Tinaminyssus juxtamelloi sp. n. (Acari: Dermanyssidae; Rhinonyssinae) from the nasal passages of the band-tailed pigeon, Columba fasciata, in New Mexico.

Tinaminyssus juxtamelloi sp. n. is described from the nasal passages of Columba fasciata in New Mexico. The new species is most similar to Tinaminyssus melloi (Castro) 1948 and T. turturi (Fain) 1962, but differs in (1) possessing only 5 pairs of ventral opisthosomal setae, (2) presence of 3 pairs of enlarged setae on the dorsal opisthosoma at the posterolateral margin of the podosomal plate (1 pair) and at the lateral margins of the opisthosomal plate (2 pairs), (3) elongate shape and larger size of the poststigmatic plates, and (4) chaetotaxy and solenidiotaxy of the legs, especially tarsus I with a cluster of 4 solenida and 1 club-shaped solenidion on the apex of the dorsum. The relationships of this with allied species of the genus Tinaminyssus from columbiform birds are briefly discussed.     

Behaviour, natural history, and annual cycle of the Henderson Island rail Porzana atra (Aves: Rallidae)

The little known endemic Henderson Island rail (or Henderson rail) Porzflna atra , inhabits forest on the coastal plain and upraised plateau of Henderson Island. Rails were studied for 15 months from January 1991 to March 1992. The population was estimated at c. 6200 individuals living in pairs or cooperative groups of 3–4 adults on territories averaging about 1 ha. Two or three eggs were laid in covered or open nests near the ground from mid-July to mid-February. Up to five consecutive nesting attempts were made in cases where eggs or young chicks were lost. Adults laid a second clutch when chicks were fully feathered at about one month of age. Both sexes incubated and helped rear the young. Older chicks sometimes helped feed younger siblings. Dispersal of juveniles from the natal territory took place in April. Adult birds underwent a rapid, simultaneous post-nuptial moult of the remiges in February-April; the post-juvenile moult involved body feathers only. Data on morphometries, breeding ecology, courtship behaviour and voice are compared with available information for the spotless crake P. tabuensis , the Henderson rail's closest relative and probable ancestor. These comparisons provide some information on how these two taxa have differentiated since rails arrived on Henderson Island some time in the last 380000 years.     

Gallilichus jonesi sp. n. (Acari: Ascouracaridae): A new species of feather mite from the quills of the Australian brush-turkey (Aves: Megapodiidae)

Adults, nymphs, larvae and eggs of Gallilichus jonesi sp. n. are described. These mites inhabit the quills of large wing and tail feathers of the megapode Alectura lathami Gray, where they appear to consume the spongy medulla inside the quill. This is the first record of Gallilichus for Australia, and the first observation of quill mites associated with the Megapodiidae. Two nymphal morphologies of G. jonesi were observed and are presumed to represent male and female, but because pharate adults were not found, definitive assignment of morphs to sexes was not possible. The only other species in the genus Gallilichus occurs in the feathers of domestic chickens. The implications of these host-associations for elucidating relationships between the megapodes and other galliform birds are discussed.     

Description of Metagynella masani sp. n. from Kenya (Acari: Uropodina)

The third African Metagynella Berlese, 1919 species (Metagynella masani sp. n.) is described in this paper. Original drawing and scanning micrographs of the new species are given.     

A new species of Late Pleistocene rail (Aves: Rallidae) from Abaco, the Bahamas

We describe a new species of rail from the Sawmill Sink blue hole on Abaco Island in the northern Bahamas. Known from abundant, beautifully preserved Late Pleistocene fossils, Rallus cyanocavi sp. nov. was a medium-sized, flightless species that probably was endemic to the Little Bahama Bank, which is a carbonate platform surrounded by deeper water. We are uncertain whether R. cyanocavi survived into the Holocene, when higher sea levels transformed the Little Bahama Bank from a single large, Late Pleistocene island (ca. 12000 km²) to the scattering of smaller islands seen today, the largest of which is Abaco (1681 km²). Fossils of additional extinct, flightless species of Rallus probably await discovery on some of the 21 other carbonate banks that span the Bahamian Archipelago.     

Haemoproteus gabaldoni n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Haemoproteidae) from the Muscovy duck Cairina moschata (Aves: Anatidae)

Haemoproteus gabaldoni n. sp. is described from the Muscovy duck Cairina moschata from Caracas, Venezuela and is compared to H. greineri and H. nettionis which have been described previously from the Anatidae. The highly amoeboid outline, volutin granules and small number of pigment granules of H. gabaldoni serve to readily separate this species from the other two.     

