Durettechina beveridgei n. g., n. sp. (Nematoda: Seuratidae) from Antechinus spp. (Dasyuridae: Marsupialia) from Australia

Durettechina beveridgei n. g., n. sp. (Nematoda: Seuratidae) is described from Antechinus flavipes (Dasyuridae) from Victoria and New South Wales. A single female from A. bellus from the Northern Territory may also be D. beveridgei. This new genus is compared with other genera of the Echinonematinae, to which it has been assigned. The genus has a unique body armature and most closely resembles Chabaudechina, in the armature of the cephalic bulb, but has four rather than five rows of hooks, and Linstowinema, in having body hooks on the cuticle of the anterior region, but has 18–22 hooks in each row rather than 14–16. The hooks of Durettechina are also smaller and have a less complex root morphology than those of Linstowinema. Durettechina resembles Seurechina and Chabaudechina in having caudal alae into which papillae extend, but differs from both these genera in the number and arrangement of the caudal papillae, as well as in the body armature. Durettechina, is most different from Bainechina, which has neither hooks on a cephalic bulb nor body hooks on the anterior region nor caudal alae.     

Campbellenchinae (Nematoda: Tylodoridae), a new subfamily from campbell Island,with a description of two new species

The first paragraph of the Introduction serves as an Abstract.

Specimens of an undescribed subfamily of Tylodoridae Paramonov, 1967 were found in each of 50 soil samples collected since 1951 from around the roots of native plants on Campbell Island, New Zealand. This taxon, Campbellenchinae n.subfam., its type‐genus, Campbellenchus n.gen., and 2 new species, C. poae and C. filicauda, are described. The diagnostic characters of the new subfamily include a lip region without a labial disc, a stylet of moderate length, a characteristic zone of cuticular annulation anterior to the stylet knobs, a slit‐like amphidial opening, a single ovary, and a filiform tail.     

Linstowinema breve n. sp. (Nematoda: Seuratidae) a parasite of Antechinus agilis (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae) from Australia

A new echinonematine nematode, Linstowinema breve sp. n., from the small intestine of the dasyurid marsupial Anthechinus agilis is described. The species is distinguished from its congeners by the possession of the following suite of characters: small size; first and third row of cephalic hooks similar in size; second row larger; 13-15 rows of body hooks without undulating edges on the dilated cuticle of the oesophageal region; oesophagus terminating at the level of the 5th-7th row of body hooks; ten pairs of caudal papillae; a large pair of lateral ad-cloacal papillae extend into small lateral alae. Linstowinema larvae previously recorded from A. agilis may be the same species. A key to species of the genus linstowinema is provided.     

An electrophoretic and morphological analysis of Labiostrongylus (Labiosimplex) bancrofti (Johnston & Mawson, 1939) (Nematoda: Cloacinidae), from macropodid marsupials,with the description of two new species

Allozyme electrophoresis was used to compare specimens of Labiostrongylus (Labiosimplex) bancrofti from two species of Australian macropodids, Macropus dorsalis and M. parryi, with a related species, L. (Labiomultiplex) uncinatus which also infests M. dorsalis. Each nematode was characterised genetically at 18 enzyme loci. The level of fixed genetic differences detected between L. (Ls.) bancrofti from M. parryi and M. dorsalis (83%) is equivalent to that when each is compared to the morphologically distinct species L. (Lm.) uncinatus (89–94%), demonstrating unequivocally that the taxon L. (Ls.) bancrofti represents at least two species, one in M. parryi and one in M. dorsalis. In addition, morphological evidence from additional specimens collected from M. parryi suggested the existence of a third sibling species in this group. All three species differ in the shape of the spicule tips; L. (Ls.) bancrofti has longer spicules than either of the two new species. L. (Ls.) quasibancrofti n. sp. has smaller cephalic papillae, larger oesophago-intestinal diverticula, a larger genital cone and a longer female tail than L. (Ls.) turnbulli n. sp. The taxon L. (Ls.) bancrofti consists, therefore, of three species, L. (Ls.) turnbulli in M. parryi, L. (Ls.) quasibancrofti in M. dorsalis, and L. (Ls.) bancrofti found in both host species, as well as in four species of rock wallabies.     

