Metazoan parasites of Macruronus magellanicus from southern Chile as biological tags

Examination of 450 specimens of Macruronus magellanicus from two fishing grounds in southern Chile (Talcahuano: 36°40'S, Punta Arenas: 54° S) revealed 24 205 metazoan parasites, belonging to 15 taxa with low specificity: Chondracanthus australis and Neobrachiella sp. (Copepoda); Elytrophalloides oatesi, Gonocerca phycidis, Derogenes varicus and Brachyphallus parvus , (Digenea); Hepatoxylon trichiuri, Scolex pleuronectis, Clestobothrium crassiceps, Grillotia dollfusi , Pseudophyllidea gen. sp. (Cestoda); Anisakidae, Cucullanus sp. (Nematoda), Corynosoma australe and Acanthocephala gen. sp. (Acanthocephala). The list includes parasites that are common to other merluccids from the zone. The parasitological evidence does not suggest the existence of two discrete stocks, but the existence of a migratory process from south to north.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Caligus fajerae</Emphasis> n. sp. (Copepoda: Caligidae) parasitic on the Pacific sierra <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scomberomurus sierra</Emphasis> Jordan &amp; Starks (Actinopterygii: Scombridae) in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico

A new species of parasitic copepod, Caligus fajerae n. sp. (Caligidae), is described from Scomberomorus sierra Jordan & Starks (Scombridae) caught off the northwestern coast of Mexico. The new species morphologically resembles Caligus cybii Bassett-Smith, 1898, Caligus kanagurta Pillai, 1961, Caligus pelamydis Krøyer, 1863 and Caligus robustus Bassett-Smith, 1898, all of which have been reported from scombrid hosts. Caligus fajerae n. sp. differs from these species by having spinules on the abdomen and caudal ramus, two processes on the proximal antennulary segment, fine striations on the claw of the antenna and maxilliped, a stouter and more recurved maxillulary dentiform process, shorter tines on the sternal furca, two additional patches of spinules on the distal endopodal segment of leg 2, a sclerotised lobe on the anteromedian surface of the leg 3 protopod and serrations on both margins of the first exopodal spine of leg 3. Analysis of the DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene for Caligus fajerae n. sp. and 28 congeners, including C. pelamydis and C. robustus, showed that the new species grouped with Caligus belones Krøyer, 1863 (with 20% divergence), a species known to occur predominantly on needlefishes. Caligus fajerae n. sp. is the fifth species of Caligus reported from S. sierra. An updated host-parasite list for Caligus spp. on scombrids is provided.     

Metazoan parasites on the gills of the skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis (Osteichthyes: Scombridae) from the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea)

The gills of 31 skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis (L.) caught in the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea) were examined for metazoan parasites, and the gills of 4 specimens from the Balearic Sea (also western Mediterranean Sea) were analysed for comparative purposes. Nine -species of parasites were found, including 8 didymozoid trematodes (Atalostrophion cf. bio-varium, Didymocylindrus filiformis, Didymocylindrus simplex, Didymocystis reniformis, Didymoproblema fusiforme, Didymozoon longicolle, Koellikeria sp. and Lobatozoum multisacculatum) and 1 caligid copepod (Caligus bonito). Koellikeria sp. and L. multisacculatum were not recorded in the Balearic Sea. Most of the parasites (79.2% of all specimens) were didymozoids. Didymozoon longicolle was the dominant species; A. cf. biovarium, D. simplex, D. fusiforme and L. multisacculatum are reported from the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. No correlation was found between the intensity of infection of any parasite species and host size or sex. Most of the parasites, particularly didymozoids, showed a high site-specificity. Significant differences were found between the parasite assemblages of K. pelamis from the Alboran Sea and from the Atlantic Ocean. D. fusiforme, D. longicolle and L. multisacculatum are suggested as potential tags to follow skipjack tuna migrations between the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.     

