Family Raillietiellidae Sambon, 1922

Raillietiella hebitihamata

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• Raillietiellinae Sambon, L.W. 1922. A synopsis of the family Linguatulidae [part I]. Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 25: 188-206 [190] [as subfamily of Linguatulidae].

Introduction

The definitive hosts of raillietiellids are snakes, lizards and amphibians, with intermediate hosts among the same taxa where known.

The family comprising Cephalobaena Heymons, 1922, Raillietiella Sambon, 1910 and Yelirella Spratt, 2010 has been universally known as Cephalobaenidae Heymons, 1922 (published 27 October) even though the subfamily name Raillietiellinae Sambon, 1922 (published 15 June) predates Heymons’ name. This failure to apply the ICZN rule of precedence was pointed out by Stunkard & Gandal (1968) who have been ignored. ICZN (1999) Article 35.5 does not allow for a family-group name in prevailing usage to be displaced by an older name within the same subjective family if it were recognised as more senior before 1999.

Self (1969) provided a key to two genera, not including the one recently described. Two genera have been recorded in Australia. In addition to the described species of Raillietiella there are potentially others as yet unidentifiable (Riley & Spratt 1987). The introduced Cane Toad Rhinella marinus carries Raillietiella indica Gedoelst, 1921 in Hawaii (Barton & Riley 2004), but published reports are of R. frenata from Australia. As explained under R. hebitihamata both R. indica and R. hebitihamata are potential subjective senior synonyms of R. frenata.

General References

Barton, D.P. & Riley, J.H. 2004. Raillietiella indica (Pentastomida) from the lungs of the Giant Toad, Bufo marinus (Amphibia), in Hawaii, U.S.A. Comparative Parasitology 71: 251-254

ICZN 1999. International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. IV Edition. London : International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature xxix+ 306 pp.

Riley, J. & Spratt, D.M. 1987. Further observations on pentastomids (Arthropoda) parasitic in Australian mammals and reptiles. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 21: 139-147

Self, J.T. 1969. Biological relationships of the Pentastomida; a bibliography on the Pentastomida. Experimental Parasitology 24: 63-119

Stunkard, H.W. & Gandal, C.P. 1968. The pentastomes Waddycephalus tertiusculus (Baird, 1862) Sambon, 1922 and Parasambonia bridgesi n. gen., n. sp., from the lungs of the Australian snake, Pseudechis porphyriacus. Zoologica (New York) 53: 49-56

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