Orectolobicestus n. g. (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea), with the description of five new species and the transfer of Phyllobothrium chiloscyllii to the new genus

ORECTOLOBICESTUS N. G. (CESTODA: Tetraphyllidea) is erected for six cestode species parasitising bamboo sharks (Orectolobiformes: Chiloscyllium). Members of this genus differ from all other phyllobothriid genera in possessing modified maisiform spinitriches on their distal bothridial surfaces. In addition, they are easily recognised in that they share the following unique combination of characters: their vitelline fields are interrupted by the ovary, their necks are scutellate, and their bothridia bear an apical sucker and marginal loculi. Five new species of Orectolobicestus are described, including O. tyleri n. sp. from Chiloscyllium punctatum off Borneo, O. lorettae n. sp. from C. cf. punctatum off Australia, O. mukahensis n. sp. and O. kelleyae n. sp. from C. indicum off Borneo, and O. randyi n.sp. from C. hasselti also from off Borneo. In addition, Phyllobothrium chiloscyllii Subhapradha, 1955 is transferred to the new genus. O. chiloscyllii (Subhapradha, 1955) n. comb. is readily distinguished from all five new species in its greater total length. In addition to a number of proglottid features, O. kelleyae n. sp. and O. randyi n. sp. clearly differ from the other three new species in their possession of trifid, rather than fully serrate, spinitriches on their proximal bothridial surfaces. The latter two species conspicuously differ from one another in total number of proglottids (11-21 vs 27-38). O. tyleri n. sp. generally has fewer proglottids than O. lorrettae n. sp. (7-17 vs 13-23) and, like O. mukahensis n. sp., possesses scutes that are spathate rather than elongate. O. tyleri n. sp. is readily distinguished from O. mukahensis n. sp. in its possession of fewer proglottids (7-17 vs. 19-29). The five new species of Orectolobicestus share derived bothridial microthrix features with Phyllobothrium squali Yamaguti, 1952, Thysanocephalum sp., Orygmatobothrium sp., Ruhnkecestus Caira & Durkin, 2006 and species of Paraorygmatobothrium Ruhnke, 1994. Among these taxa, Orectolobicestus most closely resembles Paraorygmatobothrium and Ruhnkecestus in its vitelline fields being interrupted by the ovary and the possession of a scutellate neck.     

A new acanthocephalan family, the Isthmosacanthidae (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchida), with the description of Isthmosacanthus fitzroyensis n. g., n. sp. from threadfin fishes (Polynemidae) of northern Australia

Isthmosacanthus fitzroyensis n. g., n. sp. is described from two species of protandrous fish, Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw) and Polydactylus macrochir (Günther), from the waters around the coast of northern Australian. The new species can be distinguished from all others by the following combination of characters: proboscis shape and armature (22 rows of 13-14 hooks), short neck, trunk spined anteriorly and having two swellings (one bulbous) with a narrow isthmus in between, long tubular lemnisci and six tubular cement glands. Although I. fitzroyensis has been confused with a species of Pomphorhynchus Monticelli, 1905 in the literature, it can be distinguished from all pomphorhynchids, including species of Longicollum Yamaguti, 1935 and Pyriproboscis Amin, Abdullah & Mhaisen, 2003, by the suite of characters listed above. The placement of the species of Pyriproboscis in the Pomphorhynchidae Yamaguti, 1939 is problematical, because it has a short neck, two distinct hook types comprising the proboscis armature and only two rather than six cement glands. A new family, the Isthmosacanthidae n. fam., is erected to contain Isthmosacanthus together with Gorgorhynchoides Cable & Linderoth, 1963 and Golvanorhynchus Noronha, Fabio & Pinto, 1978, genera having an elongate to clavate proboscis, anterior trunk spines, elongate lemnisci, and six tubular cement glands. The validity of this determination, based on the importance of cement gland number and phylogenetic analysis, is argued.     

