ON A NEW SPECIES OF GENUS PHYLLOBOTHRIUM (BENEDEN, 1850) RUDOLPHI, 1819 FROM CHILOSCYLLIUM PLAGIOSUM AT ALIBAG, DIST RAIGAD (M.S) INDIA

Abstract 

 The present paper deals with the new species of the cestode from the genus, Phyllobothrium vatsalabai n.sp.collected from At Alibag, Dist. Raigad (M. S) West coast of India from marine fish Chiloscyllium plagiosum. The present species differs from all the known species of the genus The scolex bears four sessile flowers like bothridia. The powerful longitudinal muscle fibers are attached to each bothridium, decrease in strength gradually, clearly visible upto neck region. The scolex is followed by a long neck. The mature segment is longer than broad. The testes are preovarian, rounded or oval, situated in two rows upto cirrus pouch level, and in a single field anterior to cirrus pouch level, reaching a short distance from anterior end of the segment. The numbers of testes 72, the cirrus pouch is oval transversely placed, reaches upto the center of the segment at anterior one third of the segment. The cirrus is convoluted tube inside the cirrus pouch. The cirrus pouch opens through a common genital pore, these are irregularly alternate. The vagina opens through a common genital pore, lies anterior to cirrus pouch and runs transversely up to the centre of the segment, turns vertically and joins with ootype and behind the ovary, The ovary is bilobed, ‘U’ shaped, i.e., two vertically elongated lobes are joined with short isthmus region just below the middle, and the ovary situated at posterior end of the segment, the lobes of the ovary reaching upto vitellarian fields. Ootype is round in shape. The vitellaria are granular.