First record of Progrillotia dasyatidis Beveridge Neifar and Euzet, 2004 (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha) plerocerci from Teleost fishes off the Portuguese coast, with a description of the surface morphology.
Plerocerci of Progrillotia dasyatidis Beveridge et al. (2004), family Progrillotiidae Palm (2004), are reported from several teleost fishes off the Portuguese coast, giving a first insight into the life cycle biology of these unique trypanorhynchs. The first description and assignment of the plerocercus to P. dasyatidis is based on morphological features, such as scolex and bothria morphology and tentacular hook arrangement, and is expanded to incorporate the surface morphology, examined by scanning electron microscopy, constituting the first ultrastructural study for a species within this family. Comparisons with other species of the genus Progrillotia are made, based on the scolex and bothria morphology and tentacular hook arrangement, in order to give an overview into the variability within this genus, whereas comparisons with adults from the same species evidence the variability within the same species. The systematic approaches of Campbell and Beveridge (1994) and Palm (1997, 2004) are discussed and emphasis is placed on the utility of microtriches and the characteristic life cycle within the genus as systematic characters.