A Monogenoid from the gills of freshwater gartish, Xenentodon cancila (Teleostei: Beloniformes: Belonidae) in India, with proposal of Xenentocleidus n. g. (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae)

Xenentocleidus n. g. (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) is proposed for Xenenlocleidus xenentodoni (Jain, 1961) n. comb. (jr syn. Urocleidus xenentodoni Jain, 1961) collected from the gills of a freshwater garfish, Xenentodon cancila (Hamilton, 1822), in the River Gomti and Sai, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The new genus is characterized by species with a dextroventral vagina with distally lightly sclerotized funnel-shaped vestibule and proximally highly sclerotized tube, a coiled copulatory tube with counterclockwise ring(s), a grooved, sheathlike accessory piece, rod-shaped haptoral bars, and a ventrally striated tegument at the region of copulatory complex. Xenentocleidus appear to be a sister group of Sclerocleidoides Agarwal, Yadav and Kritsky, 2001 on the basis of the following: a coiled male copulatory tube with counterclockwise coil(s), a ventral vaginal pore, and a subhexagonal haptor, armed with dorsal and ventral anchor/bar complexes, and 7 pairs of hooks.