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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Butlerius

Butlerius Goodey, 1929 (ref. ID; 7813)

Family Diplogasteridae (ref. ID; 6182, 7813)

ref. ID; 1663

Stoma very wide and deep; anterior edge of stoma not marked and not bearing grooves or riblike structure. Esophagus with two bulbs. Uncommon species. (ref. ID; 1663)

ref. ID; 7813

Diagnosis (emended)

Head continuous with body. Female with 6 cephalic setae, males may have 4 additional cephalic setae, two each dorsally and ventrally. Cheilostom longer than wide, more or less rectangular in shape. Telostom as long as wide, rectangular or funnel-shaped. Lip aperture with or without 6 or 12 mobile membranous plates. Dorsal metarhabdion with a large mobile tooth. Dextral and sinistral subventral metarhabdions each with a small tooth set slightly more posterior to the dorsal metarhabdion, or with a denticulate plate dextrolaterally. Esophagus with a median valvate bulb set off from the postcorpus and isthmus. Ovaries paired, opposed, reflexed. Vulva a transverse slit or a pore. Male with a single reflexed testis, bursa absent. Male caudal papillae consisting of 2 pairs adanal and 6 or 7 pairs postanal. Gubernaculum present (except in B. okai where it is apparently absent), more or less curvilinear. Spicules cephalated. Tail long, filiform in both sexes. (ref. ID; 7813)

Remarks

The genus Butlerius T. Goodey, 1929 presently contains two distinct groups of species that are readily separated on the basis of one or two ovaries. This grouping is sufficiently distinctive to justify the establishment of Parabutlerius n. gen. for those species possessing a single ovary. Butlerius is rediagnosed and emended to reflect the transfer of species from Butlerius and to provide a complete generic diagnosis of Butlerius, which is presently inadequate. (ref. ID; 7813)
  1. Butlerius brevispiculatus Schuurmans Stekhoven & Teunissen, 1938 (ref. ID; 7813)
  2. Butlerius canadensis Ebsary, 1985 (ref. ID; 7813 original paper)
  3. Butlerius degrissei Grootaert & Jaques, 1979
    See; Monobutlerius degrissei (ref. ID; 5831), Parabutlerius degrissei (ref. ID; 7813)
  4. Butlerius gerlachi Meyl, 1957 (ref. ID; 7813)
  5. Butlerius macrospiculum Hunt, 1980
    See; Monobutlerius macrospiculum (ref. ID; 5831), Parabutlerius macrospiculum (ref. ID; 7813)
  6. Butlerius micans Pillai & Taylor, 1968 (ref. ID; 7813)
  7. Butlerius monhystera Taylor, 1964
    See; Monobutlerius monhystera (ref. ID; 5831), Parabutlerius monhystera (ref. ID; 7813)
  8. Butlerius spirifer Skwarra, 1968 (ref. ID; 7813)

Butlerius canadensis Ebsary, 1985 (ref. ID; 7813 original paper)

Differential diagnosis

Butlerius canadensis n. sp. is most closely related to B. gerlachi Meyl, 1957 but differs by having the cheilstom entrance divided into 12 membranous plates (absent in gerlachi), by the smaller c value (3-3.4 vs. 5.9-7.6), more anterior vulva (41-43% vs. 51-54%), vulval form (a pore vs. a transverse slit in B. gerlachi), filiform tail at least twice as long as that in B. gerlachi, by the linear gubernaculum vs. more expanded in B. gerlachi, more offset cephalated spicules and fewer caudal papillae (8 vs. 11), 2 adanal plus 6 caudal papillae vs. 4 adanal plus 7 caudal pairs of caudal papillae in B. gerlachi. (ref. ID; 7813)

Descriptions

  • Female: Female body slender, slightly curved ventrally. Cuticle transversely striated with about 30 longitudinal ridges forming blocks over cuticle. Corner margins of blocks with fine dots. Head continuous with body 21(19-24) µm wide. Lips six, each with a single 4-5 µm seta. Lip ring membranous, consisting of 12 mobile cheilorhabdial plates. Cheilostom 21(19-27) µm long by 13(11-16) µm wide. Cheilorhabdions and metarhabdions linear, well sclerotized. Telostom stirrup-shaped, as long as wide, 5.5-6 µm. Dorsal metarhabdion with a mobile tooth 3.5-4 µm long. Left subventral metarhabdion with a 2-µm tooth, right subventral metarhabdion with a denticulate plate. Procorpus forming a muscular collar around the telostom. Metacorpal bulb weakly developed 141(130-151) µm with head. Isthmus and basal bulb 59(54-65) µm long, weakly muscular. Excretory pore 12(10-13) µm posterior to base of median bulb. Ovaries opposed, reflexed. Vulva opening pore-like. Vagina weakly cuticularized, muscles weakly developed. Phasmids small, 2 to 2.5 anal body widths posterior to the anus. Tail filiform 343(324-378) µm long. Rectum 2 anal body widths long. (ref. ID; 7813)
  • Male: Similar to female except for the following. Cephalic setae 6 with 4 additional smaller setae dorsally and ventrally. Testis single. Bursa absent. Spicules distinctly cephalated. Gubernaculum curved, distal end finely rounded. Caudal papilae present, 2 pairs adanal and 6 pairs postanal. Tail shorter than female 284(234-324) µm long, fliform. (ref. ID; 7813)

    Type locality and habitat

    Collected August 1960 by Dr. A.D. Baker from soil about the roots of white birch at Lake Memphromagog, Sunnydale, Quebec. (ref. ID; 7813)

    Type deposition

    Holotype (female) and allotype (male) type slides No.410 and No.410a, respectively, and deposited in the Canadian National Collection of Nematodes, Ottawa. Paratype males nd females mounted on slides 410b-410z and deposited as follows: four paratype males and females deposited with the United States Department of Agriculture Nematode Collection at Beltsville, Maryland, and the remainder in Ottawa. (ref. ID; 7813)

    Measurements

  • Holotype (female): L=1058 µm, a=42, b=5.7, c=3.1, c'=19, V=41. (ref. ID; 7813)
  • Paratypes (18 females): L=1109(1008-1217) µm, a=39(35-42), b=5.6(5.3-5.7), c=3.2(3-3.4), c'=18.8(17-20), V=42(41-43). (ref. ID; 7813)
  • Allotype (male): L=965 µm, a=33, b=5.6, c=3.4, c'=12, spicules 26 µm, gubernaculum 14 µm. (ref. ID; 7813)
  • Paratypes (7 males): L=1022(868-1094) µm, a=42(32-58), b=6.4(5.6-7.3), c=3.6(3.2-3.8), c'=14(10-13.5), spicules 25(21-27) µm, gubernaculum 3-14 µm. (ref. ID; 7813)