Oncicola sp.

Oncicola sp.

Infection site: Surface of liver

Locality: Calcehtok

Prevalence (%) and mean intensity: Calcehtok: 0.8 and 1 (1).

Specimen deposited: CNHE-12325.

Comments: Based on one encysted juvenile with invaginated proboscis ( Figure 11C View FIGURE 11 ). Proboscis slightly subspherical, with 36 hooks, organized in six alternative circles of six hooks each one. Hooks in anterior three circles robust, with roots much elongated anteriorly; roots of hook in circle four less elongated; roots of hooks in circles five and six slightly flat, platelike ( Figure 11D View FIGURE 11 ). Trunk narrows anteriorly enlarging to widest point near posterior body end, 2000 × 600 ( Figure 11C View FIGURE 11 ). Lemnisci, proboscis receptacle and reproductive organs are not observed.

The number of hooks observed in the proboscis (36) of the specimen fit with the number reported for members of Oncicola , Macracanthorhynchus and Oligacanthorhynchus ( Schmidt 1972) . However, the newly collected specimen is placed in Oncicola because hooks on the circle three are dramatically smaller than those in circles one and two ( Figure 11D View FIGURE 11 ) ( Richardson 2005). In addition, the specimen showed somewhat similar morphology to cystacanths of Oncicola luehei (Travassos) such as the size of the body and the presence of a subterminal genital pore ( Sereno-Uribe et al. 2025). However, additional morphological and molecular data is clearly necessary to provide a reliable species identification of this acanthocephalan. This is the first record of Oncicola for N. laticaudatus .