Paralueheia guptai n. gen. & n. sp. from the intestine of a marine fish Stromateus sinensis Day, from Deegha, West Bengal, India, is described. As compared with other genera of subfamily Plagiorhynchinae Meyer, 1931, the new genus was found to possess unique morpho-anatomical characters: proboscis having 20 longitudinal rows of hooks with 17-18 hooks per row; testes pre-equatorial and tandem; two cement glands. Diagnostic characters of the new genus and a key of genera are provided.

2. Journal of Parasitic Diseases: June 2008, Vol. 32, No. 1, 56-59 Original paper
J P D
On Paralueheia guptai n. gen. & n. sp. (Acanthocephala:
Plagiorhynchinae Meyer, 1931) from Stromateus sinensis
A. M. Saxena and Rahul Gupta
Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow.
Received 24 March 2008; revised 19 May 2008; accepted 10 September 2008
ABSTRACT. Paralueheia guptai n. gen. & n. sp. from the intestine of a marine fish Stromateus
sinensis Day, from Deegha, West Bengal, India, is described. As compared with other genera of
subfamily Plagiorhynchinae Meyer, 1931, the new genus was found to possess unique morpho-
anatomical characters: proboscis having 20 longitudinal rows of hooks with 17–18 hooks per row;
testes pre-equatorial and tandem; two cement glands. Diagnostic characters of the new genus and
a key of genera are provided.
Keywords: Acanthocephala, Deegha, intestine, Paralueheia guptai, Stromateus sinensis Day.
INTRODUCTION
The Acanthocephala are endoparasites which lack a
digestive tract in all stages of their development. The
characteristic feature of the phylum is an organ of
attachment consisting of an invaginable proboscis,
armed with rows of re-curved hooks (Hyman, 1951).
Out of 800 known species, 229 (28.62%) of them have
been reported from India (Alfred, 1998), including 203
species native to Indian region (Bhattacharya, 1998).
This indicates a very high percentage of prevalence.
Fishes have been found to be more susceptible to
infection of Acanthocephala (Milton and Franson, 1999;
Taraschewski, 2000). In the present paper, a new genera
and species is described as Paralueheia guptai n. gen. &
n. sp. (Fig. 1–4) from the intestine of a marine fish
Stromateus sinensis Day (Fig. 5), recovered at Deegha,
West Bengal, India.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A large number of marine fishes were collected from the
Corresponding author: Dr. A. M. Saxena, Department of
Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow-226 007, India.
E-mail: anandmsaxena@rediffmail.com
sea coast of Deegha, West Bengal, and dissected out
and examined. During the examination, two male
Acanthocephala specimens were recovered from the
intestine of S. sinensis. The parasites were thoroughly
washed and then kept in refrigerator till complete
reversion of proboscis. Later, the parasites were
flattened under slight pressure of cover glass and kept
in A. F. A. fixative (50% alcohol, formaline and
acetic acid in ratio of 100:6:2.5) for 24 h. After
fixation, the parasites were stained in acetoalum
carmine, differentiated in acid alcohol, dehydrated
through ascending series of alcohol, cleared in xylol
and then mounted in Canada balsam. Diagrams were
made with the aid of Camera Lucida. All
measurements are in millimeter.
Type Description: Body is elongate, spinose,
cylindrical and slightly broader at middle and narrow
at extremities. Size is 4.2–10.6 mm long and 0.60–1
mm wide. Proboscis is sub-globular, short, 0.56–1.2
mm long and 0.38–0.66 mm wide, and having 20
longitudinal rows of hooks with 17–18 hooks per
row. Proboscis hooks are not uniform. Hooks of
anterior region are 0.060–0.062 mm long, of middle
region

3. A n. gen. & n. sp. from Stromateus sinensis 57
0.052–0.056 mm long and of posterior region 0.041–
0.048 mm long. Neck is short and 0.18–1.06 mm long.
Trunk is spinose at anterior region, cylindrical, and
3.46–7.9 mm long and 0.60–1 mm wide. Proboscis
receptacle is double walled and claviform, and 1.05–
3.15 mm long and 0.22–0.26 mm wide. Lemnisci are
equal, extending up to middle of anterior testis, and
0.56–1.1 mm long. Testes are ovoid or elongate,
tandem, pre-equatorial, subequal, and apart from each
other. Anterior testis is 0.14–0.21 mm long and 0.08–
0.16 mm wide, and at 1.96–2.89 mm from anterior end
of the trunk. Posterior testis is 0.2–0.21 mm long and
0.09–0.17 mm wide, and at 2.11–3.10 mm from anterior
end of the trunk. Cement glands are two in
Fig. 1-4. Paralueheia guptai n. gen. & n. sp.
Fig. 1. Entire male (ventral view).
Fig. 2. Male proboscis enlarged (ventral view).
Fig. 3. Single row of proboscis hooks of male.
Fig. 4. Proboscis hooks enlarged.
number, long, tubular, and 0.96–2.17 mm long and
0.06–0.14 mm wide. Seminal vesicle is pyriform, and
0.22–0.33 mm long and 0.07–0.25 mm wide. Bursa is
globular or pyriform, without bursal rays, and 0.31–
0.52 mm long and 0.16–0.34 mm wide. Genital pore
is terminal.
DISCUSSION
The present form of the parasite has been referred to
subfamily Plagiorhynchinae Meyer, 1931 of the family
Plagiorhynchidae Golvan, 1960 in having numerous
hooks on sub-globular proboscis; lemnisci slender, large
and without distinct central canal, and cement

