Dr. Murai Éva szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 21. (Budapest, 1988)

and absence of external seminal vesicle. They parasitize murid rodents (the genera Otomys^ Oemamys^ _AF

v

ÍP—

*

n Aethiopian region. On the one hand, the morphological homogeneity of the group needs additional confirmation; on the other hand, the data about the evolution of African Muridae are very scarce (THENIUS, 1972). The probable time of the arising of'these cestodes was the Pleistocene when in southern Africa appeared a centre of speciation of the genus Otomys^ We support RAUSCH's (1976) conclusion that the African Anoplo cephaloides spp. represent a different phyletic line from the Palaearctic species and their partial similarity is a result of convergent evolution. The forming of the groups "

blanchardi

", and "infrequens" seems to be connected with the appearance and settling of the rodents of the subfam. Microtinae in Eurasia and North America during the early Pliocene (THENRJS, 1972). RAUSCH (1976) discussed the possibility for the adaptive transfer of cestodes of these groups to Geomyidae. The groups are clearly distinct from one another in their morphology: the species of the group "

infrequens" are with short, wedge-shaped strobilae consisting of a small number of proglottides; the representatives of the group "

blanchardi" possess relatively longer strobilae and, respectively, a greater number of proglottides. The cestodes of the group "infrequens" are frequent parasites and with relatively more numerous populations; those of the group "blanchardi" have not been recorded very often (especially the Palaeartic species). The morphology of the latter group is'hot well known and their taxonomic status needs additional elucidation. A probable member this group is also Paranoplocephala mascomai Murai, Tenora et Rocamora, 1980 whose affiliation to Paranoplocephala or Anoplocephaloides is an open question (see GENOV et al., 1984; TENORA et al., 1986), although its validity is without of any doubt. In the same group we also place A. rauschi Genov, Georgiev et Biserkov, 1984 which differs from all the other species in the bilateral position of the genital pores and in the presence of trichoid cover on the scolex and the anterior part of the strobila. The former feature could not be thought as a supraspecific one because both types of genital pore arrangement (unilateral or bilateral) occur in the groups "

romeroiagi

" and "

transversaria"

. Provisionally A. baeri Rausch, 1976 is placed in an independent group. This species occupies a morphologically intermediate position between the groups "

blanchardi" and "

infre quens

". It has been described on the basis of specimens from Apode mus argenteus (Muridae) from Hokkaido I. (Japan). Additional investigations are needed to find out if this species also parasitizes rodents of Microtinae in the same biotopes. This fact could be used as an argument supporting the probable position of A. baeri in either the group "infrequens" or in "

blanchardi"

. The only species of Anoplocephaloides parasitizing perissodactyls (Equidae), A. mamillana (Mehlis, 1831), is very likely a member of a different phyletic lineage although it has a formal similarity to the group "infrequens"

. It differs from all its congeneric species by the presence of a well-developed retractor muscle of the cirrus sac (see RAUSCH, 1976). In addition, SCHMIDT (1986) synonymized the genera Gallegoides Tenora et Mas-Coma, 1978 and Anoplocephaloides including in the latter G. arfaai (Mobedi et Ghadirian, 1977). This species parasitizing Muridae (Apojt^mus) was recorded in Iran, Spain and Bulgaria (TENORA and MAS-COMA, 1978; GENOV, 1984). It differs from the other anoplocephalid cestodes in the structure of the scolex and strobila and the arrangement of the testes in two groups. We recognize Gallegoides as a valid genus considering that its affiliation to Anoplocephaloides complicates additionally the heterogeneous composition of the genus discussed. We hope that further investigations will confirm the natural character of the groups proposed and will present grounds to erect some or all of them as independent taxa of the generic group. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project has been completed with the financial support of the Committee for Science at the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria under contract No. 471. We are grateful to Prof. R. L.