Hapalotrema (Digenea: Spirorchidae) in the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Australia.

ABSTRACT

Hapalotrema mehrai Rao, 1976 and Hapalotrema postorchis Rao, 1976 (Digenea Spirorchidae) are redescribed from the heart and pulmonary arteries of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, from Moreton Bay in south-eastern Queensland. Hapalotrema pambanensis Gupta and Mehrotra, 1981 from C. mydas in India is made a synonym of H. mehrai. Hapalotrema dorsopora Dailey, Fast and Balazs, 1993 from C. mydas from Hawaii was described with a dorsally opening uterine pore, but this is found to be the opening of Laurer's canal; therefore H. dorsopora is also made a synonym of H. mehrai. In addition to differences in the numbers of testes and general dimensions, H. mehrai and H. postorchis differ in the development of Laurer's canal and in the absence of a canalicular seminal receptacle in H. postorchis.