Helminths of two anuran species, Atelopus spurrelli (Bufonidae) and Dendrobates histrionicus (Dendrobatidae), from Colombia, South America

Two species of anurans from Colombia, South America, Atelopus spurrelli and Dendrobates histrionicus, were examined for helminths. A. spurrelli was found to harbor three species of Nematoda, adults of Cosmocerca podicipinus and larvae of Physocephalus sp. and Porrocaecum sp. D. histrionicus was found to harbor, in addition to C. podicipinus, Physocephalus sp. and Porrocaecum sp. and cystacanths of three species of Acanthocephala: Centrorhynchus sp., Onicola sp. and Polymorphus sp. A. spurrelli and D. histrionicus represent new host records for these helminths.     

Acanthocephalus tahlequahensis sp. n. (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) from the the stippled darter, Etheostoma punctulatum (Agassiz), in northeastern Oklahoma.

Acanthocephalus tahlequahensis sp. n. was recovered from the intestines of 4 species of freshwater fishes, Etheostoma punctulatum, E. spectabile, Nocomis asper, and Notropis pilsbryi, collected in northeastern Oklahoma. The new species is distinguished from all other species of Acanthocephalus, except A. japonicus (Fukui and Morisita 1936) Petrochenko 1956, and A. fluviatilus Paperna 1964, by having smaller proboscis hooks. The length of the proboscis hooks for males is 27 to 38 (33) mum and for females 35 to 46 (42) mum. A. tahlequahensis is smaller than either A. japonicus or A. fluviatilis, and has about half the number of longitudinal rows of proboscis hooks of A. japonicus and half the number of proboscis hooks in each longitudinal row of A. fluviatilus. In addition to having smaller hooks. A. tahlequahensis differs from other species of Acanthocephalus parasitizing North American fishes by its smaller, spindle-shaped trunk and more hooks in each longitudinal row.     

Two new species of Moniliformis (Acanthocephala: Moniliformidae) from Malaysia

Moniliformis tarsii n. sp. was found in Tarsius bancanus. It is unique in possessing 11-12 longitudinal rows of 6-7 hooks each. Hooks 2 and 3 are conspicuously enlarged, 41-55 microns long. Moniliformis echinosorexi n. sp. differs from all other species in having 12-15 rows of 11-13 hooks that are 34-36 microns long, and in having a proboscis receptacle 1.2-2.0 mm long. Several new host records for M. moniliformis are presented.     

Acanthocephalus reunionensis n sp (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae), a parasite of Anguilla species (Anguillidae) from Reunion Island

In a survey of 118 eels Anguilla bicolor, A. marmorata and A. mossambica, (Anguillidae) indigenous to Reunion Island in the Mascarene island group, western Indian Ocean, a new species of acanthocephalan, Acanthocepholus reunionensis n. sp., was found. With a proboscis hook formula of 19 rows of 4-5 hooks, and elongated cement glands arranged in three pairs, this species differs from all other species in the genus. This is the first record of the genus Acanthocephalus occurring in eels from the African Region.     

Acanthocephalus saurius n. sp. (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) and other helminths from the lizard Norops limifrons (Sauria: Polychrotidae) from Costa Rica

Acanthocephalus saurius n. sp. from the small intestine of Norops limifrons collected in Costa Rica is described and illustrated. Acanthocephalus saurius n. sp. represents the third acanthocephalan species in which gravid individuals have been found in lizard hosts. In addition to A. saurius; 1 species of Trematoda, Mesocoelium monas; 3 species of Nematoda, Piratuba digiticauda, Strongyluris panamaensis, and Acuariidae gen. sp. (larvae in cysts) were found.     

