A NOVEL TAXONOMICAL DESCRIPTION OF FIVE NEW SPECIES OF ACEPHALINE GREGARINES (PROTOZOA: APICOMPLEXA: GREGARINOMORPHEA) OF THE GENUS Monocystis STEIN, 1848 FROM EARTHWORMS OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA
BIPLAB BHOWMIK *
Department of Zoology, Diamond Harbour Women’s University, Diamond Harbour – 743368, West Bengal, India.
BEAUTY KUNDU
Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741235, West Bengal, India.
PROBIR KUMAR BANDYOPADHYAY
Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741235, West Bengal, India and Our supervisor Prof. Probir Kumar Bandyopadhyay died prior to manuscript submission; we therefore dedicate this paper to him.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The present communication is devoted to describe five new species of acephaline gregarines (Apicomplexa: Gregarinomorphea) of the genus Monocystis namely Monocystis elliptoidum sp. nov., Monocystis pontoscolexae sp. nov., Monocystis dolium sp. nov., Monocystis lomentum sp. nov., and Monocystis asmati sp. nov. have been found from the seminal vesicles of earthworms Metaphire posthuma, Pontoscolex corethrurus, Eutyphoeus waltoni, Eutyphoeus orientalis, and Perionyx excavatus respectively. Monocystis elliptoidum sp. nov. is characterized by elliptoid trophozoites, rounded nucleus, orbicular gametocysts and rhomboid oocysts. Monocystis pontoscolexae sp. nov. have elongated, obpyriform-shaped trophozoites, rounded nucleus, fusiform shaped gametocysts and fusiform oocysts. Monocystis dolium sp. nov. is characterized by doliform trophozoites, rounded nucleus, orbicular gametocysts and fusiform oocysts. Monocystis lomentum sp. nov. have lomentiform shaped trophozoites, rounded nucleus and fusiform oocysts. Trophozoites of Monocystis asmati sp. nov. are obpanduriform, nucleus rounded and oocysts fusiform. The relationship of these Monocystis sp. nov. with their closely related species have been presented and their diagnoses were also discussed using morphometrics.
Keywords: Monocystis elliptoidum, Monocystis pontoscolexae, Monocystis dolium, Monocystis lomentium, Monocystis asmati