Volume 54, Issue 1

This study demonstrated the presence of Cryptosporidium hominis in pigeons for the first time. Previously, C. hominis had been cited only in another bird species, Branta canadiensis. The present findings suggest that pigeons may act as mechanical vectors for this protozoan.

Two new species of Sciadicleithrum are described from the gills of Neotropical cichlid fishes collected from Paraná River, Brazil. Sciadicleithrum satanopercae sp. nov. is described from the gills of Satanoperca pappaterra and differs from congeners by having a dorsal anchor with the distal portion complex and the inner margin with a “denticulum” between shaft and point. Sciadicleithrum joanae sp. nov. is described from the gills of Crenicichla niederleinii and C. britskii collected from Paraná River. Sciadicleithrum joanae sp. nov. differs from congeners by having a male copulatory organ comprising about half a clockwise loop and a vaginal pore “bulb-shaped”.

We made a comparative anatomical study of entobdelline monogenean skin parasites from the blotched fantail ray, Taeniura meyeni (= T. melanospila) from public aquaria and fish-holding facilities distributed widely across the western Pacific Ocean. These facilities were located in Australia (Mooloolaba, southern Queensland; Cairns, northern Queensland), Taiwan and Japan. The capture localities of the aquarium fishes are unknown to us, with the exception of the individual fish from northern Queensland which came from Sudbury Reef, a local inshore reef. Entobdellines from southern Queensland differed morphologically from those from northern Queensland and Taiwan and the 2 new monogenean species are described and named Neoentobdella garneri sp. nov. and N. taiwanensis sp. nov., respectively. We determined that an entobdelline collected by Dyer and co-workers from a ray identified as T. melanospila (= T. meyeni) from an aquarium in Okinawa, Japan and identified by them as Entobdella squamula (Heath, 1902) Johnston, 1929 was misidentified and is tentatively assigned to N. taiwanensis sp. nov. The male copulatory organ of each new species resembles a penis, but evidence that these organs are eversible like a cirrus is presented. Caution is advised in deciding whether the male copulatory organs of capsalids may function as a penis or as a cirrus and we suggest that possession of a penis versus a cirrus may not necessarily indicate wide evolutionary divergence. In N. garneri, spermatophores consist of a sausage-shaped capsule and a long hollow stalk. A spermatophore received from a donor is anchored in the vagina by means of the stalk, with the capsule protruding outside the body.

Calydiscoides limae sp. nov. is described from the nemipterid Pentapodus aureofasciatus Russell, 2001 caught along the barrier reef off New Caledonia, South Pacific. The new species is characterised by its male copulatory organ, with a distal blade and a lateral spur, and its female sclerotised organ, with a sphere and a thin tube. Its lamellodiscs always have 7 concentric lamellae, with the 3 internal lamellae complete and the 4 peripheral lamellae progressively less and less complete; measurements of the angles occupied by the lamellae in numerous specimens showed that the lamellodisc structure shows little variation among individuals. Abstract Calydiscoides limae sp. nov. est décrit du Nemipteridae Pentapodus aureofasciatus Russell, 2001 pêché le long du récifbarrière de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Pacifique Sud. La nouvelle espèce est caractérisée par son organe copulateur mâle, avec une lame distale et un éperon latéral, et par son organe sclérifié femelle, avec une sphère et un tube fin. Ses lamellodisques ont toujours 7 lamelles concentriques, avec les 3 lamelles internes complètes et les 4 lamelles périphériques progressivement de moins en moins complètes. La mesure des angles occupés par les lamelles chez de nombreux spécimens montre que la structure des lamellodisques est peu variable entre les individus.

Cercariae of bird schistosomes are traditionally considered to be very similar in their morphological characteristics. In order to solve the problem, we tested some methods which might be suitable for cercarial differentiation. Fourteen isolates of three Trichobilharzia species (T. szidati, T. franki, T. regenti) occurring sympatrically in Central Europe were used. Dimensions of individual cercariae do not represent a useful criterion for identification, because the intraspecific variability exceeds the interspecific one. On the other hand, chaetotaxy appears a promising way for discrimination, although some sensory papillae do not stain sufficiently with silver nitrate. The papillary pattern (i.e. number and relative position of papillae) is specific for all Trichobilharzia species studied by us. Therefore, we compiled an identification key for the three Trichobilharzia species. In addition, we tried to find species-specific surface saccharide epitopes; none of the labeled lectin probes can be used as a speciesspecific marker.