Syringophilid mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) associated with the rails (Aves: Rallidae) and a key to the species of the genus Rafapicobia Skoracki, 2011

The fauna of quill mites of the family Syringophilidae Lavoipierre, 1953 (Acari: Prostigmata Cheyletoidea) parasitising birds of the family Rallidae Vigors (Gruiformes) is updated. A new species, Rafapicobia melzeri n. sp. (subfamily Picobiinae), is described from four host species: Rallus aquaticus Linnaeus (type-host) from Germany, Pardirallus sanguinolentus (Swainson) from Chile, Porzana porzana (Linnaeus) from France and P. parva (Scopoli) from Kirghizia. The new species is most similar to R. lepidocolaptesi Skoracki & Solarczyk, 2012 but differs in the absence of agenital plates and the length ratios of setae ag2:g1 and vi:ve:si in females and in the punctate ornament on the hysteronotal and the pygidial shields in males. A key to the species of the genus Rafapicobia is proposed. This is the first record of a representative of the subfamily Picobiinae on gruiform birds. Additionally, new rallid hosts are reported for Charadriphilus ralli Skoracki & Bochkov, 2010 (subfamily Syringophilinae): Gallinula melanops (Vieillot) from Chile, Laterallus melanophaius (Vieillot) from Paraguay, and P. parva (Scopoli) from Kirghizia.     

Megalophallus deblocki n. sp. (Digenea: Microphallidae) from Rostrhamus sociabilis (Vieillot) (Aves: Accipitridae) in Paraguay

A new species in the little-known digenean fauna of Paraguayan birds is described in detail, especially in relation to its terminal genitalia. The new form, Megalophallus deblocki n. sp., is a microphallid from the intestine of the snail kite Rostrhamus sociabilis (Vieillot). It is differentiated in detail from its congeners, but differs mainly in having a substantially larger phallus (e.g. in relation to the ventral sucker), a smaller ventral sucker and smaller eggs. Comments are included on the functional morphology of the terminal genitalia.     

Megalophallus deblocki n. sp. (Digenea: Microphallidae) from Rostrhamus sociabilis (Vieillot) (Aves: Accipitridae) in Paraguay

A new species in the little-known digenean fauna of Paraguayan birds is described in detail, especially in relation to its terminal genitalia. The new form, Megalophallus deblocki n. sp., is a microphallid from the intestine of the snail kite Rostrhamus sociabilis (Vieillot). It is differentiated in detail from its congeners, but differs mainly in having a substantially larger phallus (e.g. in relation to the ventral sucker), a smaller ventral sucker and smaller eggs. Comments are included on the functional morphology of the terminal genitalia.     

Unionicola (Pentatax) billieaehonore n. sp. a sponge-associated Hydracarina (Acari: Unionicolidae) from New Zealand

Abstract

Records of sponge-associated Hydracarina from the Southern Hemisphere are uncommon. Unionicola (Pentatax) billieaehonore n. sp. has been found in association with the freshwater sponge Ephydatia kakahuensis in Lake Rotoiti (North Island) and Lake Taupo in New Zealand. Differences in palpal characteristics and in setal patterns of the epimera distinguish this species from the holotype of Unionicola longiseta Walter 1915 which was reported from New Zealand by Schröder (1935).     

Flightlessness and phylogeny amongst endemic rails (Aves:Rallidae) of the New Zealand region.

The phylogenetic relationships of a number of flightless and volant rails have been investigated using mtDNA sequence data. The third domain of the small ribosomal subunit (12S) has been sequenced for 22 taxa, and part of the 5'' end of the cytochrome-b gene has been sequenced for 12 taxa. Additional sequences were obtained from outgroup taxa, two species of jacana, sarus crane, spur-winged plover and kagu. Extinct rails were investigated using DNA extracted from subfossil bones, and in cases where fresh material could not be obtained from other extant taxa, feathers and museum skins were used as sources of DNA. Phylogenetic trees produced from these data have topologies that are, in general, consistent with data from DNA-DNA hybridization studies and recent interpretations based on morphology. Gallinula chloropus moorhen) groups basally with Fulica (coots), Amaurornis (= Megacrex) ineptus falls within the Gallirallus/Rallus group, and Gallinula (= Porphyrula) martinica is basal to Porphyrio (swamphens) and should probably be placed in that genus. Subspecies of Porphyrio porphyrio are paraphyletic with respect to Porphyrio mantelli (takahe). The Northern Hemisphere Rallus aquaticus is basal to the south-western Pacific Rallus (or Gallirallus) group. The flightless Rallus philippensis dieffenbachii is close to Rallus modestus and distinct from the volant Rallus philippensis, and is evidently a separate species. Porzana (crakes) appears to be more closely associated with Porphyrio than Rallus. Deep relationships among the rails remain poorly resolved. Rhynochetus jubatus (kagu) is closer to the cranes than the rails in this analysis. Genetic distances between flightless rails and their volant counterparts varied considerably with observed 12S sequence distances, ranging from 0.3% (Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus and P. mantelli mantelli) to 7.6% (Rallus modestus and Rallus philippensis). This may be taken as an indication of the rapidity with which flightlessness can evolve, and of the persistence of flightless taxa. Genetic data supported the notion that flightless taxa were independently derived, sometimes from similar colonizing ancestors. The morphology of flightless rails is apparently frequently dominated by evolutionary parallelism although similarity of external appearance is not an indication of the extent of genetic divergence. In some cases taxa that are genetically close are morphologically distinct from one another (e.g. Rallus (philippensis) dieffenbachii and R. modestus), whilst some morphologically similar taxa are evidently independently derived (e.g. Porphyio mantelli hochstetteri and P.m. mantelli).     

