A list and key to the identification of valid species of tapeworms of the Proteocephalus Weinland, 1858 aggregate sensu de Chambrier et al. (2004), i.e. species of the genus occurring in fresh- and brackish-water fishes in the Palaearctic Region, are provided, with data on their hosts and geographical distribution. Instead of 32 taxa listed by Schmidt (1986) and subsequent authors, only the following 14 species are considered to be valid: P. ambiguus (Dujardin, 1845) (type-species); P. cernuae (Gmelin, 1790); P. filicollis (Rudolphi, 1802); P. fluviatilis Bangham, 1925; P. gobiorum Dogiel & Bychowsky, 1939; P. longicollis (Zeder, 1800); P. macrocephalus (Creplin, 1825); P. midoriensis Shimazu, 1990; P. percae (Müller, 1780); P. plecoglossi Yamaguti, 1934; P. sagittus (Grimm, 1872); P. tetrastomus (Rudolphi, 1810); P. thymalli (Annenkova-Chlopina, 1923); and P. torulosus (Batsch, 1786). An analysis of sequences of the nuclear genes (ITS2 and V4 region of 18S rDNA) revealed the following phylogenetic relationships for these taxa: P. torulosus ((P. midoriensis, P. sagittus) (P. fluviatilis (P. filicollis, P. gobiorum, P. macrocephalus)) (P. cernuae, P. plecoglossi, P. tetrastomus ((P. longicollis, P. percae) (P. ambiguus, P. thymalli)))). P. pronini Rusinek, 2001 from grayling Thymallus arcticus nigrescens is synonymised with P. thymalli. P. esocis La Rue, 1911 is apparently invalid but its conspecificity with either P. percae or P. longicollis could not be confirmed due to the absence of the scolex in the holotype and the unavailability of other material for morphological and molecular studies. P. osculatus (Goeze, 1782) has recently been transferred to Glanitaenia de Chambrier, Mariaux, Vaucher & Zehnder, 2004. The validity of the genus is supported by the position of G. osculata within the Proteocephalidea, based on molecular data, as well as its morphology and nature of the definitive host (the European wels Silurus glanis). P. hemispherous Rahemo & Al-Niaeemi, 2001, described from S. glanis in Iraq, is transferred to Postgangesia Akhmerov, 1960 as Postgangesia hemispherous (Rahemo & Al-Niaeemi, 2001) n. comb.

• MeSH
• Cestoda genetics   MeSH
• DNA, Helminth chemistry   genetics   MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer chemistry   genetics   MeSH
• Molecular Sequence Data MeSH
• Polymerase Chain Reaction MeSH
• RNA, Ribosomal, 18S chemistry   genetics   MeSH
• RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S chemistry   genetics   MeSH
• Fishes parasitology   MeSH
• Base Sequence MeSH
• Sequence Alignment MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA, Helminth MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer MeSH
• RNA, Ribosomal, 18S MeSH
• RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S MeSH

Phylogenetic analysis of sequences of the ITS-2 rRNA genes of 20 samples of pseudophyllidean cestodes of the family Diphyllobothriidae (Ligula, Digramma, Diphyllobothrium, and Schistocephalus) from different hosts and geographical regions revealed that: (1) the inclusion of ligulids (previously family Ligulidae) to the Diphyllobothriidae is correct; (2) Schistocephalus appears as the most basal taxon of the Diphyllobothriidae, well separated from Ligula and Digramma, thus supporting the validity of Schistocephalinae Dubinina, 1962; (3) Digramma belonged with samples of Ligula, thus suggesting its invalidity as a genus; and (4) isolates of Ligula, presumably belonging to Ligula intestinalis, are paraphyletic, indicating that this species may represent a complex of separate taxa. Our results indicate the necessity for a taxonomic revision of the family Diphyllobothriidae.

• MeSH
• Cestoda classification   genetics   MeSH
• Cestode Infections parasitology   veterinary   MeSH
• Diphyllobothrium classification   genetics   MeSH
• Phylogeny * MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer analysis   genetics   MeSH
• Molecular Sequence Data MeSH
• Fish Diseases parasitology   MeSH
• Fishes parasitology   MeSH
• Sequence Analysis, DNA * MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer MeSH

A taxonomic study of specimens of Bothriocephalus from eels ( Anguilla spp.) in Japan has demonstrated the occurrence of two species, B. claviceps (Goeze, 1782) and B. japonicus Yamaguti, 1934. The former species is a parasite of eels ( A. anguilla and A. rostrata ) in the Holarctic Region and was recently reported from A. marmorata in Japan. The conspecificity of tapeworms newly found in an eel ( A. ? japonica ) from Lake Biwa, central Japan, with B. claviceps has been confirmed by the great similarity of their ITS-2 gene sequences (similarity 95.3% and 95.2%). However, the sequences of worms identified as B. claviceps from A. marmorata differed considerably from those of B. claviceps from two populations of A. anguilla from Europe and the above-mentioned one from Japan (similarity 66.3%, 67.1% and 65.1 %, respectively), thus indicating that the former cestodes may have been misidentified. This assumption was confirmed by morphological evaluation of a voucher specimen from A. marmorata. The morphology of this cestode, as well as those from A. japonica from two localities in Japan (Lakes Biwa and Suwa), indicates their conspecificity with B. japonicus. The validity of this taxon has been confirmed on the basis of a re-examination of the type-specimens. The two taxa, B. japonicus and B. claviceps, differ from each other in the shape and length of the scolex (619-730 microm in B. japonicus versus 1,180-2,100 microm in B. claviceps ), the relative position of the cirro-vaginal and uterine pores (opposite each other in relation to the median line of the body in B. japonicus versus tandem or slightly offset along the median line in the latter species), and the size of the eggs (41-52 x 28-35 microm in B. japonicus versus 50-70 x 31-43 microm in B. claviceps ).

• MeSH
• Eels parasitology   MeSH
• Cestoda anatomy & histology   classification   genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• DNA, Helminth chemistry   isolation & purification   MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer chemistry   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Molecular Sequence Data MeSH
• Ovum cytology   MeSH
• Polymerase Chain Reaction MeSH
• Base Sequence MeSH
• Sequence Analysis, DNA MeSH
• Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid MeSH
• Sequence Alignment MeSH
• Uterus anatomy & histology   MeSH
• Vagina anatomy & histology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Japan MeSH
• Names of Substances
• DNA, Helminth MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal Spacer MeSH