<Emphasis Type="Italic">Acanthocephaloides irregularis</Emphasis> n. sp. (Acanthocephala: Arhythmacanthidae) from marine fishes off the Ukrainian Black Sea coast

Acanthocephaloides irregularis n. sp. (Arhythmacanthidae) is described from four species of marine fishes in the Gulf of Odessa and Sukhyi Lyman, Ukrainan Black Sea waters, making it the tenth species of the genus. The hosts are the combtooth blenny Parablennius zvonimiri (Kolombatovic) (Blenniidae), the mushroom goby Ponticola eurycephalus (Kessler) (Gobiidae), the tubenose goby Proterorhinus marmoratus (Pallas) (Gobiidae) and the black-striped pipefish Syngnathus abaster Risso (Syngnathidae). The new species is most similar to its closest relative, Acanthocephaloides propinquus (Dujardin, 1845), in proboscis shape and armature (12 longitudinal rows of 5 hooks) and the shape of the trunk, reproductive system and lemnisci, but differs in having randomly distributed trunk spines. These trunk spines are organised in circular rings of individual spines separated by aspinose zones. The new species is also unique in having an anterior trunk collar, a very large triangular cephalic ganglion, nucleated pouches at the posterior end of the proboscis receptacle, and hooks and spines with roots bearing anterior manubria. Valid and invalid species of Acanthocephaloides Meyer, 1932 are listed and a key to all ten species is included.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arkharavia heterocoelica</Emphasis> gen. et sp. nov., a new sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of the Far East of Russia

A new sauropod dinosaur, Arkharavia heterocoelica gen. et sp. nov., from the Maastrichtian (Udurchukan Formation) of the Amur Region, Russia, is described based on a tooth and several isolated anterior caudal vertebrae. It is distinguished by the saddle-shaped centrum and high neural spine of the anterior caudal vertebrae. Certain structural characters of the new genus are in common with Chubutisaurus insignis (Titanosauriformes) from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina.     

The ventral skin glands, new additional cloacal glands in Proteus anguinus (Caudata, Proteidae). I. Female

Guillaume, O. 2000. The ventral skin glands, new additional cloacal glands in Proteus anguinus (Caudata, Proteidae). I. Female. —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 81 : 213–221 Cloacae of female Proteus anguinus were examined by light and electron microscopy. Females possess spermathecae and anterior ventral glands such as Necturus females. However, female P. anguinus possess new additional cloacal glands of unknown homology. These tubular glands secrete on the ventral epidermis of the cloacal area. Considering these characteristics, it is proposed that they will be called the ventral skin glands.     

Pelagostrobilidium liui n. sp. (Ciliophora,Choreotrichida) from the Coastal Waters of Northeastern Taiwan and an Improved Description of Pelagostrobilidium minutum Liu et al., 2012

The number of somatic kineties in Pelagostrobilidium ranges from 4 to 6 according to the present state of knowledge. This study investigates Pelagostrobilidium liui n. sp. using live observation, protargol stain, and small subunit rDNA data sequencing. Pelagostrobilidium liui n. sp. is characterized by having a spherical‐shaped body, four somatic kineties, with kinety 2 spiraled around the left side of body, about six elongated external membranelles, and invariably no buccal membranelle. It differs from its most similar congener, Pelagostrobilidium minutum Liu et al., 2012 , in (i) cell shape; (ii) macronucleus width; (iii) oral apparatus; (iv) anterior orientation of kinety 2; (v) location where kinety 2 commences; (vi) arrangement of kinety 1; (vii) distance between the anterior cell end and the locations where kineties commence; and (viii) the presence of 12 different bases (including two deletions) in the small subunit rDNA sequences. The diagnosis of P. minutum Liu et al., 2012 is also improved to include the following new characteristics: invariably four somatic kineties; kineties 2 and 4 alone commence at the same level; kinety 2 originates from right anterior cell half on ventral side, extends sinistrally posteriorly, over kinety 1, around left posterior region, terminates near posterior cell end on dorsal side; kinety 1 commences below anterior third of kinety 2.     