Description of a new Echinorhynchid species (Acanthocephala) from the European eel, Anguilla anguilla, in Germany, with a key species of Acanthocephalus in Europe

Acanthocephalus rhinensis n. sp. is described from the European eel. Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758), collected in the Rhine River near the city of Karlsruhe, Germany. It is the sixth species of Acanthocephalus Koelreuther, 1771 described from European fish. Four other species are known from amphibians. The new species is distinguished from the other 5 species infecting fish by having a 1.2-mm-long proboscis armed with 15-21 rows of 13-16 hooks each, lemnisci about as long as receptacle, oblong and slightly pre-equatorial testes, and thin fusiform eggs, measuring 85-95 X 15-18 micro. Testes in the other European species are usually round to ovate, except in Ac. anguillae (Müller, 1780) Lühe, 1911 where they are also elongated but postequatorial. It aslo has an orange-brown belt encircling the anterior end of the trunk. The comparative distribution of Acanthocephalus in Europe and North America, and the validity of 2 presumably questionable species are discussed, Acanthocephalus falcatus (Froelich, 1789) Lühe, 1911 and Ac. Paronai (Cendorelli, 1897) Meyer, 1932. A dichotomus key distinguishing Ac. rhinensis from the other 9 European species is also included. The new species was only found in 3 of 390 eels examined during 11 yr; this may be related to the changing benthos community in the Rhine River.     

A new species of Heterosentis Van Cleave, 1931 (Acanthocephala, Arhythmacanthidae), a parasite of pinguipedid fishes in the southwest Atlantic

A new species of arhythmacanthid acanthocephalan, Heterosentis martini n. sp., parasitic in the Argentinean sandperch Pseudopercis semifasciata (Cuvier) (Perciformes, Pinguipedidae) from the coasts of Argentina is described. Heterosentis martini n. sp. differs from all congeneric species by having 10 longitudinal rows of hooks in the proboscis, each with 7-8 hooks, consisting of 1 medium apical and 3 larger sub-apical hooks with root, and 3-4 smaller, basal, curved hooks with rudimentary roots and spines in both ventral and dorsal regions of the body. The most similar species, Heterosentis heteracanthus (Linstow, 1896) Van Cleave, 1931, and Heterosentis brasiliensis Vieira, Felizardo and Luque, 2009, also have 10 longitudinal rows of hooks, but H. heteracanthus differs from the new species by having only 3-5 (more frequently 4) hooks in each row, with only the anterior hook large and bearing a developed root. Heterosentis brasiliensis differs from the new species by possessing 2 sub-apical hooks in each row (instead of 3), similar body length but shorter proboscis, and trunk spines restricted to the ventral surface of body.     

Cosmocerca vrcibradici n. sp. (Ascaridida: Cosmocercidae), Oswaldocruzia vitti n. sp. (Strongylida: Molineoidae), and other helminths from Prionodactylus eigenmanni and Prionodactylus oshaughnessyi (Sauria: Gymnophthalmidae) from Brazil and Ecuador

Cosmocerca vrcibradici n. sp. and Oswaldocruzia vitti n. sp., intestinal parasites of Prionodactylus eigenmanni (type host) and P. oshaughnessyi, are described and illustrated. Of the 19 valid species of Cosmocerca, C. vrcibradici n. sp. represents the 12th Neotropical species and the first species to be reported from lizard hosts. Of the 76 valid species of Oswaldocruzia, O. vitti n. sp. represents the 14th Neotropical species and the eighth species to be reported from lizard hosts. In addition, 1 species of Digenea, Mesocoelium monas, and 1 species of Acanthocephala, Acanthocephalus saurius, were found.     

A new species of Pomphorhynchus (Acanthocephala: Palaeacanthocephala) in freshwater fishes from central Chile