4. 58 Saxena and Gupta
Fig. 5. Stromateus sinensis Day
Table I. Comparative chart of the genera of the subfamily Plagiorhynchinae Meyer, 1931
Genus
Structures
Plagiorhynchus
Luhe, 1911
Lueheia
Travassos, 1919
Oligoterorhynchus
Monticelli, 1914
Pseudogordiorhync-
hus Golvan, 1957
Paralueheia new
genus
Body hape Plump, fusiform Fusiform Elongate Elongate Elongate
Proboscis
and
Proboscis
hooks
Cylindrical or
subcylindrical,
18-22
longitudinal rows
with 10-12 hooks
per row
Subglobular,
22-30
longitudinal
rows with 8-10
hooks per row
Ovoid, 14
longitudinal rows
with 6-7 hooks per
row
Tunicated, 28-34
longitudinal rows
with 12-13 hooks
per row
Subglobular, 20
longitudinal
rows with 17 to
18 hooks per row
Proboscis
receptacle
Subcylindrical Claviform Subcylindrical Elongate Claviform
Lemnisci Unequal,
branched,
slender, 2
Unequal,
unbranched,
tubular, 4-6
Equal, unbranched,
tubular, 2
Equal, unbranched,
flattened, 2
Equal,
unbranched,
tubular,2
Testes Preequatorial Preequatorial
continuous
Postequatorial,
tandem
Preequatorial,
continuous
Preequatorial,
tandem
Cement
glands
4, 6 or 8 in
number
4 in number 4 in number 3 in number 2 in number
glands tubular. Subfamily Plagiorhynchinae comprises
of the following genera: Plagiorhynchus Luhe, 1911;
Pseudogordiorhynchus Golvan, 1957; Lueheia
Travassos, 1919 and Oligoterorhynchus Monticelli,
1914 (Yamaguti, 1961). The present form differs from
all these genera of subfamily Plagiorhynchinae in having
two cement glands, and 20 longitudinal rows of
proboscis hooks with 17–18 hooks per row. There are
18–22 longitudinal rows of proboscis hooks with 8–10
hooks per row in Plagiorhynchus, 22–30 longitudinal
rows with 8–10 hooks per row in Lueheia, 14
longitudinal rows with 6–7 hooks per row in
Oligoterorhynchus, and 28–34 longitudinal rows with
12–13 hooks per row in Pseudogordiorhynchus. There

5. A n. gen. & n. sp. from Stromateus sinensis
are 4–8 cement glands in Plagiorhynchus, three in
Pseudogordiorhynchus, four each in Lueheia and
Oligoterorhynchus.
The present form can be further distinguished from
O l i g o t e r o r h y n c h u s , P l a g i o r h y n c h u
s a n d Pseudogordiorhynchus in having sub-globular
proboscis; from Lueheia in having lemnisci two and
equal, and testes tandem; from Oligoterorhynchus in
h a v i n g t e s t e s p r e q u a t o r i a l , a n d f r o m
Pseudogordiorhynchus in having testes tandem
(Table I). Accordingly, it is not possible to assign the
present f o r m u n d e r a n y g e n u s o f t h e s u b f
a m i l y Plagiorhynchinae. Therefore, it deserves the
status of a new genus Paralueheia, with type species
P. guptai n. gen. & n. sp., proposed for its reception.
The new species is named in the honour of late
professor S. P. Gupta, D. Sc., Department of Zoology,
University of Lucknow, Lucknow.
Paralueheia n. gen.
Generic diagnosis: Family-Plagiorhynchidae;
subfamily-Plagiorhynchinae; body elongate, spinose
and cylindrical. Proboscis subglobular, having 20
longitudinal rows of hooks with 17–18 hooks per
row, hooks large at apex and small at the base of
proboscis. Proboscis receptacle double-walled and
claviform. Lemnisci two, equal, tubular, and
extending up to middle of anterior testis. Testes ovoid
or elongate, subequal, preequatorial, and tandem.
Cement glands two, long and tubular. Seminal vesicle
pyriform. Bursa globular or pyriform without bursal
rays. Genital pore terminal. Parasite in marine fishes.
Type species: Paralueheia guptai n. gen. & n. sp.
Key to the genera of the subfamily Plagiorhyn-
chinae Meyer, 1931
1. Cement glands 2…… Paralueheia n. gen. & n. sp.
Cement glands more than 2… 2
2. Testes preequatorial …… 3
Testes postequatorial …… Oligoterorhynchus
Monticelli, 1914
(Yamaguti, 1963)
3. Lemnisci branched …… Plagiorhynchus
Luhe, 1911
Lemnisci unbranched …… 4
59
with 8–10 hooks per row…… Lueheia Travassos,
1919
Proboscis having 28–34 longitudinal rows of hooks
with 12–13 hooks per row …
Pseudogordiorhynchus Golvan, 1957
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Authors are thankful to Professor Nirupama Agarwal,
Head, Department of Zoology, University of
Lucknow, Lucknow for her constant encouragement
and guidance in this work.
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4. Proboscis having 22–30 longitudinal rows of hooks