Karualona n.gen. (Anomopoda: Chydoridae), with a description of two new species,and a key to all known species

The species group of Alona karua is raised to generic rank and named Karualona. The genus is defined on the basis of a number of characters of the body and its appendages. Tentative new microcharacters are introduced, related to the type and length of selected setae of P1, P2, P3 and P4. Two new species are described, one from the island of Socotra and one from Mexico. A key to the five currently recognized species is given.     

Epsilonematidae (Nematoda) from Chiloé (southern Chile), with descriptions of two new species

From a sandy beach in southern Chile (Quellón Viejo, Chiloé Island) five species of the nematode family Epsilonematidae are described or redescribed: Bathyepsilonema spongiosum sp.n., Epsilonema dentaturn Lorenzen, 1973, E. serrulatum Lorenzen, 1973, Metepsilonema chilotum sp.n. and M. leptaleum Lorenzen, 1973. In the studied beach Epsilonematidae represent up to 33% of the interstitial nematodes. Epsilonema dentaturn is the most common species; in most of the samples, it represents more than 50% of all Epsilonematidae found. The epsilonematids occur mainly in a narrow zone at the midtidal level.     

Rugonema labiatum n. g., n. sp. (Nematoda: Strongyloidea) from the stomach of Macropus irma (Marsupialia: Macropodidae) from Western Australia

Rugonema labiatum n. g., n. sp. is described from the stomach of Macropus irma (Jourdan) from Western Australia. The new genus possesses four branches to the dorsal ray, has a cylindrical buccal capsule and lacks a cervical groove, placing it within the subfamily Cloacininae Stossich, 1899. The presence of a prominently striated buccal capsule and labial as well as cephalic collars places the genus within the tribe Pharyngostrongylinea Popova, 1952, but it is distinguished from all existing genera within the tribe by the possession of four lips. The presence of lips is an important characteristic of the related tribe Zoniolaiminea (Popova, 1952) and the characters used in distinguishing these two tribes are discussed.     

Helminths of rodents and marsupials from Papua New Guinea,with the description of two new species,Echinostoma echymiperae n. sp. (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) and Vampirolepis peroryctis n. sp. (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae)

The following rodents and marsupials from the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea have been examined for helminths: Anisomys imitator, Melomys spp., Pogonomelomys ruemmleri, Rattus spp., Echymipera kalubu and Peroryctes raffrayanus. Two new species and a number of new host records are reported. Echinostoma echymiperae n. sp., a digenean from the intestine of Echymipera kalubu, is characterised by the number of collar spines, the body armature and the shape and position of the gonads. Vampirolepis peroryctis n. sp., a cestode from the intestine of Peroryctes raffrayanus, is characterised by the length of the rostellar hooks, the shape of the ovary, the arrangement of the testes in a triangle and the extent of the cirrus-sac. Hymenolepis aklei, H. bradleyi, H. antechini, H. bettongiae, H. cercarteti, H. isoodontis and H. potoroi are transferred to Vampirolepis as new combinations. E. kalubu is a new host for Linstowia semoni and Pogonomelomys ruemmleri is a new host for Hymenolepis diminuta. V. peroryctis is the first platyhelminth to be reported from Peroryctes raffrayanus and Raillietina (Raillietina) sp. the second to be reported from the genus Melomys.     

Diversification of Cercopithifilaria species (Nematoda: Filarioidea) in Japanese wild ruminants with description of two new species

