Spermiogenesis and spermatozoon of the liver fluke mediogonimus jourdanei (microphalloidea: prosthogonimidae), a parasite of myodes glareolus (rodentia: cricetidae) (original) (raw)

2013, Folia Parasitologica

the genus Mediogonimus Woodhead et Malewitz, 1936 includes liver parasites of arvicoline and murine rodents from North America and Europe (see Jones 2008). to date, this genus includes only two species, namely Mediogonimus ovilacus Woodhead et Malewitz, 1936 and Mediogonimus jourdanei Mas-coma et rocamora, 1978. the genus Mediogonimus was initially placed in the subfamily Prosthogoniminae lühe, 1909 in the family Prosthogonimidae lühe, 1909. later, other authors included this subfamily in the family Plagiorchiidae lühe, 1901 or lepodermatidae odhner, 1910 (now synonymized with Plagiorchiidae). The classification and taxonomic status of Prosthogonimidae have varied considerably according to authors. the Prosthogonimidae have been considered a family closely related to the cephalogonimidae looss, 1899, both families included in the superfamily Plagiorchioidea lühe, 1901, due to morphoanatomical aspects (see Jones 2008). Brooks et al. (1989), who accept the latter family status, propose placing it in the superfamily Microphalloidea Ward, 1901, although it is unclear how they reached this conclusion based on their morphological phylogenetic analysis (see cribb et al. 2001). recently, the relationship between cephalogonimids and prosthogonimids was not corroborated by molecular analysis (olson et al. 2003). According to the latter authors, they represent different clades and prosthogonimids are the sister group of the microphalloidean family Pleurogenidae travassos, 1921. these results are in agreement with Jones (2008) who considers that the family Prosthogonimidae should belong to the superfamily Microphalloidea. the controversies concerning this family are common to most digenean taxa, being recurrent problems to the establishment of relationships within the Platyhelminthes. in order to help clarifying such relationships in the Platy