''Philometra otolithi'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
parasitic nematode
The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...
of fishes, infecting the
gonad
A gonad, sex gland, or reproductive gland is a mixed gland that produces the gametes and sex hormones of an organism. Female reproductive cells are egg cells, and male reproductive cells are sperm. The male gonad, the testicle, produces sper ...
s of marine
perciform fishes off the eastern Indian coast. It was first found in the tigertooth croaker, ''
Otolithes ruber''. It is distinguished from its cogenerates by the
gubernaculum
The paired gubernacula (from Ancient Greek κυβερνάω = pilot, steer) also called the caudal genital ligament, are embryonic structures which begin as undifferentiated mesenchyme attaching to the caudal end of the gonads (testes in male ...
structure in males, as well as the shape and structure of the females' cephalic and caudal ends, and their
oesophagus
The esophagus (American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to the ...
.
[Moravec, Frantisek, and Jayaraman Manoharan. "Gonad-infecting philometrids (Nematoda: Philometridae) including four new species from marine fishes off the eastern coast of India." Folia Parasitologica 60.2 (2013): 105.]
References
Further reading
*Moravec, František, Maryam Khosheghbal, and Jamileh Pazooki. "Dichelyne (Dichelyne) spinigerus sp. nov.(Nematoda: Cucullanidae) from the marine fish Otolithes ruber (Sciaenidae) off Iran and first description of the male of Philometra otolithi Moravec et Manoharan, 2013 (Nematoda: Philometridae)."Acta Parasitologica 59.2 (2014): 229-237.
*Moravec, František, and Atheer Hussain Ali. "Additional observations on Philometra spp.(Nematoda: Philometridae) in marine fishes off Iraq, with the description of two new species." Systematic parasitology 87.3 (2014): 259-271.
External links
WORMS
Camallanida
Parasitic nematodes of fish
Nematodes described in 2013
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