GAST BO DISCUS SBCTOTDUS

SASTRODISCUS SECWHJS looss, 1901

( Fig. 38, Table 1 5 - 1 6 )

Host . . . Equus equus

location Rumen

locality Srinagar

DESCRIPTION

The body is stout differentiated into a

cylindrical cephalic.portion and a disc-like

posterior portion (Fig , 58)« The cephalic portion

is smaller than the posterior portion. The ventral

surface is covered with large number of papillae.

The trematode shows variable breadth at different

regions ( Table 15 ) .

Acetabulum is snail, terminal, situated ventrally

at the posterior end of the body* The acetabular index

is 1: 5 .3 and other body ratios are given in the

t able o

Alim en ta ry canal i s w e l l developed c o n s i s t i n g o f

mouth, pharynx, oesophagus and i n t e s t i n e . Mouth i s a

small c i r c u l a r opening s i t u a t e d a n t e r o - v e n t r a i l y .

Pharynx i s small w ith two p o s t e r # - l a t e r a l d i v e r t i c u l a

Oesophagus i s l o n g which d i v i d e s at 0 .2 7 mm from

a n t e r i o r end in to two i n t e s t i n a l caecae which run

along the s i d e s o f the body. The i n t e s t i n a l caeca

are s l i g h t l y wavy and extend upto a n t e r i o r l e v e l of

t e s t e s . The r a t i o between the. length, o f i n t e s t i n a l

caeca and l e n g t h o f body i s 1 : 1 * 9 *

Testes are two lobed and situated diagonal to

each other in the middle of the body. They two vasa

efferentia run anteriorly and join to form vas deferens

It is coiled and open’s through gonopore situated at

the level of pharyngeal region. Ovary is single and

oval in outoline located on the left side and is

preacetabular. The uterus ta&es a sinuous course and

passes between the two testes to open into the common

genital pore* The vitellaria are numerous scattered

throu^iout the body.

DISCUSSION

The specimen described here possesses the various

diagnostic features l ik e j (I ) body divided into

cylindrical anterior portion and large discoidal

posterior portion, ( i l ) acetabulum- small ( i l l )

ventral surface provided with papillae and hence it

is placed in the genus Gastrodiscus Leuckart, 1877-

There are three species of the genus G-astrodiscus

namely, G, aegyptiecus Railliet, 1893, G« equi

le Roux, 1938 and G> secundus Looss, 1907.

The present form resembles Q> secundus Looss,1907

in body shape, topography of reproductive organs,

body measurements and ratios ( Table 16 ) . It is ,

therefore, assigned to the speciesfi.secundus Looss, 19Q7*

231

Tliis parasite was obtained after postmortem of horse -

a Perissodactyle and is being reported from Kashmir for

the first time,,

2 3 2

G a strod iscu s secundus l o o s s , 1907

(Measurements i n mm )

TABLE 15

1 . l e n g t h of body 10. 95

2. le n g t h o f c e p h a l ic p o r tio n 2.33

3. Breadth o f c e p h a l i c p o r ti o n 1 .51

4. D is t a n c e from a n t e r i o r end to the b i f u r c a t i o n o f oesophagus. 3. 14

5. Breadth a t th e l e v e l of oesophageal b i f u r c a t i o n . 3 .7

6e Maximum body breadth 6 . 3 6

7. Breadth at p r e - a c e t a b u l a r l e v e l 2.92

8. l e n g t h o f acetabulum 0.74

9. Breadth o f acetabulum 1 .66

10. R a tio between the breadth o f acetabulum and t o t a l l e n g t h o f body. 1 *6.5

1 1 . R a tio between t h e breadth o f acetabulum and maximum body breadth,, 1: 3«8

1 2. Breadth o f mouth 0.35

13. Length of pharynx 0.74

14. R a tio between breadth o f pharynx and breadth o f acetabulum. 1 : 1 4 . 7

15. l e n g t h o f oesophagus 2.40

16. l e n g t h o f i n t e s t i n a l ceaca 5.55

1 7 . R a tio between t h e l e n g t h o f oesophagus and l e n g t h o f i n t e s t i n a lCStSCSt « 1: 2 .3

2 3 3

18. R a tio between t h e l e n g t h o f i n t e s t i n a l ca eca and le n g t h o fbody. 1 : 1 . 9

19. Length o f a n t e r i o r t e s t i s 2.96

20. Breadth o f a n t e r i o r t e s t i s 2.22

21 . Length o f p o s t e r i o r t e s t i s 1 . 9 2

22. Breadth o f p o s t e r i o r t e s t i s 1 . 6 6

23. Length o f ovary 0.59

24. Breadth o f ova.ry 0 .3 7

25. R a tio between the t r a n s v e r s e breadth o f ovary and t o t a lt r a n s v e r s e breadth o f two t e s t e s . 1 : 1 0 . 4

26. Length of v i t e l l i n e f o l l i c l e . 0.3

27. Breadth o f v i t e l l i n e f o l l i c l e . 0.1

234

TABLE - 1 6

Comparative measurements of

G a str o d is cu s secundus Looss, 1907.

(Measurements i n mm)

Looss* 6 907) o b s e r v a t i on?

1. Length of body 7 .8

2. Maximum body breadth 5.8

3. Length o f ce p h a licp o r tio n * 1 . 1 7

4. Breadth o f c e p h a licp o r t i o n . 1 .8 7 -2 * 6

5. Length o f acetabulum 1 . 2 - 1 . 7

6. Breadth o f acetabulum 0 .9 8 -1 .0 8

7. Ratio between breadth o f acetaburum and t o t a l l e n g t h o f body( A c e t a b u l a r i n d e x ) . 1 : 7 . 2 - 7 . 9

8. Ra tio between b re a d th o f acetabulum andmaximum body width. 1 : 5 . 3 - 5 . 8

9. Length o f i n t e s t i n a lc a e ca . 5 . 7

P re sen t authors o bserva tion s

10. 9

6.36

2.33

0 .3 7

1.1

1 : 9 . 9

1 : 5 . 7

5.1

10. Ra tio between l e n g t h o f i n t e s t i n a l caeca and l e n g t h of body. 1 :1.3 1 : 2.1