Magnivitellinum corvitellinum sp. nov. is a parasite from the intestine of tamboatá Hoplosternum littorale, a freshwater catfish from Paraná River, Brazil. This species has an elongate body, a small cirrus-sac, testes in the posterior half of the body and well-developed follicular vitellines. It differs from the only other species in the genus, M. simplex, in having tegumental spines along the body, ventral sucker distinctly bigger than oral sucker, oesophagus absent and vitellaria extending from posterior margin of ventral sucker to near posterior extremity of body. An emendation of the generic diagnosis is proposed in view of the presence of tegumental spines along the body, absence of oesophagus, relative size of ventral and oral suckers and uterus covering caeca from the level of ventral sucker to the end of caeca. This is the fourth trematode species recorded parasitizing Hoplosternum littorale.

Falcaustra desilvai sp. nov. (Ascaridida, Kathlaniidae) from the large intestine of Cnemaspis aff. tropidogaster (Squamata, Gekkonidae) is described and illustrated. Falcaustra desilvai represents the 4th nematode species from Sri Lanka to be assigned to the genus and is distinguished from other Sri Lankan species by the distribution pattern of caudal papillae (12 precloacal, 2 adcloacal, 10 postcloacal, and 1 median), length of spicules (956–1046 μm) and absence of a pseudosucker.

A new nematode species Dichelyne (Cucullanellus) sciaenidicola sp. nov. is described based on specimens collected from the Whitemouth croaker Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest) and the Argentine croaker Umbrina canosai Berg, from coastal waters of Argentina and Brazil. These nematodes were firstly identified as D. (C.) elongatus (Törnquist, 1931), a commonly reported species from M. furnieri in South American Atlantic waters. However, other species of Dichelyne have so far been reported from this host in the same area, namely D. (C.) rodriguesi (Pinto, Fábio et Noronha, 1970), D. (C.) amaruincai (Freitas, Vicente et Ibañez, 1969) and D. (Dichelyne) micropogonii Pereira et Costa, 1996. A careful re-examination of these parasites, as well as of type specimens of all species reported from M. furnieri, revealed that these nematodes represented a new species. The new species is distinguished from most of its congeners by having papillae 5–7 and 9 forming a subventral line close to cloaca, this feature is shared with other 6 species [D. (C.) dichelyneformis (Szidat, 1950), D. (C.) fraseri (Baylis, 1929), D. (C.) abbreviatus (Rudolphi, 1819), D. (C.) adriaticus (Törnquist, 1931), D. (C.) minutus (Rudolphi, 1819) and D. (C.) mariajuliae Alarcos, Timi, Etchegoin et Sardella, 2006)], which are readily distinguished by their body size, spicules length, distribution patterns of other papillae and position of the excretory pore and deirids. Also, D. (C.) elongatus from Umbrina canariensis (Valenciennes) from West Africa is established as a new species Dichelyne (Cucullanellus) yvonnecampanae sp. nov.; D. (C.) amaruincai from Pacific waters is considered as a valid species, D. (D.) micropogonii is regarded as species inquirendae and D. (C.) rodriguesi is identified as Cucullanus sp.

In total, 2097 individuals of Trachelipus squamuliger and 20 individuals of Armadillidium vulgare from four habitats (three woodland sites and one pasture) in the region of Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, were examined for the presence of cystacanths of Plagiorhynchus cylindraceus, a common acanthocephalan parasite of passerine birds. In T. squamuliger from woodland habitats, cystacanths were found with prevalence 4.0–9.3%, intensity 1–5 (mean 1.22–1.57) and mean abundance 0.057–0.113. No significant differences were observed between infections in males and females of T. squamuliger. None of the T. squamuliger individuals from the pasture examined was infected. Out of 48 infected females of T. squamuliger, only one had developed eggs (in agreement with previous studies revealing the negative effect of the cystacanths on the development of female gonads of woodlice). One individual of A. vulgare was infected with a single cystacanth. The occurrence of P. cylindraceus in T. squamuliger is a new host record.

