Molecular link between the metacercariae and adults of four species Haematoloechus (Digenea: Plagiorchioidea), including scanning electron microscopy characterization

Gathering morphological and molecular data for identifying two species of trematodes from the neotropical Vaillant's frog, Lithobates vaillanti (Amphibia: Ranidae) in the highlands of Chiapas, south-eastern Mexico

“…In the case of Haematoloechus spp., the morphological and molecular evidence unequivocally suggest that specimens of Haematoloechus from Nahá belong to H. complexus ; therefore, this is the first record of H. complexus for Chiapas state, and the second for Mexico since the species was reported in Los Tuxtlas tropical rain forest in Veracruz, a record based on the finding of the metacercariae obtained from the dragonfly Agriogomphus tumens (Velázquez-Urrieta & Pérez-Ponce de León, 2022). Previously, H. complexus had been reported in frogs distributed in Mexico, particularly in Lithobates tlaloci from Xochimilco, Lithobates montezumae from Estado de México, Lithobates forreri from Colima, and Lithobates vaillanti from Veracruz; however, in the study by León-Règagnon & Topan (2018), these authors argued that the species identification was incorrect, and they actually described these specimens as new species, namely H. caballeroi , H. occidentalis and H. veracruzanus , respectively.…”

“…Haematoloechus complexus has a Nearctic distribution. In North America the species has been reported in eight species of anurans across eastern United States (Bolek & Janovy, 2007), and in Mexico it has been reported only from Veracruz (Velázquez-Urrieta & Pérez-Ponce de León, 2022). Therefore, this species is distributed between the United States (Wisconsin) and Mexico (Chiapas).…”

“…In Mexico, two species of the genus Langeronia have been previously recorded, namely Langeronia macrocirra Caballero and Bravo-Hollis, 1949, and Langeronia jimenezi Iruegas-Buentello & Salinas-López, 1989. For the genus Haematoloechus , 16 species have been reported, 12 of which are endemic (Pérez-Ponce de León et al , 2000; León-Règagnon, 2010; León-Règagnon & Topan, 2018; Velazquez-Urrieta et al , 2019; Velazquez-Urrieta & Pérez-Ponce de León, 2022). Two of these have been recorded in Chiapas, Haematoloechus floedae Harwood, 1932 and Haematoloechus sp.…”