A new species of Euzonus (Polychaeta: Opheliidae) from subtidal zones in Japan

A new opheliid polychaete, Euzonus japonicus sp. nov., is described. This species was collected from subtidal zones in Japanese coasts, while most Euzonus species inhabit intertidal sandy beaches. E. japonicus sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to another subtidal species, E. flabelliferus (Ziegelmeier, 1955) collected from northern Europe, but different from that in the form of branchiae. They share a unique characteristic on setiger 10, i. e., a pair of lateral transverse rows of conical cirri, instead of a pair of lateral smooth ridges that are common to all intertidal Euzonus species.     

Three species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caligus</Emphasis> Müller, 1785 (Copepoda: Caligidae) parasitic on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caranx</Emphasis> spp. (Teleostei: Carangidae) off Taiwan

Three species of sea-lice (Siphonostomatoida: Caligidae) parasitic on marine fishes of the genus Caranx off Taiwan are reported. They are: Caligus fortis Kabata, 1965 on Caranx ignobilis (Forsskål); Caligus robustus Bassett-Smith, 1898 on Caranx sexfasciatus Quoy &; Gaimard; and Caligus inanis n. sp. on Caranx ignobilis. Caligus robustus is a widely distributed species, but this is the first report of C. fortis outside the Australian and Indian regions. The new species is distinguished from its congeners in lacking postantennal process and carrying a pair of tiny, tooth-like, sharp protuberances on the posterior margin of the cephalothoracic shield.     

Nouveaux Monocotylidae (Monogenea), parasites branchiaux de Dasyatis pastinaca (L.) (Euselachii,Dasyatidae). Compléments à la description de Heterocotyle pastinacae Scott, 1904

Heterocotyle scotti n. sp. and H. similis n. sp., two gill parasites of Dasyatis pastinaca, are described. H. pastinacae Scott, 1904, is redescribed from the gills of the same Mediterranean host species. New features concerning haptor morphology are reported. The disposition of the sinuous ridges on the haptor of these three species is discussed. All three species possess a spermatophore. The variation in vaginal anatomy of H. pastinacae leads to the suggestion of a sequence explaining the development or destruction of the spermatophore. The specificity of these parasites and their relationships with Heterocotyle from the Atlantic coast of America are discussed.     

Community ecology of the metazoan parasites of white croaker, Micropogonias furnieri (Osteichthyes: Sciaenidae), from the coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

One hundred specimens of white croakers, Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest 1823) (Osteichthyes: Sciaenidae) collected from Pedra de Guaratiba (23 degrees 01'S, 43 degrees 38'W), State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from September 1997 to August 1999, were necropsied to study their parasites. The majority of the fish (95%) were parasitized by metazoan. Twenty-eight species of parasites were collected. The nematodes were the 40.5% of the total number of parasites specimens collected. Dichelyne elongatus was the most dominant species. Lobatostoma ringens, Pterinotrematoides mexicanum, Corynosoma australe, D. elongatus, and Caligus haemulonis showed a positive correlation between the host's total length and parasite prevalence and abundance. The monogenean P. mexicanum had differences in the prevalence and abundance in relation to sex of the host. The mean diversity in the infracommunities of M. furnieri was H=0.499+/-0.411, with correlation with the host's total length and without differences in relation to sex of the host. One pair of ectoparasites showed positive covariation, and two pairs of endoparasites showed positive association and covariation between their prevalences and abundances, respectively. Negative association or covariations were not found. The dominance of endoparasites in the croakers parasite infracommunities reinforced the differences found in sciaenids from the South American Pacific Ocean, in which the ectoparasites are dominant.     

