New specimens and molecular data provide validation of Apatemon jamiesoni n. sp. (Trematoda: Strigeidae) from water birds in New Zealand.

ABSTRACT: A study published in 2016 reported on an undescribed species of Apatemon (Strigeidae) from New Zealand that was previously well known from its larval stages. Only a single specimen from a mallard duck was available at the time, which was described and given the provisional name Apatemon sp. "jamiesoni". Specimens also obtained from a spotted shag were not in good enough condition to form the basis of a new species description. A black-backed gull has since been discovered with specimens of this strigeid, their identity confirmed by genetic similarity, allowing formal description and naming of this species. This paper provides a description of the new specimens from the black-backed gull, along with a comparison with the specimens from other bird hosts, reprises some data from Blasco-Costa

SUBMITTER: Presswell B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9402731 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature