Dr. Murai Éva - Gubányi András szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 28. (Budapest, 1995)

© Hungarian Natural History Museum Hungarian Society of Parasitologists Parasit. hung., 28: 113-115, 1995 Morphological variability of the species Pleurogenoides medians (Olson, 1876) Travassos, 1921 (Trematoda: Lecithodendriidae) Ester POPOVIC, Smiljka SlMIC and Mihalj MIKES Institute of Biology, University of Novi Sad, 21 000 Novi Sad, Yugoslavia Pleurogenoides medians is a widespread parasite species. It has been recorded from the whole region of the Palearctic and from Ethiopia (Bacvarov 1986). According to ova (1974), it is a common parasite of Amphibians and certain lizards while Edelény

i (1974) found it in pikes. Popovic ( 1992) reported its dominant occurrence in the genus Rana in Voivodina, particularly in the species R. lessonae Camerano, 1882. Variability, abundance of material from various localities, and the fact that the level and range of this variability are still unknown have prompted us to undertake a more detailed study of this problem. MATERIALS AND METHODS The sample of 157 individuals of pool frog {Rana lessonae) was collected in the period 1987-1990 from Obedska Bara (57), Koviljski Rit (72), and Stari Begej (28 individuals). Dissection and parasitological analyses of the hosts and isolation and deposition of trematodes were done by standard methods. The fixed material was stained with carmine according to Grenacuer, 1879 and, after a standard procedure, was embedded in Canada balsam. The presence of 1153 individuals off! medians in the small intestine of R. lessonae was recorded. Morphometric analysis included 120 adults of P. medians (40 from each locality). The measurements included total length and maximum width of fluke body, length and width of oral and abdominal sucker, ovary, left and right testes, and egg dimension. The data were statistically analyzed by the t-test (Petz, 1981). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A high variability was observed when the morphometric characters of 120 fluke specimens (P. medians) isolated from the intestine of pool frog (R. lessonae) from Obedska Bara, Koviljski Rit and Stari Begej were measured and analyzed (Tables 1, 2 and 3). The highest values were obtained for samples from Koviljski Rit, whereas the lowest for fluke specimens from Stari Begej. As regards the characters of parasites from Obedska Bara, deviation was obtained only in body width and in the length of eggs. Highly significant values were recorded for characters except for egg dimensions. The results obtained for egg dimension were as follows: Obedska bara - Stari Begej: length (t = 0.188), width (t = 1.864); Obedska Bara - Koviljski Rit: length (t = 0.169), width (t = 1.000); Stari Begej - Koviljski Rit: length (t= 0.031) and width (t= 0.215). The highest variability was found in the dimensions of the abdominal sucker: Obedska Bara - Stari Begej: length and width (t = 5.062); Obedska Bara - Koviljski Rit: length and width (t = 3.288); Stari Begej - Koviljski Rit: length (t = 9.780), width (t = 10.565); Variability of ovary length: Obedska Bara - Stari Begej : (t = 5.672), Obedska Bara - Koviljski rit: (t = 3.352), Stari Begej - Koviljski rit: (t = 12.019). Variability of the width of testes: Obedska Bara - Stari Begej: (left: t = 5.168, right: t = 5.195); Obedska Bara - Koviljski Rit: (left: t = 2.866, right: t = 3.132); Stari Begej - Koviljski Rit: (left: t= 7.849, right: t = 7,316).