Gulyaevia

Gulyaevia n. g.

(Fig. 7)

Etymology. The new genus is named after the late Vladimir D. Gulyaev for his significant contributions to the taxonomy of cestodes, including anoplocephalids. “ Gulyaevia ” is feminine.

Diagnosis. Strobila long, of variable width. Scolex globular, poorly demarcated from neck. Suckers embedded within scolex, directed antero-laterally. Neck relatively wide; minimum neck width more than half of scolex width. Proglottids craspedote, wider than long; length/width ratio variable. Genital pores unilateral, exceptionally with few changes. Genital ducts pass dorsal to longitudinal osmoregulatory canals. Testes distributed antiporally and anteriorly to ovary; few testes may be antero-poral to ovary. Testes may slightly overlap longitudinal ventral osmoregulatory canal on antiporal side, but not on poral side. Testes mostly not overlapping ovary. Cirrus sac distinctly shorter than vagina, usually not reaching poral ventral longitudinal canal. Vagina tubiform organ of constant width, covered by distinct glandular cell layer, very long, extending significantly across poral ventral longitudinal canal (when straight). Seminal receptacle irregularly ovoid or pyriform. Ovary slightly poral or median. Vitellarium slightly poral or median with respect to ovary. Early uterus fine, complex reticulum ventral to other organs, completely overlapping ovary and extending laterally beyond longitudinal canals. Primarily in redbacked voles Myodes rufocanus and M. rutilus (Cricetidae: Arvicolinae) in Eurasia (see Chechulin & Gulyaev 1998, Haukisalmi et al. 2007a and 2009b).

Type species: G. buryatiensis (Haukisalmi, Hardman, Hardman, Laakkonen, Niemimaa & Henttonen, 2007) n. comb.

Paranoplocephala buryatiensis Haukisalmi, Hardman, Hardman, Laakkonen, Niemimaa & Henttonen, 2007)

Other species: G. longivaginata (Chechulin & Gulyaev, 1998) n. comb. Paranoplocephala longivaginata Chechulin & Gulyaev, 1998

Holotype of G. buryatiensis: USNPC 97137 (included in the present phylogenetic analysis).

Remarks. Gulyaevia spp. can be unambiguously separated from other species previously assigned to Paranoplocephala (s. l.) by their conspicuously long vagina. The exclusive monophyly of the two Gulyaevia species suggested earlier by cox1 sequences (Haukisalmi et al. 2007a) is confirmed by the present nad1 data (and concatenated data). However, the existing data fail to indicate the sister group of Gulyaevia. Gulyaevia buryatiensis and G. longivaginata are host-specific parasites of Myodes rufocanus and M. rutilus, respectively (Chechulin & Gulyaev 1998, Haukisalmi et al. 2007a, 2009b).