Abstract
Samples of males of Trichuris ovis (Abildgaard, 1795), T. skrjabini Baskakov, 1924, T. sylvilagi Tiner, 1950, T. suis (Schrank, 1788) and T. trichiura (L., 1771) were compared on the basis of 15 morphometric characters. An analysis of their variability, correlations and a discriminant analysis yielded information on the diagnostic value of these characters and on the best combination of characters necessary for the successful differentiation of the species studied. The morphological similarity of the species studied was also assessed. The length and width of the spicule and body length proved to be the best diagnostic characters for the trichurid males studied. They permitted fairly reliable differentiation of the species T. ovis, T. skrjabini and T. sylvilagi. The species which exhibited the greatest similarity, T. suis and T. trichiura, were frequently misidentified using these features only but could be readily differentiated using seven characters.
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Špakulová, M. Discriminant analysis as a method for the numerical evaluation of taxonomic characters in male trichurid nematodes. Syst Parasitol 29, 113–119 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009807
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009807