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The Morphology and Taxonomy of Leucochloridium (L.) variae Mclntosh (Digenea, Leucochloridiidae) from the Nearctic as Revealed by Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy
Author(s) -
BAKKE TOR A.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
zoologica scripta
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.204
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1463-6409
pISSN - 0300-3256
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-6409.1982.tb00521.x
Subject(s) - biology , nearctic ecozone , sensu , zoology , intraspecific competition , taxonomy (biology) , digenea , holarctic , larva , morphology (biology) , ecology , trematoda , genus , helminths
The morphology of the sporocyst and metacercarial stages of Leucochloridium ( Leucochloridium ) variae from Succinea ovalis in Nebraska, U.S.A., as revealed by light microscopy is described, These results are compared with earlier Holarctic larval descriptions of the brown‐banded broodsac complex. The adult morphology as revealed by light and electron microscopical studies on experimentally reared adults from Larus canus and Taeniopygia guttata is described and compared with earlier information on this and other species described within the same species complex. No significant differences were found within the Nearctic, or between the Nearctic and Palaearctic material, which imply that L. variae McIntosh (and sensu Lewis), L. pricei McIntosh, the “Rensselaerville‐sporocyst” described by Ingram & Hewitt, L. fuscostriatum Robinson, L. perturbatum Pojmanska, L. subtilis Pojmanska, L. fuscum Rietschel, and Leucochloridium sp. described by Bakke, are considered conspecific, L. melospizae McIntosh sp. inquirenda. The tendencies for larval differences to be correlated with geographical subregions were judged to be no more than intraspecific variation within a brown‐banded sporocyst complex. Different characteristics of both larval and adult stages are described in more detail and discussed.