Acta Parasitologica, Vol. 51, No. 3, 2006, 213-216 Charles R. Bursey(1)*, Stephen R. Goldberg(2) and Fred Kraus(3) - A new species of Cosmocerca (Nematoda, Cosmocercidae) and other helminths from Genyophryne thomsoni (Anura, Microhylidae) from Papua New Guinea
(1)Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Shenango Campus, Sharon, Pennsylvania 16146; (2)Department of Biology,
Whittier College, Whittier, California 90608; (3)Bishop Museum, Department of Natural Sciences, 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu,
Hawaii 96817; U.S.A.
*Corresponding author: cxb13@psu.edu
ABSTRACT
Cosmocerca tyleri sp. nov. (Ascaridida, Cosmocercidae) from the large intestine of Genyophryne thomsoni (Anura,
Microhylidae) is described and illustrated. Cosmocerca tyleri sp. nov. represents the 23rd species assigned to the genus and
the 6th from the Australian realm. Of the 5 Australian species previously described, C. tyleri sp. nov. differs from C. limnodynastes
and C. novaeguineae in number of plectanes, 4 pairs in C. tyleri, 5 pairs in C. limnodynastes and C. novaeguineae.
Cosmocerca australis has 3-4 pairs of plectanes, C. archeyi and C. zugi each have 4 pairs of plectanes; however, in each species
the plectanes lie in the fourth quarter of the body and just anterior to the cloaca. In C. tyleri sp. nov. the plectanes lie in the third
quarter of the body and there is significant space between the cloaca and the posterior pair of plectanes.
KEY WORDS: Helminths, Cosmocerca tyleri sp. nov., Genyophryne thomsoni, Anura, Papua New Guinea