A new species of genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudogyrinocheilus</Emphasis> (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Guangxi,China

A new species, Pseudogyrinocheilus longisulcus, was discovered from a tributary of Pearl River in Jingxi Co., Guangxi, China, The new species can be distinguished from other species of Pseudogyrinocheilus by the following combination of characteristics: prolonged post-labial grooves, and extended antero-medially close to anterior end of middle lower lip, but not meeting with its counterpart; posterior margin of lower lip free; scales of abdomen from thorax to pectoral-fin base embedded under skin; lateral-line scales 40–42; dark stripe longitudinal along lateral line on flank. The key to the species of Pseudogyrinocheilus is provided.     

The ventral skin glands, new additional cloacal glands in Proteus anguinus (Caudata, Proteidae). II. Male

Guillaume, O. 2000. The ventral skin glands, new additional cloacal glands in Proteus anguinus (Caudata, Proteidae). II. Male. —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 81 : 223–234 Cloacae from male Proteus anguinus were examined for the first time by light and electron microscopy. Male P. anguinus possess anterior and posterior ventral glands, dorsal and lateral pelvic glands, vent glands and Kingsbury’s glands as do Necturus males. However, male P. anguinus also possess the new additional cloacal glands found in females and which the author has called the ventral skin glands. Furthermore, the number, the length and the diameter of these tubular glands are higher in males. Therefore the inference is that these glands are sexually dimorphic glands.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Monticellia santafesina</Emphasis> n. sp. (Cestoda: Proteocephalidea), a parasite of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Megalonema platanum</Emphasis> (Günther) (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) in the Paraná River basin,Argentina

The proteocephalidean tapeworm Monticellia santafesina n. sp. is described from the siluriform catfish Megalonema platanum (Günther) (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) in the Paraná River basin, Argentina. The new species is allocated to Monticellia La Rue, 1911 (Proteocephalidae: Monticelliinae) because of the cortical position of the testes, ovary, vitelline follicles and uterus, a globular scolex without a metascolex and uniloculate suckers. The new species differs from all other species of Monticellia (except for M. lenha Woodland, 1933) in possessing a vaginal canal opening anterior or posterior to the cirrus-sac. M. santafesina can be distinguished from M. lenha by the following characteristics: a larger body size; a weakly developed internal longitudinal musculature arranged in 15–35 slim bundles of muscle fibres; vitelline follicles not interrupted at the level of the cirrus-sac and vaginal canal, and with a few paramuscular and/or medullary follicles; the absence of large spinitriches on the anterior margin of the suckers; and the utilisation of Megalonema platanum (in the Paraná River basin) as its host, rather than Sorubimichthys planiceps (Spix & Agassiz) (in the River Amazon). Monticellia santafesina exhibits low values of prevalence (9%) and intensity of infection (1). Megalonema platanum was parasitised by two proteocephalidean cestodes, Rudolphiella cf. lobosa (Riggenbach, 1895) and the new species described in this paper.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Luciaella ivanovae</Emphasis> n. g., n. sp. (Eucestoda: Proteocephalidea: Peltidocotylinae), a parasite of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ageneiosus inermis</Emphasis> (L.) (Siluriformes: Auchenipteridae) in Argentina

Luciaella ivanovae n. g., n. sp. (Proteocephalidea: Peltidocotylinae) is proposed to accommodate a new cestode from a siluroid fish, the manduvé Ageneiosus inermis (Linnaeus) (syn. A. brevifilis Valenciennes) (Auchenipteridae) from the Colastiné River, a tributary of the Paraná River, in Argentina. The new genus is placed in the Peltidocotylinae because it has a medullary ovary with projections into the dorsal cortex, cortical vitelline follicles and testes, a cortical uterine stem, and uterine branches penetrating the medulla and usually as far as the dorsal cortex. Luciaella can be distinguished from all other peltidocotyline genera by the following combination of characters: a quadrangular scolex with four biloculate suckers, each of which has a cap-peak-like structure situated on the anterior margin; the absence of a metascolex; vitelline follicles arranged in two lateral rows which are crescent-shaped in transverse section; testes distributed in two dorsal fields connected anteriorly and sometimes posteriorly; and a vagina which is always anterior to the cirrus-sac and overlaps the convoluted vas deferens. Filiform microtriches are present on all tegumental surfaces, with short filiform microtriches on the scolex and long filiform microtriches on the proliferation zone and on both immature and mature proglottides. The diagnosis of the Peltidocotylinae Woodland, 1934 given by Rego (1994) is amended. L. ivanovae is the fourth proteocephalidean described from A. inermis and the third recorded in this fish host from Argentina.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Spicocleidus namae</Emphasis> n. g., n. sp. (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chanda nama</Emphasis> (Hamilton) from Lucknow,India

