Family Sebekidae Sambon, 1922

Sebekia johnstoni Riley, Spratt & Winch, 1990

Museums

Regional Maps

• Sebekini Sambon, L.W. 1922. A synopsis of the family Linguatulidae [part I]. Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 25: 188-206 [192] (erected as section of Porocephalinae, subfamily of Linguatulidae).

Introduction

Adults are parasites of crocodiles, alligators and turtles, the intermediate hosts being fishes and perhaps lizards and snakes. Junker & Boomker (2006) diagnosed the genera and listed all the species and their hosts.

Diagnosis

Body in adults short and massive (banana-shaped); cylindrical, often somewhat dilated posteriorly. Annuli in adults not thickened. Rostrum in adults absent. Mouth in adults behind anterior hooks. Podial lobes in adults absent. Proximal podomere of appendages 3 and 4 modified as fulcrum, campanulate in larvae and boat-shaped in adults; fulcrum in adults at least double length of hooks. Primary hooks in adults reduced, trapezoidal; accessory hooks present and dorsal from larvae to nymph, absent in adults; hooks with rows of large or reduced spines present. Cirrus sac in adults present, long. Terminal papillae in adults absent. Ejaculatory bulbs in adults elongate. Testes single. Nervous system in adults all ganglia fused into single suboesophagic nerve mass. Uterus in adults tubular. Female gonopore in adults subterminal, posterior, adjacent or fused to anus (opisthogyne condition). Thorax in larvae short, not segmented. Medium spine of penetrating apparatus in primary larvae simple. Lateral spines of penetrating apparatus in primary larvae bifid. Spines of annuli in nymph present. Spiny eggshells in adults absent. (derived from Almeida & Christoffersen 1999)

Body elongate or squat. Abdominal rings short, tight and numerous (>70). Lateral line usually visible. Hooks simple in adults, arranged in a trapezoid; hooks in adults double. Fulcrum variable, generally U-shaped, sometimes more or less oval or square. Female with vulva immediately anterior to anus (opisthogyne type). (translated from Fain 1961)

Diagnosis References

Almeida, W.O. & Christoffersen, M.L. 1999. A cladistic approach to relationships in Pentastomida. Journal of Parasitology 85: 695-704

Fain, A. 1961. Les pentastomides de l'Afrique centrale. Annales du Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale Tervuren Belgique sér. 8, Zool. 92: 1-115

General References

Junker, K. & Boomker, J. 2006. A check-list of the pentastomid parasites of crocodilians and freshwater chelonians. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, Pretoria 73: 27-36

History of changes