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New data on the catenotaeniid cestode Gerbillitaenia psammomi (Mikhail and Fahmy, 1968) parasitizing Fat sand rats, Psammomys obesus (Muridae: Gerbillinae), in Tunisia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2025

A. Boubakri ,
H. Kacem ,
N. Martín-Carrillo ,
P. Foronda ,
S. Selmi  and
J. Miquel Open the ORCID record for J. Miquel [Opens in a new window]
A. Boubakri
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Écologie et Environement – LR24ES17, Département des Sciences de la Vie, Faculté des Sciences de Gabès, Université de Gabès Zrig, Gabès 6072, Tunisia
H. Kacem
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Écologie et Environement – LR24ES17, Département des Sciences de la Vie, Faculté des Sciences de Gabès, Université de Gabès Zrig, Gabès 6072, Tunisia Département des Sciences de la Vie, Faculté des Sciences de Sfax, Université de Sfax, Sfax 3000, Tunisia
N. Martín-Carrillo
Affiliation:
Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Av. Astrofísico F. Sánchez, sn, 38203 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain Departamento Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Av. Astrofísico F. Sánchez, sn, 38203 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
P. Foronda
Affiliation:
Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Av. Astrofísico F. Sánchez, sn, 38203 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain Departamento Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Av. Astrofísico F. Sánchez, sn, 38203 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
S. Selmi
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Écologie et Environement – LR24ES17, Département des Sciences de la Vie, Faculté des Sciences de Gabès, Université de Gabès Zrig, Gabès 6072, Tunisia
J. Miquel*
Affiliation:
Secció de Parasitologia, Departament de Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l’Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII, sn, 08028 Barcelona, Spain Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
*
Corresponding author: J. Miquel; Email: jordimiquel@ub.edu
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Abstract

The cestode Gerbillitaenia psammomi (Cyclophyllidea: Catenotaeniidae: Skrjabinotaeniinae) was found parasitizing fat sand rats (Psammomys obesus) in the south of Tunisia. The species was found previously in P. obesus from Egypt and in Meriones shawi from Morocco. The present finding constitutes the first record of the species in Tunisia. In the present study, G. psammomi was morphologically characterized using light microscopy and compared to previous records of the species. The main differentiating morphological features of G. psammomi with respect to other skrjabinotaenines of North African Gerbillinae murids are, in particular, the shape of strobila, size of suckers, number of testes, absence of an antero-poral ovarian lobe, length of the central uterine stem, and number of primary uterine branches. Negative density-dependent growth (crowding effect) has also been reported. Molecular analysis based on 28S rDNA was performed for G. psammomi and for Skrjabinotaenia oranensis. Thus, both species are grouped in a clade with other species of the subfamily Skrjabinotaeniinae and are clearly separated from the clade that includes species of the subfamily Catenotaeniinae. The molecular study confirmed the previously postulated synonymy of Meggittina numida with S. oranensis.

Keywords

Gerbillitaenia psammomiCatenotaeniidae28S rDNAcrowding effectPsammomys obesus

Information

Type
Research Paper
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 99 , 2025 , e62
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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