A NEW SPECIES OF POMPHORHYNCHUS (ACANTHOCEPHALA: PALAEACANTHOCEPHALA) IN FRESHWATER FISHES FROM CENTRAL CHILE

This study describes a new species of Pomphorhynchus collected from Percilia gillissi Girard, 1855 from the Zañartu canal, between the sister basins of the Itata and Laja rivers, in central Chile. Pomphorhynchus moyanoi n. sp. is characterized by an asymmetrical, well-differentiated subspherical bulb and 12–14 longitudinal rows of 13–14 hooks; the third and the fourth hook in each row are stout. Among South American species, P. moyanoi n. sp. shows some similarities to the Chilean species P. yamagutii Schmidt & Hugghins, 1973, but it differs in having a longer neck, larger bulb, and different proboscis armature arrangement. Pomphorhynchus moyanoi n. sp. differs from P. patagonicus Ortubay, Ubeda, Semenas & Kennedy 1991, in the bulb shape (protuberances), number of rows, fourth hook size and basal hook size. Pomphorhynchus moyanoi n. sp. also differs from P. sphaericus in the arrangement of hooks (number of rows and hooks per row), length and width of the proboscis, neck width, and symmetry of the bulb.