Helminth fauna of the yellow-legged gull Larus cachinnans in Galicia, north-west Spain

Thirty-six helminth species were found in 324 gulls examined during June 1994 to February 1996 from different localities of Galicia: 25 trematodes (Brachylaima sp., Brachylecithum microtesticulatum, Cardiocephaloides longicollis, Cryptocotyle lingua, Cryptocotyle concavum, Diplostomum spathaceum, Echinostephilla virgula, Galactosomum phalacrocoracis, Gigantobilharzia acotylea, Gymnophallus deliciosus, Gynaecotyla longiintestinata, Himasthla elongata, Himasthla quissetensis, Knipowitschiatrema nicolai, Levinseniella (Levinseniella) propinqua, Maritrema gratiosum, Maritrema linguilla, Microphallus primas, Microphallus similis, Ornithobilharzia canaliculata, Parorchis acanthus, Phagicola minuta, Psilostomum brevicolle, Renicola sp. and Stephanoprora denticulata), four cestodes (Alcataenia micracantha, Microsomacanthus ductilis, Tetrabothrius (Oriana) erostris and Wardium cirrosa), six nematodes (Anisakis simplex, Contracaecum rudolphii, Cosmocephalus obvelatus), Eucoleus contortus, Paracuaria adunca and Tetrameres (Tetrameres) skrjabini) and one acanthocephalan (Arhythmorhynchus longicollis). Tetrabothrius erostris was the most prevalent species (79.6%), followed by C. obvelatus (47.8%), C. lingua (37.4%), G deliciosus (30.9%), G. longiintestinata (22.8%), P. adunca (21.9%), B. microtesticulatum (17.6%), E. contortus (14.5%) and M. similis (9.3%). Microphallus similis was the dominant species, with a Berger-Parker index (BP) of 0.32, followed by T. erostris (BP=0.10). All species presented an aggregated dispersion except G. acotylea and G. phalacrocoracis, which showed a random dispersion. Species that seem to have the greatest predilection for specific sites along the intestine are: C. longicollis and A. micracantha (first third), Brachylaima sp., M. similis and G. longiintestinata (last third) and A. longicollis (second half). Eight species are known to be pathogenic to commercially important fish or molluscan species and several are pathogenic to humans.     

Monogenean parasites of introduced pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus (Centrarchidae) in the Danube River Basin

The pumpkinseed, Lepomis gibbosus, a centrarchid fish native to eastern North America, was introduced into Europe at the end of the 19th century. Lepomis gibbosus now represents one of the most successful of introduced fish species, having spread widely throughout many European countries. In this study, we collected monogenean parasites of L. gibbosus from four sites in the Danube River Basin. We recorded four monogenean species: Gyrodactylus sp., probably acquired in the area of introduction, and Onchocleidus similis, O. dispar and Actinocleidus recurvatus, species introduced together with their host. Onchocleidus similis dominated the parasite community at all sampling sites. Actinocleidus recurvatus has only been reported from southern Europe to date and, therefore, this is the first report of A. recurvatus from Central Europe and the Danube River Basin. We observed high morphological variability in both anchor pairs of A. recurvatus. Only in O. similis was there a positive correlation observed between haptor metric traits and fish host length. Differences in metric traits between native and introduced O. similis populations may reflect a difference in fish host size, the introduced fish host achieving a smaller size than fish from native populations. A detailed analysis of microhabitat distribution indicated a preference for the second gill arch for both dominant species O. similis and A. recurvatus, with dissimilar site segregation.     

Spatial distribution, calling and interspecific acoustic interactions in two species of the Australian tettigoniid genus Tympanophora (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae)

Two species of the Australian genus Tympanophora, Tympanophora new species 1 ( T.n.sp.l) and T. similis share the same habitat and are sympatric with several other bushcricket species. Males of T. similis call in aggregations, whilst males of T.n.sp.l frequently sing closer to heterospecific than to conspecific neighbours. Hence males of T.n.sp.l may have to cope with more severe problems of interspecific acoustic interference than males of T. similis. Laboratory experiments support field data which indicate that the number of calling T.n.sp.l males decreases when the number of singing males of T. similis increases. Acoustic interactions between the two species and sympatric bushcricket species occur in the laboratory. Heterospecific song affects chirp interval and/or chirp pattern in the two Tympanophora species. Males of T.n.sp.l respond to the song of the sibling species T. similis differently than to the calls of the more distantly related tettigoniids tested. However, the response of T. similis males appears to depend on the temporal structure of the heterospecific songs. The results do not suggest that the frequency content of the heterospecific calls is important for the song interference which has been observed in Tympanophora.     