A population model for Dermanyssus gallinae (Acari: Dermanyssidae)

A model based on a time-varying distributed delay with attrition was developed for simulating the population dynamics of the chicken mite Dermanyssus gallinae (DeGeer, 1778). The model was parametrised according to cohort life table studies conducted under constant temperature conditions and was validated with two independent data set obtained in an experimental poultry house. The predicted mite densities and the stage-structure of the population corresponded to the values observed during experimental periods of 32, and 11 weeks, respectively. Temperature and a poultry house-specific density effect were determined to control the population development.     

Empruthotrema stenophallus n. sp. (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) from the nasal tissue of Dasyatis kuhlii (Dasyatidae) from Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Empruthotrema stenophallus n. sp. (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) is described from specimens from the nasal tissue of the blue-spotted maskray Dasyatis kuhlii (Muller and Henle, 1841) collected in shallow waters off Pulau Banggi and Pulau Mabul, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. This is the first monogenean species to be described from an elasmobranch collected from Sabah. E. stenophallus can be distinguished from the other 6 members of the genus by the morphology of the sclerotized male copulatory organ, which is narrow, short, and distally tapered. E. dasyatidis Whittington and Kearn, 1992, previously documented from the nasal tissue of several of elasmobranch species from Australia, is recorded from 8 host species distributed around Malaysian Borneo. These represent new host and locality records for this monocotylid. The difficulties in identifying species of Empruthotrema and the apparent lack of host specificity by some members of the genus are discussed.     

Ithyoclinostomum yamagutii n. sp. (Digenea: Clinostomidae) in the great blue heron Ardea herodias L. (Aves: Ardeidae) from Mississippi,USA

With only six recognised genera, the family Clinostomidae Lühe, 1901 remains a global research interest of parasitologists and ecologists. Recent efforts have focused on providing molecular data to investigate species diversity, elucidate life-cycles, and make inferences on the group’s evolutionary history. Of the clinostomid genera, the monotypic Ithyoclinostomum Witenberg, 1926 has remained more enigmatic compared to the commonly encountered Clinostomum Leidy, 1856. Recent morphological and molecular evidence from metacercariae suggests a second Ithyoclinostomum species may exist in freshwater cichlids in Central America and Mexico. In a recent survey of great blue herons Ardea herodias L. from commercial catfish production farms in Mississippi, USA, two specimens of an abnormally large (> 20 mm) clinostomid were encountered in the oesophagus of a single bird. These specimens were identified as an Ithyoclinostomum sp. morphologically distinct from the only nominal species Ithyoclinostomum dimorphum (Diesing, 1850). Using morphological and molecular data these adult specimens were confirmed as conspecific with the larval metacercariae previously described from Central America and Mexico and represent the novel species, Ithyoclinostomum yamagutii n. sp.

     

Aquila kurochkini sp. n., a new Late Pliocene eagle (Aves, Accipitriformes) from Varshets (NW Bulgaria)

A new species of eagle (Accipitriformes: Aquila) is described based on eight skeletal elements from the middle Villafranchian (SCT 11 /sooner SCT 12/of MNQ 17 zone, ca. 2.23–2.40 mya) of Northwestern Bulgaria.     

Neottialges (Pelecanectes) ibisicola sp. n. (Acari: Hypoderidae) from the subcutaneous tissues of the white-faced ibis, Plegadis chihi (Ciconiiformes: Threskiornithidae)

Neottialges (Pelecanectes) ibisicola sp. n. is described from the subcutaneous tissues of the White-faced Ibis, Plegadis chihi, from west Texas. The new species is similar to N. (P.) plegadicola Fain, but differs from this and other species of the subgenus by idiosomal chaetotaxy, presence of a bifurcate apical extension on Tarsus III, solenidion phi on Tibia I less than 1/2 as long in the new species, lateroventral seta of Tibia I whiplike, structure of the genital sclerite and suckers, and presence of punctations on the dorsal idiosoma. The morphology and host-parasite relationships of the new species are compared with those of related species of hypopi from the host family Threskiornithidae.     

Wardium canarisi n. sp. (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) parasite de Arenaria melanocephala (Aves: Charadrii) d'Alaska

The authors describe and illustrate Wardium canarisi n. sp. (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae), an intestinal parasite of Arenaria melanocephala (Aves: Charadrii) from Alaska, characterised by a strobila 20–40 mm long, 10 aploparaksoid hooks 19–21 m long, a short cylindrical cirrus (40 m) covered with very minute spines (0.2 m), and a short (8–18 m) and extremely narrow (1 m) copulatory vagina. These characters have no equivalent, even approximate, among the 27 species of Wardium parasitic in the Charadrii which are reviewed. The genus Debrosia Spassky, 1987 appears to be justified.