This study describes a new species of Pomphorhynchus collected from Percilia gillissi Girard, 1855 from the Za?artu canal, between the sister basins of the Itata and Laja rivers, in central Chile. Pomphorhynchus moyanoi n. sp. is characterized by an asymmetrical, well-differentiated subspherical bulb and 12-14 longitudinal rows of 13-14 hooks; the third and the fourth hook in each row are stout. Among South American species, P. moyanoi n. sp. shows some similarities to the Chilean species P. yamagutii Schmidt & Hugghins, 1973, but it differs in having a longer neck, larger bulb, and different proboscis armature arrangement. Pomphorhynchus moyanoi n. sp. differs from P. patagonicus Ortubay, Ubeda, Semenas & Kennedy 1991, in the bulb shape (protuberances), number of rows, fourth hook size and basal hook size. Pomphorhynchus moyanoi n. sp. also differs from P. sphaericus in the arrangement of hooks (number of rows and hooks per row), length and width of the proboscis, neck width, and symmetry of the bulb.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Centrorhynchus</Emphasis> Lühe, 1911 (Acanthocephala: Centrorhynchidae) from the lizard buzzard <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kaupifalco monogrammicus</Emphasis> (Temminck) (Aves: Accipitridae) in South Africa

Centrorhynchus sarehae n. sp. is described from the lizard buzzard Kaupifalco monogrammicus (Temminik) in Louis Trichardt City, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The new species can be distinguished from all other species of Centrorhynchus Lühe, 1911 except C. gendrei (Golvan, 1957) and C. mariauxi Smales, 2011 in having a dilated region in the posterior trunk of the female. Centrorhynchus sarehae differs from both these species in the characters of the proboscis armature, particularly the number of hooks per row and the lengths of the longest hooks. This is the first record of a fully identified species of Centrorhynchus in South Africa.     

Effects of two acanthocephalan species on the reproduction of Hyalella patagonica (Amphipoda, Hyalellidae) in an Andean Patagonian Lake (Argentina)

The aim of the present study was to evaluate alterations in the reproduction induced by acanthellae and cystacanths of the acanthocephalans Acanthocephalus tumescens and Corynosoma sp. in the amphipod Hyalella patagonica from Lake Mascardi. Specimens of H. patagonica were separated in two categories: paired amphipods (joined specimens during precopulatory mate guarding period until fertilization) and unpaired amphipods (alone specimens). Different analyses were performed: first with paired (n = 406) and unpaired (n = 375) amphipods, and second only with female amphipods (n = 1949), that were classified into three categories (without internal oocytes and eggs, only with internal oocytes, and with eggs). Also, carotenoid extraction was performed of amphipods uninfected (n = 75) and infected (n = 105) by cystacanths of Corynosoma sp. Unpaired amphipods had significantly higher prevalence of cystacanths of both acanthocephalan species than paired ones; but such differences were not found in prevalence of acanthellae. Female amphipods without internal oocytes and eggs showed significantly higher prevalence of cystacanths of both acanthocephalan species than the two other female categories; while females with eggs had significantly higher prevalence of A. tumescens acanthellae. Amphipods infected by Corynosoma sp. showed lower carotenoid concentration than uninfected ones. In Lake Mascardi, there is indirect evidence of both reduced mating success and female fecundity of H. patagonica provoked by both cystacanths species (A. tumescens and Corynosoma sp.). However, infections by acanthellae seem to have no effects.     

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.     

Acanthocephalans from some frogs and toads (Anura) and chameleons (Squamata) from Tanzania with the description of a new species

The following Acanthocephala, all Echinorhynchidae, were found on examination of 229 amphibians and 191 reptiles collected in the Eastern Arc Range, Tanzania: Acanthocephalus bufonis from the frogs Arthroleptis stenodactylus and Arthroleptides martiensseni, the toad Nectophnyroides viviparous, and the chameleon Rhampholeon brevicaudatus; Pseudoacanthocephalus betsileo from the frogs Probreviceps macrodactylus and Ptychadero anchietae; and Pseudoacanthocephalus rhampholeontos n. sp. from the chameleons Rhampholeon sp. and Rhampholeon uluguruensis. Pseudoacanthocephalus rhampholeontos differs from the only other acanthocephalan occurring in chameleons, Pseudoacanthocephalus bigueti, in being a larger worm with fewer, smaller hooks in the proboscis armature. The status of the Acanthocephalus and Pseudoacanthocephalus is still problematic and requires further attention and study.     

