Branchotenthes octohamatus sp. n. (Monogenea: Hexabothriidae) is described from the gills of the southern fiddler ray, Trygonorrhina fasciata Müller et Henle (Elasmobranchii: Rhinobatidae), off Adelaide, South Australia. It is distinguished from the type species, Branchotenthes robinoverstreeti Bullard et Dippenaar, 2003, by producing eggs that are joined end to end forming a chain, in the morphology of the male copulatory organ that has a pronounced constriction in duct diameter between proximal and distal regions, the possession of a thin muscular layer surrounding the proximal part of the male copulatory organ and distal region of the vaginae, and by the absence of a raised process on the shaft of the hamulus. An amended generic diagnosis is provided and the reliability of sperm duct number as a generic character is discussed. The oncomiracidium of B. octohamatus is also described and is the first monogenean to be described with only eight hooklets in the larval haptor. This discovery of eight hooklets may be important for higher-level monogenean evolutionary hypotheses.
Empruthotrema quindecima sp. n. (Monogcnea: Monocotylidae) is described from the nasal fossae of the blue-spotted fantail ray Taeniura lymma (Forsskâl, 1775) collected from the reef flats of Heron Island and Lizard Island located at the southern and northern sections, respectively, of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. Empruthotrema quindecima has 15 marginal loculi on the haptor which distinguishes it from the other five members of the genus which have either 13 or 14 marginal loculi. The generic diagnosis of Empruthotrema Johnston ct Ticgs, 1922 is amended to accommodate the new species, a key to species is provided and the evolution of the different configurations of the haptoral loculi within the genus is discussed.
Heliocotyle ewingi sp. n. (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) is described from the gills of Myliobatis australis Macleay, 1881 (Myliobatididae) collected from Norfolk Bay near Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Heliocotyle ewingi can be distinguished readily from the only other species in the genus, Heliocotyle kartasi Neifar, Euzet et Ben Hassine, 1999, by the presence of a single pseudoseptum on each of the peripheral loculi except the posteriormost, eyespots and by the morphology of the male copulatory organ which is a short, straight sclerotised tube which lacks a sclerotised accessory piece. The generic diagnosis is revised to accommodate the new species and the anterior glands are discussed.