中国北方新发现的大角鹿化石

本文对两件大角鹿新材料做了描述、定种,同时对更新世大角鹿的系统发育关系和地理分布做了讨论。     

A preliminary study on gill metazoan parasites of Dentex dentex (Pisces: Sparidae) from the western Mediterranean Sea (Balearic Islands)

A preliminary study of the gill parasites from 61 common dentex (Dentex dentex, Pisces, Sparidae) was developed. Seven parasite species were found: one monogenean (Microcotyle erythrini), one udonellidean Udonella caligorum), one digenean trematode (Stephanostomum sp. metacercariae), three copepods (Caligus productus, Caligus diaphanus and Clavellopsis fallax) and one isopod (Gnathia vorax, praniza larvae). Only 1.6% of the fishes examined presented one parasitic species whilst the remainder had two parasitic species (13%), three (26%), four (21%), five (20%) and six different species (18%). The udonellidean U. caligorum was found as a hyperparasite or phoront of the three copepods. Prevalence and other ecological parameters as well as the spatial site of each parasite in the gill tissue are described. The multiparasitic combinations are also examined.     

Systematics of the bryozoan genus Macropora (Cheilostomata)

Macropora is a distinctive genus of anascan cheilostomes. All species have large zooids with an extensive cryptocystal frontal shield perforated by numerous pores through which parietal muscle strands pass. Also characteristic of Macropora are the calcified opercula closing the d -shaped orifice, avicularia resembling autozooids but having slightly enlarged, typically crenulated opercula/mandibles, and large ovicells that are often costate. This mostly Australasian genus has a documented fossil record stretching back to the Eocene. Here we revise the generic diagnosis of Macropora and describe eight new species from New Zealand (three Recent: M. nodulosa sp. nov. , M. filifera sp. nov. and M. carlosi sp. nov. ; five fossil: M. septispinosa sp. nov. , M. similis sp. nov. , M. pittensis sp. nov. , M. leeae sp. nov. and M. bullata sp. nov. ) and one new species from Japan ( M. mawatariorum sp. nov. ), the only species known with certainty to occur in the northern hemisphere. New observations are given for some previously described species, several of which are illustrated using SEM for the first time. The northern hemisphere Upper Cretaceous species Monoporella exsculpta (Marsson), showing features allowing it to be placed tentatively in the stem-group of Macropora , is redescribed. Attempts to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of species within Macropora were hampered by the relatively few morphological characters compared with the number of species, and it proved impossible to obtain a phylogeny robust to slight changes in taxon and/or character inclusion. The favoured cladogram has poor bootstrap and Bremer support, and its stratigraphical and biogeographical congruences are low.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 153 , 115–146.     

The first chondracanthid (Copepoda: Cyclopoida) reported from cultured finfish, with a revised key to the species of Chondracanthus

A new species of the Chondracanthidae (Copepoda: Cyclopoida), Chondracanthus goldsmidi, is described based on material collected from the nasobranchial region of striped trumpeter (Latris lineata [Forster]) cultured at the Tasmanian Aqua-culture and Fisheries Institute, Marine Research Laboratories, Australia. This represents the first report of a chondracanthid copepod infecting cultured finfish and the first metazoan parasite from cultured striped trumpeter. Chondracanthus goldsmidi n. sp. can be distinguished from its female congeners by the absence of lateral processes on the head and the presence of 3 pairs of lateral trunk outgrowths, 3 middorsal body outgrowths (of which the first 2 are rounded), a small and subcylindrical antennule, and unornamented legs 1 and 2. A revised key to the 39 valid species of Chondracanthus is provided.     

