Supplemental description ofOdhner, 1902 (Digenea: Echinochasmidae) infecting the Nile crocodile,(Crocodylidae) from Namibia with emendation ofDietz, 1909 and a phylogenetic analysis.

Abstract

The synonymies of the echinochasmid generaDietz, 1909 andDietz, 1909 withOdhner, 1902 remain contentious and unresolved with morphology. To explore the matter, we herein provide a supplemental description of the type species of,Odhner, 1902, based on specimens we collected from the intestine of a Nile crocodileLaurenti, 1768 (Crocodylia: Crocodylidae) captured in the Kavango River, Namibia. No nucleotide information was available previously forMorphology plusandphylogenetic analyses suggestedis a monotypic genus that can be differentiated from other genera by having 26 collar spines.differs fromby the number and distribution of collar spines (26 [2 dorsal spines, 12 lateral spines, 12 corner spines] vs. 22 [2 dorsal spines, 12 lateral spines, 8 corner spines] in), length of the pre-pharyngeal oesophagus, pharynx position posterior to collar (vs. pre-pharyngeal oesophagus short, pharynx anterior to or at level of corner spines), and testes shape (elongate-ovoid, irregular in outline vs. ovoid, atypically elongated). Ourandphylogenies recovered the new sequence of(having 26 collar spines) sister to all remaining echinochasmid sequences, representing species that have 20-24 collar spines.Dietz, 1909 andwere recovered as paraphyletic. We retainas a junior subjective synonym ofbased a suite of morphological features related to body shape and genitalia and because the designated type forwas reassigned toWe accept 25 species of