Hoplolaimoidea (Nematoda: Tylenchida) from the Aleutian Islands with Descriptions of Four New Species

Four new species of hoplolaimoid nematodes (Merlinius adakensis, Pratylenchoides megalobatus, Pratylenchus pratensisobrinus, and Pratylenchus ventroprojectus) are described from Adak Island in the Aleutian chain. M. adakensis n. sp. is separated from other species by body length (0.96-1.3 mm), stylet length (32-36 μm), number of tail annules (49-68), and c'' (3.1-4.1). P. megalobatus n. sp. differs from all known Pratylenchoides spp. by having a very long esophageal gland lobe (b'' = 2.4-3.3, overlap 3-6 times the body width). P. pratensisobrinus n. sp. closely resembles P. pratensis (de Man) Filipjev, but has a longer stylet (15-17 μm), a longer tail (c = 12-15; c'' = 2.8-3.7), and more tail annules (23-37). P. ventroprojectus n. sp. is distinguished by body length (392-475 μm), three lip annules, low and flattened cephalic capsule, and presence of terminal subventral projection. Pratylenchoides variabilis Sher, Helicotylenchus amplius Anderson &Eveleigh, and H. spitsbergensis Loof are also reported from Adak and Amchitka Islands.     

Begging, food provisioning, and nestling competition in great tit broods infested with ectoparasites

Ectoparasites are a ubiquitous environmental component of breedingbirds, and it has repeatedly been shown that hematoph-agousectoparasites such as fleas and mites reduce the quality andnumber of offspring of bird hosts, thereby lowering the valueof a current brood. Selection acting on the hosts will favorphysiological and behavioral responses that will reduce theparasites' impact. However, the results of the few bird studiesthat addressed the question of whether parasitism leads to ahigher rate of food provisioning are equivocal, and the beggingresponse to infestation has rarely been quantified. A changein begging activity and parental rate of food provisioning couldbe predicted in either direction: parents could reduce theirinvestment in the brood in order to invest more in future broods,or they could increase their investment in order to compensatefor the parasites' effect on the current brood. Since the nestlingsare weakened by the ectoparasites they may beg less, but onthe other hand they may beg more in order to obtain more food.In this study we show experimentally that (1) hen fleas (Ceratophyllusgallinae) reduce the body mass and size of great tit (Parusmajor) nestlings, (2) nestlings of parasitized broods more thandouble their begging rate, (3) the male parents increase thefrequency of feeding trips by over 50%, (4) the females do notadjust feeding rate to the lowered nutritional state of nestlings,and (5) food competition among siblings of parasitized broodsis increased. Ultimately the difference in the parental feedingresponse may be understood as the result of a sex-related differencein the trade-off of i0vesting in current versus future broods.     

Testing for deterministic succession in metazoan parasite communities of marine fish

Parasite communities are similar to free‐living communities; decay of similarity over geographic distance, theory of island biogeography, species–area relationships and nestedness have been documented in both communities. Ecological succession has been studied in free‐living communities but has rarely been examined in parasite communities. We use seriation with replication to test the hypothesis that succession of parasite community structure is deterministic, thus developing throughout consecutive changes along the fish ontogeny, via a seriated pattern. 12 306 marine fishes (95 species) were studied. In 40 species, a seriated pattern was detected; 25 had a tendency towards a seriated pattern, and for 31 species, succession was at random. Age‐classes for each host species explained deterministic successional patterns for whole parasite communities and ectoparasites. Richness and number of age‐classes explained this pattern for endoparasites. Seriated successional pattern was evident for parasite communities of long‐lived marine fish, indicating that parasite communities follow sequential changes over time, like many free‐living communities.     

Abundance,feeding, and morphology of passerine birds at Kowhai Bush,Kaikoura, New Zealand

Abstract

Five-minute stationary counts of birds at Kowhai Bush over 17 months suggest that the scores for grey warblers and chaffinches may reflect vocal conspicuousness, rather than abundance, and that the scores for shining cuckoos, goldfinches, and redpolls may reflect vocal and visual conspicuousness in combination. Counts in three types of kanuka forest show that cuckoos, robins, and bellbirds favoured the more dense and diverse suocessional stages; that riflemen, brown creepers, fantails, chaffinches, goldfinches, and redpolls were most abundant in less mature habitats; and that warblers and silvereyes were almost uniformly common. Cuckoos and robins overlapped the most in use of habitat, robins and redpolls the least. For both warblers and robins, indices of abundance varied between two of the habitats in proportion to the densities of resident adults, permitting calibration of the indices. Excepting creepers and robins, native species were apparently less abundant at Kowhai Bush than in climax forest near Reefton. At Kowhai Bush in winter, creepers, warblers, and silvereyes (three of the four small native gleaners of foliage) collected prey almost entirely from kanuka, the dominant tree. Warblers foraged on 80% of occasions from living foliage, whereas creepers fed almost equally from trunks, branches, twigs, and leaves, and silvereyes concentrated on leaves and trunks. Creepers and silvereyes overlapped the most in use of feeding stations. Also, they were exclusively gleaners, whereas warblers caught prey on 40% of occasions by hovering. Warblers gleaned only in the upright position, but creepers and silvereyes often gleaned from vertical surfaces or by hanging upside down. The greatest overlap in feeding behaviour was between creepers and silvereyes. Data for four of the five small native insectivores show that warblers were half as heavy as creepers and silvereyes, and lighter on average than fantails. The tail was longer than the wing in fantails, shorter than the wing in silvereyes, and equal to the wing in warblers and creepers. The ratio of wing length to tarsometatarsus length was greatest for fantails (3.4), as befits an aerial feeder. Warblers, silvereyes, and fantails had bills that were wider than deep; the creeper’s was slightly deeper than wide. Silvereyes had the longest bill, and creepers the longest tarsometatarsus. Indices of morphological difference show that silvereyes and creepers differed least.     

