sp. nov. (Bothriocephalidae Blanchard, 1849), a cestode parasite of the shorthead lizardfish(Synodontidae) from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.

Abstract

A new species of bothriocephalid cestode in the genusis described from the intestine of the shorthead lizardfishfrom the north Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The new species is described based on an integrative taxonomic approach that includes the use of light and scanning electron microscopy, 28S rDNA sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis.sp. nov. is the third known member of this genus and can be distinguished from(Linton, 1905) andJensen & Heckmann, 1977 by a combination of morphological and ecological traits and, in particular, by having a vaginal sphincter, different number of testes, and different type host and type locality. The molecular analysis and the phylogenetic reconstructions supported its status as a new taxon placing it within a well-supported separate branch ofspp. subclade. According to the present finding,represents a new host record and Costa Rica a new geographical record forspecies, and, in general, for a bothriocephalid cestode.