New species of Serpinema (Nematoda: Camallanidae) from the scorpion mud turtle Kinosternon scorpioides (Testudines: Kinosternidae) from eastern Amazon, Brazil

The genus Serpinema Yeh, 1960 allocates parasitic nematodes of freshwater turtles distributed across the Oriental, Neotropical, and Palearctic regions. Five of 10 valid species of the genus Serpinema occur in the Neotropical region, and three have been recorded parasitizing Kinosternon scorpioides Linnaeus, 1766. In the present work, we describe a new species of Serpinema, a gastrointestinal parasite of K. scorpioides from the Brazilian Amazon, using light and scanning electron microscopy. Serpinema pelliculatus n. sp. differs from other species of the genus by the number and distribution of caudal papillae and spicule morphology. The new species is the seventh recorded for the Neotropical region.

Automated summary

The genus Serpinema is a diverse group of parasitic nematodes that infect freshwater turtles across the Oriental, Neotropical, and Palearctic regions. In this study, a new species of gastrointestinal parasite, Serpinema pelliculatus, was described from Kinosternon scorpioides in the Brazilian Amazon. It differs from other species in the genus in terms of caudal papillae and spicule morphology.