Based on the study of type material, two new genera of cestodes (Cyclophyllidea: Anoplocephalidae) are proposed for Paranoplocephala Lühe, 1910 sensu lato species from African rodents. Afrojoyeuxia gen. n., proposed for A. gundii (Joyeux, 1923) comb. n. from Ctenodactylus gundi (Rothmann) (Hystricomorpha: Ctenodactylidae), is characterized by a high length/width ratio of mature proglottids, longitudinally extensive testicular field positioned anterior to the female glands, an ovoid or subspherical cirrus-sac and a thick, conical cirrus. Hunkeleriella gen. n., proposed for H. dasymidis (Hunkeler, 1972) comb. n. from Dasymys incomtus (Sundevall) (Myomorpha: Muridae), differs from related genera mainly by its short (10-20 mm) and wide strobila and neck, unilateral genital pores (exceptionally with a few changes per strobila), the position of the genital pores (slightly anterior to the middle of proglottid margin) and initially tube-like early uterus (later reticulated). Parandrya Gulyaev et Chechulin, 1996, earlier suggested to be a junior synonym of Paranoplocephala, is considered to be a valid, independent genus. Evidence of non-monophyly and need for a taxonomic revision of Paranoplocephala sensu lato, as well as the phylogenetic position of A. gundii and H. dasymidis are discussed.
The taxonomical status of Paranoplocephala bairdi (Schad, 1954)-like cestodes (Anoplocephalidae) in heather voles Phenacomys spp. and tree voles Arborimus spp. (Muridae: Arvicolinae) and their discrimination from five related species of Paranoplocephala is assessed using uni- and multivariate morphometrics. The analyses support the independent status and conspecificity of specimens from Phenacomys spp. and Arborimus spp., and P. bairdi is therefore suggested to be a host-specialist species of heather and tree voles with a wide geographical distribution in North America. A redescription is presented for P. bairdi.