Parapharyngodon hugoi n. sp., a new nematode (Oxyuroidea: Pharyngodonidae) of the tree frog Trachycephalus typhonius (Linnaeus) from the Brazilian Pantanal, including a key to the congeners from amphibians of the American continent

A new nematode Parapharyngodon hugoi n. sp. (Oxyuroidea: Pharyngodonidae) is described parasitising the large intestine of the tree frog Trachycephalus typhonius (Linnaeus) (Anura: Hylidae) from the wetlands of Pantanal, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The new species exhibits a unique structure of the posterior cloacal lip in males, which is supported by a rigid V-shaped structure. Parapharyngodon hylidae parasitic in hylid frogs, including T. typhonius, from Mexico, is the most similar congener to P. hugoi n. sp. but is distinguished from the new species by the presence of a gubernaculum (vs absence), by the lateral alae in males ending far anterior to cloacal opening (vs near to it) and because in gravid females the ovaries encircle the oesophageal corpus. Additionally, the new species differs from its congeners as well as from species of Thelandros Wedl, 1862, a very closely related genus, by the combination of features such as spicule length, number of caudal papillae, morphology of the anterior cloacal lip, which is echinate, and position of ovaries. The geographical distribution of hosts seems to play an important role in the speciation process of Parapharyngodon spp.; however, due the lack of molecular data this issue along with the validity of both Thelandros and Parapharyngodon are still questions to be solved in the future, after improvement of the genetic database. A key to the species of Parapharyngodon parasitic in amphibians from the American continent is provided.