Abstract
We reinvestigate four species of the genus Chordodes from Central Asia and one from Georgia (Transcaucasian part of former USSR) in order to certify the taxonomic descriptions and verify the species status. By scanning electron microscopy, we demonstrate characteristic cuticular patterns for Chordodes anthophorus. The other three species, C. aquaeductus, C. ferganensis and C. oscillatus are synonymized with C. anthophorus because no differences were detected.
References
Camerano, L. (1897) Monografia dei Gordei. Memoire delle Reale Accademia delle Science di Torino, 47, 339–419.
Carvalho, J.C. (1946) Uma nova espécie de Gordiáceo do Brasil e considerações sôbre Chordodes brasiliensis Janda. Boletin do Museu Nacional de Rio de Janeiro, 62, 1–8.
Carvalho, J.C. & Feio, J.L. (1950) Sobre alguns Gordiaceos do Brasil e da Republica Argentina (Nematomorpha, Gordioidea). Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias, 2, 193–206.
De Villalobos, C., Hancock, E.G. & Zanca, F. (2004a). Redescription and sexual dimorphism of Chordodes balzani Camerano, 1896 (Nematomorpha). Journal of Natural History, 38, 2305–2313.
De Villalobos, C., Zanca, F. & Schmidt-Rhaesa, A. (2004b). New data on South American species of Chordodes (Nematomorpha). Revista do Museu Nacional/UFRJ, 62, 375–386.
De Villalobos, C. & Zanca, F. (2005) Ultrastructural redescription of Chordodes moraisi (Carvalho 1942) and C. staviarskii Carvalho & Feio, 1950 and reinterpretation of C. gestri Camerano, 1904 and Pseudochordodes griffinii (Camerano 1898) (Gordiida Nematomorpha). Journal of Natural History, 39, 597–606.
Kirjanova, E.S. (1950) Nematomorpha from the basin of the river Serawshan. Chordodes aquaeductus. Trudy Zoologicheskogo Instituta Akademii Nauk, 9, 255–280.
Kirjanova, E.S. (1953). A new species of hairworm (Chordodes oscillatus sp. nov.) from Georgia. Soobshcheniya Akademii Nauk Gruzinskoi SSR 14, 101–103.
Kirjanova, E.S. & Spiridonov, S. E. (1989) Two new species of the nematomorphs of the genus Chordodes from mantids. Parasitologiya, 23, 358–362.
Montgomery, T.H. (1898) The gordiacea of certain American collections. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, 32, 23–59.
Schmidt- Rhaesa, A. (1997) Nematomorpha. In: Süsswasserfauna von Mitteleuropa. G. Fischer, Stuttgart, 1–123.
Schmidt-Rhaesa, A. (2002) Australian species of Chordodes (Nematomorpha) with a description of two new species, remarks on the genus Chordodes and its life history. Journal of Natural History, 36, 1569–1588.