Amin Omar M, Heckmann Richard A, Zargar Ummer Rashid
Institute of Parasitic of Diseases, 11445 E. Via Linda # 2-419, Scottsdale, Arizona 85259. Correspondence should be sent to Omar Amin at:
J Parasitol. 2017 Oct;103(5):458-470. doi: 10.1645/17-27. Epub 2017 Jun 7.
Acanthogyrus (Acanthosentis) kashmirensis n. sp. is described from recently collected acanthocephalan specimens in the Jhelum River in northern Kashmir that are conspecific with Neoechinorhynchus kashmirensis Fotedar and Dhar, 1977 originally described in a Ph.D. thesis in 1972 from 4 species of cyprinid fishes: Tor tor Hamilton, Bangana diplostoma (Heckel) (syn. Labeo diplostoma Heckel), Labeo rohita Hamilton, and Ptychobarbus sp. Steindachner. The poor unpublished diagnosis was followed by 1 uninformative abstract in a scientific meeting in 1977. The acanthocephalan was later designated as invalid because of the lack of a formal published description and absence of information on deposited type or voucher specimens. Recent collections of specimens of the same species were made from 2 other cyprinid species of cyprinid fishes, Schizothorax plagiostomus Heckel and Schizothorax labiatus (McClelland) from the Sandran River, a tributary of the Jhelum River, in southern Kashmir. It is now possible to provide a full description of these specimens and reassign them in the subgenus Acanthosentis Verma and Datta, 1929 based on the finding of circles of vestigial spines at the anterior end of the trunk of male and female specimens. These vestigial spines are barely visible and easy to miss with optical microscopy. The new species is also characterized by having (1) a para-receptacle structure in males and females, (2) unique double Saefftigen's pouches, (3) large round single-nucleated cells in the proboscis, and (4) the lemnisci being either equal or distinctly unequal with no intermediate states. A key to the species of Acanthosentis of the Indian subcontinent is provided. Histopathological sections show extensive damage to the host intestine with subsequent blood loss, cell necrosis, and attempted encapsulation. Results of the energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) study show hollow hooks high in sulfur but with limited calcium ions. Hooks of most acanthocephalans studied with X-ray scans are solid with high calcium and low sulfur ions.
克什米尔棘头虫（棘吻棘头虫属）新种是从克什米尔北部杰赫勒姆河最近采集的棘头虫标本中描述的，这些标本与1972年在一篇博士论文中最初描述的克什米尔新棘吻虫同种，后者采自4种鲤科鱼类：印度野鲮、双孔波鱼（同物异名：赫氏野鲮）、露斯塔野鲮和斯氏裂腹鱼。1972年的诊断不佳且未发表，随后在1977年的一次科学会议上有一篇信息不足的摘要。由于缺乏正式发表的描述以及未提供保存的模式标本或凭证标本的信息，该棘头虫后来被认定无效。最近从克什米尔南部杰赫勒姆河的一条支流桑德兰河的另外两种鲤科鱼类，即平口裂腹鱼和唇裂腹鱼中采集到了同一物种的标本。现在可以对这些标本进行全面描述，并根据在雄性和雌性标本躯干前端发现的退化棘刺圈，将它们重新归入1929年 Verma 和 Datta 建立的棘吻棘头虫亚属。这些退化棘刺几乎不可见，在光学显微镜下很容易被忽略。新物种的特征还包括：（1）雄性和雌性均具有副接收器结构；（2）独特的双赛夫蒂根氏囊；（3）吻部有大的圆形单核细胞；（4）侧叶相等或明显不等，无中间状态。提供了印度次大陆棘吻棘头虫属物种的检索表。组织病理学切片显示宿主肠道受到广泛损伤，随后出现失血、细胞坏死和试图包囊化的情况。能量色散X射线分析（EDAX）研究结果表明，其钩为中空，硫含量高但钙离子含量有限。大多数通过X射线扫描研究的棘头虫的钩是实心的，钙离子含量高而硫离子含量低。
