ULTRASTRUCTURAL STUDY OF TWO PARASITES INFECTING DOMESTICATED TURKEY MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO LINNAEUS, 1758 (GALLIFORMES: MELEAGRIDINAE) QENA, EGYPT

The work gave a detailed systematic morphology by optic and scan electron microscopy of two parasites; Raillietina echinobothriida Megnin, 1880 and Spirora meleagaris n. sp. infecting domesticated turkey, with some important description characters. SEM revealed that tegument of R. echinobothriida exhibits, filamentous, microtriches and sensory papillae densely covered the tegument of entire body, rostellum armed with two rows of hummer-shaped hooks and provide by 16-20 rows of small, rose thorn-shaped accessory spines. In addition, a number of taxonomic features in S. meleagaris n. sp. that differ from other species of the genus, mouth circular, bounded by a cuticular three circles plates, five pairs of cephalic papillae, an inner circle of two pairs situated on the wall of the buccal cavity, one pairs of larges sub-median amphids, and an outer circle of two pairs papillae. Buccal cavity supported by four chitinious cusped molar teeth
anteriorly directed .Vulva near the end of the first third of the body, vulvular lips prominent. The male has unique rose like shaped pedunculated and unarranged numerous distributed sessile cervical papillae at the second third of the body that are distinguishable from other spirorid.