Caudotestis ventichthysi is a species of
trematode
Trematoda is a Class (biology), class of flatworms known as trematodes, and commonly as flukes. They are obligate parasite, obligate Endoparasites, internal parasites with a complex biological life cycle, life cycle requiring at least two Host ( ...
s inhabiting
hydrothermal vent
Hydrothermal vents are fissures on the seabed from which geothermally heated water discharges. They are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart at mid-ocean ridges, ocean basins, and hot ...
fishes (particularly ''
Ventichthys biospeedoi'') in the south eastern
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. It can be distinguished from its family by its symmetrical
testicular
A testicle or testis ( testes) is the gonad in all male bilaterians, including humans, and is homologous to the ovary in females. Its primary functions are the production of sperm and the secretion of androgens, primarily testosterone.
The r ...
configuration; its
uterus
The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the hollow organ, organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic development, embryonic and prenatal development, f ...
passing between the testes. Furthermore, what differentiates it from its cogenerates is
caecal length;
cirrus sac length; its internal
seminal vesicle
The seminal vesicles (also called vesicular glands or seminal glands) are a pair of convoluted tubular accessory glands that lie behind the urinary bladder of male mammals. They secrete fluid that largely composes the semen.
The vesicles are 5 ...
's shape;
vitelline
Vitelline may refer to:
Embryology
* Vitelline arteries, arteries that bring blood to the yolk sac
* Vitelline circulation, the system of blood flowing between an embryo and its yolk sac
* Vitelline cyst, a developmental defect relating to the cl ...
extent and arrangement, as well as forebody length and egg-size.
References
External links
WORMS
Plagiorchiida
Trematodes parasiting fish
Animals described in 2014
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