Spicocleidus n. g. is proposed for S. namae n. sp., a new monogenean collected from the gills of an ambassid, Chanda nama (Ham.), in the River Sai near Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The new genus is characterised by a pair of modified dorsal anchors (spikes), the absence of a dorsal bar, alate lateral expansion of the anterior haptor and the post-ovarian position of the testis.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Grammatorcynicola</Emphasis> n. g. (Bucephalidae: Dolichoenterinae) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Grammatorcynus</Emphasis> spp. (Scombridae) on the Great Barrier Reef,Australia

A new trematode genus, Grammatorcynicola n. g. (Bucephalidae: Dolichoenterinae), and two new species, G. brayi n. sp. and G. nolani n. sp. from the intestines of the scombrids, Grammatorcynus bicarinatus and Gr. bilineatus respectively, are reported from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Grammatorcynicola n. g. is placed in the Dolichoenterinae, as the pharynx is in the anterior quarter of the body, the caecum is tube-like and extends to the posterior quarter of the body, the cirrus-sac is small relative to the size of the worm when compared with other bucephalids and the pars prostatica is curved. Grammatorcynicola n. g. differs from other dolichoenterine genera in having a simple sucker-like rhynchus, the ovary anterior to the testes and by not having a particularly thick cirrus-sac wall.     

A new genus and species of oribatid mites <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scarabacarus longisensillus</Emphasis> gen. et sp. n. (Acariformes,Liacaridae) from the Caucasus

A new genus and species, Scarabacarus longisensillus gen. et sp. n., of the family Liacaridae are described from the Caucasus (Azerbaijan and Abkhazia): The new genus Scarabacarus is characterized by the highly convex body, straight anterior margin of the notogaster, narrow fusiform sensilla, the lamellae situated on the lateral margins of the prodorsum, the absence of interlamellar and notogastral setae (besides one posterior pair), presence of four pairs of genital setae, and tridactylous leg tarsi.     

A new blind loach, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oreonectes elongatus</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae) from Guangxi,China

A new loach, Oreonectes elongatus sp. nov. is described based on collections from Mulun Township, Huanjiang County, Guangxi in China. It is distinguished from its congeners by the combination of the following characters: most elongate body (body depth/SL 8.62–10.68%), blind, a forked caudal fin, obvious adipose dorsal crest and ventral crest; entire body naked and de-pigmented. Although the new species has a similar distribution with O. macrolepis, it can be distinguished by scales (absent in O. elongatus vs. present in O. macrolepis), shape of snout (elongate vs. round), the opposite position of the dorsal and pelvic fins origins (behind vs. front). The new species shares the same possession of dorsal and ventral crests, a forked caudal fin, eyeless, naked body and incomplete lateral line with O. translucens, but can be distinguished from the latter by caudal fin crest (more developed and translucent in O. translucens), longer anterior nostril tube and barbel, extreme of pectoral fin reaching 2/3 of the distance between origin of pectoral and pelvic fins, more vertebrae (4 + 38–39 vs. 4 + 32).     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sanguinicola maritimus</Emphasis> n. sp. (Digenea: Sanguinicolidae) from Labridae (Teleostei: Perciformes) of southern Australian waters