Twelve of the 17 Cervus nippon nippon deer from Kyushu Island, Japan, that we examined were infected with one or two Cercopithifilaria species. C. longa n. sp. adults were in the subcutaneous tissues of limbs and the abdomen, and C. crassa n. sp. adults were in the skin, mainly in the anterior part of the back; the distribution of the dermal microfilariae generally matched that of the adult worms. The two new species were assigned to the group of primitive Cercopithifilaria species that parasitize ruminants (bavids and cervids), but the new species could readily be distinguished from others morphologically. C. longa was more primitive and resembled C. bulboidea, one of the five species from the serow Capricornis crispus, a Japanese member of the Caprinae, and species from Bovidae in Africa. C. crassa had a thick body and large spicules like C. rugosicauda from Capreolus capreolus in Europe, the only previously known Cercopithifilaria species from cervids, but it also had one or two hypertrophied pairs of caudal papillae, an unusual character found so far only in Japanese parasites. Among the 12 species known from ruminants, four are African, one is European and more highly evolved, and seven are Japanese, with some being primitive and some more evolved. The great diversity of Cercopithifilaria species in the two wild ruminants that live in Japan seems to have resulted from local speciation, which occurred during the Pleistocene, from a primitive form of the C. longa type derived from Eurasiatic ancestors, which has disappeared or, more probably, not yet been discovered.     

Corollonema thylogale n. g., n. sp. (Nematoda: Strongyloidea), parasitic in the pademelons Thylogale thetis and T. stigmatica (Marsupialia: Macropodidae) from Queensland, Australia

Corollonema thylogale n. g., n. sp. is described from the stomachs of Thylogale thetis and T. stigmatica from south-eastern Queensland. The new genus is characterised by four branches to the dorsal ray, a J-shaped ovejector, a cylindrical buccal capsule reduced to a posterior, thickened annulus and a leaf-crown of eight elements originating from the base of the buccal capsule. On the basis of these features, the new genus is placed in the subfamily Cloacininae Stossich, 1899 and the tribe Coronostrongylinea Beveridge, 1986. The presence of an internal leaf crown is unique within the tribe and the new genus is erected on this basis.     

Gymnomeropsylla n. gen. (Siphonaptera: Pygiopsyllidae) from Sulawesi,Indonesia, with the description of two new species

Compared to related genera, this new flea genus is characterized by the absence, or presence of very few, bristles on the external surface of femur I and especially by the morphology of the apex of sternite IX in the male, which is hyaline and lacks spiniform bristles. The two new species, G. bunomydis and G. margaretamydis, are distinguished from each other by the structure of the genitalia, and the presence of numerous erect bristles on the thorax and abdominal tergites of the latter species. Both of these new species parasitize murine rodents that are endemic to Sulawesi; G. bunomydis was collected mainly from Bunomys chrysocomus and G. margaretamydis only from Margaretamys parvus.     

Ancipirhynchus afossalis n. g., n. sp. (Trypanorhyncha: Otobothriidae), from two species of sharks off Indonesian and Malaysian Borneo

A new genus of trypanorhynch cestode is described from two species of sharks, the sliteye shark Loxodon macrorhinus Müller & Henle and the straight-tooth weasel shark Paragaleus tengi (Chen) collected in the Makassar Strait (off Indonesian Borneo) and Sulu Sea (off Malaysian Borneo). Ancipirhynchus afossalis n. g., n. sp. possesses two bothria and a heteroacanthous, heteromorphous tentacular armature with three distinctive files of hooks on the external tentacle surface but lacks prebulbar organs and gland cells within the tentacular bulbs. The hook arrangement of alternating files on the external surface of the tentacle resembles that seen in the superfamily Otobothrioidea Dollfus, 1942 in the genus Fossobothrium Beveridge & Campbell, 2005. However, the new species lacks the defining characteristic of this group, i.e. the paired bothrial pits. A Bayesian inference (BI) analysis of 37 LSU sequences of trypanorhynchs from three superfamilies provided evidence supporting the taxonomic placement of Ancipirhynchus afossalis n. g., n. sp. within the Otobothrioidea.     

Discovery of groundwater-inhabiting Chydoridae (Crustacea: Cladocera), with the description of two new species

The groundwater along the Couze (= river) Pavin in Auvergne, France, yielded four chydorid Cladocera, among which two are known but rare species, while two are new species. One of the new species, Alona phreatica, has reduced eye and ocellus-sizes, but no other adaptations to a groundwater-mode of life are apparent. The likelihood that more phreatic species exist in other parts of Europe and elsewhere is discussed.