A new species of Rhabdochona Railliet, 1916 (Nematoda: Rhabdochonidae) from cyprinid fishes in the Western Ghats Region, India.

A new nematode species, Rhabdochona (Globochona) puntii n. sp. (Rhabdochonidae), is described based on specimens collected from the intestine of the pool barb Puntius sophore (Hamilton) and Neolissochilus hexastichus (McClelland) (both Cyprinidae) from the Gadhena River, the Western Ghats, Maharashtra State, India. The nematode was also found in Wallago attu (Bloch & Schneider) which probably acts as postcyclic host. Rhabdochona (Globochona) puntii n. sp. differs markedly from its congeners in the body size, the number and distribution of caudal papillae, in the presence of an unpaired papilla-like structure on the anterior cloacal lip, and in having unusual shape and structure of the terminal crown of mucrons. This is the seventh species of the subgenus Globochona Moravec, 1972 reported from freshwater Indian fishes.

Female morphology of Philometra hyderabadensis Rasheed, 1963 (Nematoda: Philometridae), a little-known parasite of the catfish Wallago attu Bloch & Schneider in India, as revealed by SEM observations.

The female morphology of the nematode Philometra hyderabadensis Rasheed, 1963 (Philometridae) is described based on subgravid specimens found in the abdominal cavity and intestine of the catfish (wallago) Wallago attu Bloch & Schneider from the Purna River and Yeldari Reservoir, Parbhani District, Maharashtra State, India collected in August 2010 and January 2011, respectively. Light and scanning electron microscopical examination made it possible to study in detail the morphology of this little-known species. In contrast to the original species description, the female cephalic end was found to bear 10 small cephalic papillae: four submedian double papillae of the external circle and six single papillae of the internal circle, of which two are lateral and four submedian. The anterior end of the oesophagus is only slightly inflated and there are three distinct oesophageal teeth protruding from the mouth. Previously, P. hyderabadensis had been known only from a single female specimen collected in Hyderabad, India and deposited in the Natural History Museum, London. Consequently, the present finding represents the second documented record of this species, 50 years after its original description. Philometra suraiyae Kalyankar, 1971 is considered a junior synonym of P. hyderabadensis.