''Lethacotyle vera'' is a species of

monogenea Monogeneans, members of the class Monogenea, are a group of ectoparasitic flatworms commonly found on the skin, gills, or fins of fish. They have a direct lifecycle and do not require an intermediate host. Adults are hermaphrodites, meaning they ...

n of the family Protomicrocotylidae.Johnston, T. A. & Tiegs, O. W. 1922: New gyrodactyloid trematodes from Australian fishes together with a reclassification of the super-family Gyrodactyloidea. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 47, 83-131. The species is ectoparasitic on the gills of the brassy trevally, (''Caranx papuensis''), off

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

and was found only in this locality. It is the second species of the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

'' Lethacotyle'' Manter & Prince, 1953 described after the type-species, '' Lethacotyle fijiensis'' Manter & Prince, 1953. The genus '' Lethacotyle'' is special in that its members have no

clamps Clamp may refer to: Tools and devices *Brick clamp, an early method of baking bricks *Clamp (tool), a device or tool used to hold objects in a fixed relative position (many types listed) **C-clamp **C-clamp (stagecraft) **Riser clamp, a device u ...

on their posterior attachment organ or

haptor The haptor is the attachment organ of the monogeneans, a group of parasitic Platyhelminthes. The haptor is sometimes called opisthaptor (from ''opistho-'': behind) to emphasize that it is located in the posterior part of the body, and to diffe ...

, in contrast to most

polyopisthocotylea Polyopisthocotylea is a subclass of parasitic flatworms in the class Monogenea.WoRMS (2023). Polyopisthocotylea. Accessed at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=119220 on 2023-12-21Yamaguti, S. (1963). Systema Helminthum Volu ...

Monogenea Monogeneans, members of the class Monogenea, are a group of ectoparasitic flatworms commonly found on the skin, gills, or fins of fish. They have a direct lifecycle and do not require an intermediate host. Adults are hermaphrodites, meaning they ...

ns which have clamps. The body of adult ''L. vera'' is 2.7-5.4 millimetres in length. The body is elongate, flat, with a pointed head showing two anterior suckers. There are numerous anterior

testes 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 ...

and a single posterior

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

. The eggs bear two elongate filaments. The copulatory organs include a sclerotised cone-shaped vagina, 125-175 μm in length, and a male copulatory organ, comprising a ring of 21-27 spines which are 50 μm in length. The length of the spines of the male copulatory apparatus is the main

diagnosis Diagnosis (: diagnoses) is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in a lot of different academic discipline, disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " ...

character of the species, which allows its separation from '' L. fijiensis'', the only other species of the genus. The posterior part of the body of ''L. vera'' is asymmetrical. It bears two lateral flaps and a terminal lappet which is striated, and there are no

- this is a characteristic of the

'' Lethacotyle''.Manter, H. W. & Prince, D. F. 1953: Some Monogenetic Trematodes of marine fishes from Fiji. Proceedings of the Helminthological Society of Washington, 20, 105-112. The etymology of the name of the species was, according to the authors of the taxon, "''vera'', Latin for true, because '' Lethacotyle'', a genus differentiated by absence of clamps, was based on true observations".

References

External links

Parasite of the day Blog: "''Lethacotyle vera''"

PLoSONE Blog: "Fish beware: a new species of parasite is discovered"
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15276666 Protomicrocotylidae Animals described in 2013