Genus Bembidion Latreille (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in New Zealand: A revision

The cosmopolitan genus Bembidion is represented in New Zealand by 20 species, of which 19 are endemic; B. brullei appears to be a recent introduction. On phenetic characters the species fall into 7 subgenera, as follows: Zeplataphus n.subg.—maorinum Bates, dehiscens Broun, charile Bates, granuliferum n.sp., townsendi n.sp., tairuense Bates; Zeactedium Netolitzky—orbiferum Bates, musae Broun; Zeperyphodes n.subg.—callipeplum Bates; Zeperyphus n.subg.—actuarium Broun; Zemetal‐lina n.subg.—chalceipes Bates, solitarium n.sp., anchonoderum Bates, tekapoense Broun, wanakense n.sp., urewerense n.sp., hokitikense Bates, parviceps Bates; Ananotaphus Netolitzky—rotundicolle Bates; Notaphus Stephens—brullei Gemminger & Harold. The North Island population of maorinum is distinct from the typical South Island form in having reduced microscrulpture on the elytra, and is here separated as levatum n.ssp. An apparent geographic isolate of anchonoderum, represented by 2 females from Stewart Island, is provisionally recognised as stewartense n.ssp. The polymorphic complex within subg. Ananotaphus is here regarded as a single species, of which the North Island population is sufficiently distinct to warrant subspecific status as eustictum Bates; however, intergrades occur in the north‐west of the South Island. The following names fall into synonymy: latiusculum Broun (= maorinum); diaphanum Broun (= musae); nesophilum Broun (= callipeplum)’, tinctellum Broun (= chalceipes);antipodum Broun (= anchonoderum)’, tantillum Broun and probably attenuatum Broun (=hokitikense)’, clevedonense Broun and waikatoense Broun (= rotundicolle, ssp. eustictum)’, gameani Jeannel (= brullei). The relationships and aspects of the biology and ecology of the New Zealand Bembidion fauna are discussed.     

Postfledging parental care and unexpected foraging behaviour of juvenile Sooty Terns Onychoprion fuscata in the southern Mozambique Channel

The Berlese funnel method, and its variations, is commonly used for the extraction of arthropods from various substrates such as nest material. However, little is known about its effectivity in extracting ectoparasites from penguin nests. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a modified Berlese funnel method in extracting ectoparasites from African Penguin Spheniscus demersus nests and to determine differences in extraction capacity across parasite taxa and life stages. African Penguin nests (n = 278) were sampled at five penguin colonies along the south-west coast of South Africa in 2017. Nest samples were subjected to a modified Berlese funnel method with naphthalene as a repellent. Thereafter, all remaining ectoparasites were removed by hand sorting. Ectoparasite abundance was positively correlated between the two extraction methods (Spearman’s r = 0.73–0.89). Compared to total counts, flea (combined life stages and larvae) and total ectoparasite abundance and prevalence were significantly lower with the modified Berlese funnel method. In addition, adult flea and tick prevalence (but not abundance) was significantly lower with the modified Berlese funnel method compared with total counts. The modified Berlese funnel method fails as a quantitative method and can only provide a crude indication of the incidence of ectoparasites in penguin nests.     

Five in situ observations of live oarfish Regalecus glesne (Regalecidae) by remotely operated vehicles in the oceanic waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico

As part of the SERPENT Project, five observations of apparently healthy oarfish Regalecus glesne by remotely operated vehicles are reported from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Regalecus glesne were observed between 2008 and 2011 at depths from within the epipelagic and mesopelagic zones. These observations include the deepest verified record of R. glesne (463–492 m) and the first record of an arthropod ectoparasite (isopod).     

Peristerophila nestoriae,a new species of quill mite of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata) parasitizing New Zealand Kaka Nestor meridionalis (Gmelin) (Psittaciformes: Strigopidae)

A new species of quill mite of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata), Peristerophila nestoriae sp. nov. from New Zealand Kaka, Nestor meridionalis (Gmelin) (Psittaciformes: Strigopidae) is described. This new species is morphologically similar to Peristerophila falcophila [Skoracki M, Hromada M, Kaszewska K, Unsoeld M. 2018. Peristerophila falcophila sp. nov., a new species and first record of quill mites (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) parasitizing birds of the order Falconiformes. Acta Parasitologica. 63:744–749. https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2018-0088], and differs from it as follow: the stylophore is 130–140 long (vs. 150–160 long); the propodonotal shield bear bases of setae ve, si, and c1 (vs. only ve and si on the propodonotal shield); fan-like setae p′ and p″ of legs III and IV with 11–13 tines (vs. 10 tines); the lengths of setae ag2 40–50 (vs. 55–70). Our finding is the first record of the presence of syringophilid mite on host of the family Strigopidae and first report of the member of Peristerophila on psittaciform birds. So far, the syringophilids mites have not been found in New Zealand.

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FB0C5B37-DF42-428C-8C81-8FA56EA67504