Life history and life cycles: production and behavior of trematode cercariae in relation to host exploitation and next-host characteristics

Life history trade-offs affect trematode parasites reproducing inside their 1st intermediate hosts. Within the constraint of the effect on host survival, parasite production of cercariae is subject to a size-numbers trade-off. Within each cercaria, resources must be partitioned between host-seeking and subsequent developmental functions. Three species of microphallid trematodes with the same 1st intermediate host (the gastropod Littorina saxatilis) were investigated. Maritrema arenaria periodically released many small cercariae. Microphallus similis released fewer, 15% larger, cercariae without periodicity. Microphallus similis cercariae were strong swimmers, moving toward the dark and downward in turbulent water, whereas Ma. arenaria cercariae remained suspended. Maritrema arenaria cercariae, although smaller in body and tail size, were produced at an average daily volume nearly twice that of M. similis. These differences are interpreted as transmission adaptations related to mobility and predictability of the 2nd intermediate host. Microphallus similis, with a mobile and less predictable crab host, adopted a 'bethedging' prolonged production of fewer cercariae by less intensive host exploitation, each cercaria having a high allocation to host-seeking behavior. Maritrema arenaria, with predictable sessile barnacle hosts, produced less mobile but potentially longer-lived cercariae in larger numbers. Microphallus piriformes metacercariae remain in the gastropod host. The number of M. piriformes metacercariae increased in larger hosts. The 3 species differed in the number of sporocysts and (meta)cercariae per sporocyst within the gastropod but not in the within-host volume of parasites. Variation in host exploitation and life history appeared adaptive for transmission to the next host.     

Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chelonus</Emphasis> Jurine (Hymenoptera,Braconidae, Cheloninae) in the fauna of Russia and adjacent territories. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ch. olgae</Emphasis> Kok. species-group

The Ch. olgae species-group is established in the genus Chelonus characterized by the metasomal carapace narrowing towards the apex (much more strongly than towards the base) and not or weakly incurved. This group is analogous to the M. retusus group of the closely related genus Microchelonus, although some differences in the carapace structure emphasize parallel development of these morphological features in the two genera. New species are described as follows: Ch. borisi sp. n. (Russia: Leningrad Prov.), Ch. cardui sp. n. (Russia: Voronezh Prov.; Moldova), Ch. kokoujevi sp. n. (Russia: Belgorod and Chelyabinsk provinces), Ch. speijeri sp. n. (Spain), Ch. ubsunuricus sp. n. (Russia: Tuva), and Ch. yurii sp. n. (Kazakhstan). Chelonus subannulatus Abdinbekova, 1971 is synonymised with Ch. submuticus Wesmael, 1835(syn. n.).     

Helminth parasites of the western painted turtle, Chrysemys picta belli (Gray), including Neopolystoma elizabethae n. sp. (Monogenea: Polystomatidae), a parasite of the conjunctival sac

Neopolystoma elizabethae n. sp. is described from the conjunctival sac of the western painted turtle Chrysemys picta belli (Gray), from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This is the first species found in this location from chelonians in North America. The new species differs from all other species of Neopolystoma in possessing a circle of 8 genital spines that are recurved and possess a crescent-shaped base. Eight additional species of helminths were found in the 5 turtles examined in this study. All are common parasites of North American freshwater turtles. An additional species of Monogenea (Polystomoidespauli) was found in the oral cavity. Four species of Digenea (Eustomos chelydrae, Allassostomoides chelydrae, Spirorchis kirki, and Spirorchis parvus) and 3 species of Nematoda (Spiroxys contorta, Serpinema trispinosus, and Amphibiocapillaria serpentina) were also found. The following are reported from Michigan for the first time: P. pauli, S. kirki, and A. serpentina.