STUDIES ON THE GENUS KALICEPHALUS (NEMATODA: DIAPHANOCEPHALIDAE): II. A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF THE GENUS KALICEPHALUS MOLIN, 1861

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Abstract
According to some recent authors, the genus Kalicephalus, constituted of approximately 50 species, is characterized by marked intraspecific variation, but the sources of this variation were not identified. Marked morphological variability is herein confirmed for some species, but this is often geographical or host-determined. The latter is difficult to prove without experimental cross-infection studies, but host-determined variation occurring in nature is provisionally identified by a method described. Application of a polytypic species concept permits a simplified classification and a revision of the genus with the following major results. The number of species is reduced from 50 to 23, including five new species, viz. Kalicephalus giganteus from Liasis papuanus, K. truncatus from Python curtus, K. longispicularis from Python reticulatus, (all from snakes dying in zoos), K. posterovulvus from several oriental snakes, and K. megacephalus from Varanus indicus in the Solomon Islands. K. variabilis is a new name for K. gongylophis of Hsü (not Maplestone). K. parvus, K. micrurus, and K. indicus are considered subspecies of K. costatus; K. macrovulvus and K. coronellae as subspecies of K. inermis; and K. chungkingensis and K. obliquus as subspecies of K. viperae. K. rectiphilus neorectiphilus subsp. n. is described from the Neotropical colubrids Herpetodryas carinatus and Eudryas bifossatus. The genera Occipitodontus Ortlepp and Kalicephaloides Yeh are not accepted. Nine forms are listed as species inquirendae. A host–parasite catalogue is appended.