The genus TrifurWilson, 1917 (Siphonostomatoida, Pennellidae) comprises relatively large and conspicuous parasitic copepods infecting the body surface and gills of several marine fishes. Variations in the gross morphology have been used to discriminate between the existing species of Trifur, however all previous descriptions of these species are brief, lacking many important characteristics, especially those of the head and trunk appendages, which usually were lost in the described specimens. In this paper, T. tortuosus is redescribed based on newly collected material from three species of fishes from Argentinean coasts. A detailed description of appendages morphology is given and the validity of T. merluccii Talice, 1936; T. puntaniger Thomé, 1963; T. physiculi Heegaard, 1962 and T. lotellae (Thomson, 1890) is herewith discussed.

Six species of the syringophilid mites belonging to the genus Syringophiloidus Kethley, 1970 (Acari, Prostigmata) are recorded from eight avian hosts from USA. Four new species are described and illustrated: S. molothrus sp. nov. from the Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater (Boddaert) (Passeriformes, Icteridae), S. carolae sp. nov. from the Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus (Swainson) (Piciformes, Picidae) and from the Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus) (Passeriformes, Cardinalidae), S. sialius sp. nov. from the Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana Swainson (Passeriformes, Turdidae), and S. thryothorus sp. nov. from the Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham) (Passeriformes, Troglodytidae). The previously described species S. motacillae Bochkov et Mironov, 1998 is new for USA. Two host species, the American Robin Turdus migratorius Linnaeus (Turdidae) and the Steller’s Jay Cyanocitta stelleri (Gmelin) (Passeriformes, Corvidae), are new for S. presentalis Chirov et Kravtsova, 1995.

Prevalence of intestinal parasites in dogs and cats in Barcelona and surrounding areas was studied by analyzing 505 faecal samples of dogs and 50 of cats using a formol-ether diphasic method for helminths, a modified acid-fast technique for Cryptosporidium and other coccidian oocysts, and the Heindenhein technique for Giardia and Entamoeba trophozoites and cysts. Parasites were found in 26.9% of dogs and 34.0% of cats. Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium sp., coccidian oocysts and Entamoeba sp. were detected in both dogs and cats. Taenia sp., Dipylidium caninum, Ancylostoma caninum, Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Trichuris vulpis and Uncinaria sp. were also found in dogs but only Ancylostoma tubaeforme and Toxocara cati in cats. There was a significant relationship for G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium sp. with seasonality and for G. duodenalis with geographical origin in dogs. Significant differences were also found for T. canis between stray and domestic dogs and for T. vulpis between males and females.

The family-group name for the “fish blood flukes” is unstable, with both “Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912” and “Sanguinicolidae von Graff, 1907” in use for the single family. Although “Sanguinicolidae von Graff, 1907” (or. Graff, 1907.) has been a widely-accepted family-group name for the fish blood flukes subsequent to Yamaguti’s 1954 and 1958 synoptical publications (“Systema Helminthum”), a critical examination of the relevant literature, much of it published in German during 1900 through 1926, reveals that “Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912” is the earliest available family-group name for these flukes. The name Aporocotylidae, moreover, was in wide usage by alpha taxonomists before 1954 and by several authors between 1954 and the present time. We speculate that the recent long-standing uncertainty about the earliest available family-group name primarily stems from the (1) logistics of Ludwig von Graff’s tome published in 1904–1908, (2) bibliographic confusion between that work and another Graff work published in 1907 (both of which treat Sanguinicola but not Aporocotyle), (3) initial ambiguity regarding the phylogenetic relatedness of the first four aporocotylid species that were named, (4) lack of consensus on the status of Aporocotylidae and Sanguinicolidae and the genera included within them, and (5) misleading application of. Graff, 1907. to Sanguinicolidae by Poche in 1926, Fuhrmann in 1928, Yamaguti in 1954 and 1958, and subsequent review articles that treated fish blood flukes. Under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, Article 8.3), “Sanguinicolidae” was not made available by Graff because he disclaimed the name in the same, and only, work wherein he used the name (ICZN, Article 8.3). Sanguinicolidae was first made available in 1926 by Poche, who referenced Graff’s 1907 work. Hence, “Poche, 1926” comprises the correct authority and date for that family-group name, not “von Graff, 1907” or “Graff, 1907”. Since we presently accept only a single family for all fish blood flukes and abide by the Principal of Priority (ICZN, Article 23), we herein regard Sanguinicolidae Poche, 1926 as a junior subjective synonym of Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912.