A new species of Sanguinicola Plehn, 1905 is described from the marine teleosts Notolabrus parilus (Richardson) and N. tetricus (Richardson) (Perciformes: Labridae) from Western Australian and Tasmanian waters. This host distribution is strikingly anomalous; however, the present material fulfils the morphological criteria of Sanguinicola. S. maritimus n. sp. differs from previously described species in having the combination of a body 1,432–1,701 μm long, the oesophagus 18.3–21.7% of the body length, the testis occupying 42.8–52.3% of the body length, an oviducal seminal receptacle and Mehlis’ gland present, ovoid eggs, and vitelline follicles that extend anteriorly past the nerve commissure, laterally past the lateral nerve chords and posteriorly to the anterior margin of the cirrus-sac. S. maritimus also lacks a protrusible anterior proboscis. It also differs in the combination of host and geographical location, being the first Sanguinicola species from a marine teleost and the first from Australian waters.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gyrodactylus thlapi</Emphasis>n. sp. (Monogenea) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudocrenilabrus philander philander</Emphasis> (Weber) (Cichlidae) in the Okavango Delta,Botswana

A new species of Gyrodactylus von Nordmann, 1832 and the first monogenean reported from Botswana is described from the cichlid Pseudocrenilabrus philander philander,bringing the number of gyrodactylids described from the African Continent to 18. Gyrodactylus thlapi n. sp. can be readily discriminated from the other described species almost exclusively by the shape of its hamuli, which have short roots and large, elongate ventral bar attachment points with the dorsal bar attachment point, demarcating the junction between the hamulus shaft and the root, positioned at the anterior terminus of the attachment plane. The marginal hooks of G. thlapi n. sp., which most closely resemble those of G. groschafti Ergens, 1973, are compared and discussed.     

Comment on Amézquita et al. (2017) “Conspicuousness,color resemblance,and toxicity in geographically diverging mimicry: The pan‐Amazonian frog Allobates femoralis”

Amézquita et al. (2017) recently concluded that species of the Allobates femoralis group are toxic to mice at levels equivalent to syntopic alkaloid‐containing poison frogs, which they attributed to the presence of alkaloids in skin secretions. However, the chemical composition of skin secretions was not analyzed, and here we present additional data supporting the absence of alkaloids in skin secretions of the Allobates femoralis group. Instead, we suggest the observed toxicity was caused by the anesthetic benzocaine, which was applied to the buccal cavity to euthanize frogs prior to skin removal. We show that orally administered benzocaine is rapidly incorporated into the skin of species that sequester and do not sequester alkaloids, which casts doubt on the conclusion that Allobates femoralis group skin secretions are toxic and makes the results of experiments with alkaloid‐containing species of Adelphobates and Ameerega uninterpretable. To prevent experimental errors and misinterpretations in studies of amphibian chemical defense, we encourage researchers to test the chemical composition of samples prior to experimentation, include all necessary controls to detect false positives, conduct small pilot studies for new methods, and consider the limitations of particular methods and their ability to address the intended research questions.     

Calcium translocations during the moulting cycle of the semiterrestrial isopod <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ligia hawaiiensis</Emphasis> (Oniscidea,Crustacea)

Terrestrial isopods moult first the posterior and then the anterior half of the body. During the moulting cycle they retain a significant fraction of cuticular calcium partly by storing it in sternal CaCO₃ deposits. We analysed the calcium content in whole Ligia hawaiiensis and the calcium distribution between the posterior, the anterior ventral, and the anterior dorsal cuticle during four stages of the moulting cycle. The results indicate that: (1) overall, about 80% of the calcium is retained and 20% is lost with the exuviae, (2) in premoult 68% of the calcium in the posterior cuticle is resorbed (23% moved to the anterior ventral cuticle, 17% to the anterior dorsal cuticle, and the remaining 28% to internal tissues), (3) after the posterior moult 83% of the calcium in the anterior cuticle is shifted to the posterior cuticle and possibly to internal storage sites, (4) following the anterior moult up to 54% of the calcium in the posterior cuticle is resorbed and used to mineralise the new anterior cuticle. ⁴⁵Ca-uptake experiments suggest that up to 80% of calcium lost with the anterior exuviae may be regained after its ingestion. Whole body calcium of Ligia hawaiiensis is only 0.7 times that of the fully terrestrial isopods. These terrestrial species can retain only 48% of whole body calcium, suggesting that the amount of calcium that can be retained by shifting it between the anterior and posterior integument is limited. We propose that fully terrestrial Oniscidea rely to a larger degree on other calcium sources like internal stores and uptake from the ingested exuviae.