodrias patagoniensis (= Philodrias schotti ) (Colubridae) and Oxyrhopus trigeminus (Dipsadidae), S. labiata in Xenodon merremi (= Rhadinea merremi ) (Dipsadidae), S. filicaudalis in Spilotes pullatus (Colubridae), S. atracti in Atractus major (Dipsadidae) and S. atroxi in Bothrops atrox (Viperidae) (Pereira, 1927, 1928; Barella et al ., 2010; Kuzmin et al ., 2014, 2016).…”