Cystacanths of Acanthocephala in notothenioid fish from the Beagle Channel (sub-Antarctica)

The morphology of relaxed cystacanths of polymorphid acanthocephalans collected from notothenioid fishes in the Beagle Channel (Magellanic subregion of sub-Antarctica) is described. A parasite of birds, Andracantha baylisi (Zdzitowiecki, 1986), was found in Patagonotothen longipes and Champsocephalus esox. It has: a proboscis 0.82–0.89 mm long; a proboscis hook formula of 16 rows of 9/10–10/11, including 4–5 basal hooks; distal hooks with the longest blades; a fore-trunk not separated from the hind-trunk by a constriction; large somatic spines arranged in two zones separated by a zone of small, loosely dispersed spines; and only the anterior 36–40% of ventral side of the trunk is covered with spines. One male specimen of Corynosoma sp. was found in Patagonotothen tessellata. It differs from A. baylisi in that the distal proboscis hooks are similar in length to the prebasal hooks, it has a smaller proboscis (0.77 mm) and in the distribution of the somatic spines, which are contiguous with the genital spines on the ventral side of the trunk and lack a zone of small spines between zones of larger spines. A parasite of seals and fur seals, Corynosoma evae Zdzitowiecki, 1984, was found in P. longipes and Champsocephalus esox. It has: a proboscis 0.61–0.78 mm long; a proboscis hook formula of 20–22 rows of 12–13, including 3/4–4 basal hooks; prebasal hooks with the longest blades; a trunk divided into fore-trunk and hind-trunk; somatic spines covering the anterior 64–74% of the ventral side of the trunk; genital spines present only in males; and a terminal genital opening in both sexes. Corynosoma beaglense n. sp. was found in Champsocephalus esox. It has: an almost cylindrical proboscis (length 0.52–0.56 mm); a proboscis hook formula of 16 rows of 9/10–10/11, including 4–4/5 basal hooks; distal hooks shorter than the prebasal hooks; a fore-trunk not separated from the hind-trunk by a constriction; somatic spines contiguous with the genital spines on the ventral side of the trunk of the male and covering the entire length of the ventral side of the female trunk, and the presence of genital spines surrounding the terminal genital pore of the male. The definitive host of this species is unknown.     

Two new species of Falcaustra and comments on helminths of Norops tropidolepis (Sauria: Polychrotidae) from Costa Rica

Falcaustra costaricae n. sp. from the intestines of the lizard Norops tropidolepis and F. heosemydis n. sp. from the large intestine of the turtle Heosemys depressa are described and illustrated. Falcaustra costaricae represents the 10th Neotropical species assigned to this genus and is distinguished from other Neotropical species by the distribution pattern of caudal papillae (10 preanal, 0 adanal, 12 postanal, and 1 median), length and width of spicules (510-561 microm long, 18-24 microm wide), and absence of pseudosucker. Falcaustra heosemydis represents the 29th Oriental species and is distinguished from other Oriental species by the distribution pattern of caudal papillae (10 preanal, 0 adanal, 12 postanal, and 1 median), length of spicules (790-890 microm), and absence of pseudosucker. Norops tropidolepis was found to harbor 3 species of Nematoda, F. costaricae, Rhabdias anolis, and acuariid larvae, and 2 species of Acanthocephala (centrorhynchid cystacanths and oligacanthorhynchid cystacanths).     

Pomphorhynchus patagonicus n. sp. (Acanthocephala: Pomphorhynchidae) from freshwater fishes of Patagonia, Argentina

Pomphorhynchus patagonicus n. sp. is described from Lake Rosario, Chubut Province, Argentina. It is characterized by a long neck forming an asymmetrical bulb with 2 well differentiated dorsal protruberances and 14 alternating rows of 13 and 14 proboscis hooks, each row with a stout fourth hook. It most closely resembles Pomphorhynchus sebastichthydis Yamaguti, 1939, from Japan, but differs in the bulb protruberances and in having more rows of hooks and more hooks per row and in the shapes of the fourth and basal hooks. Among American species P. patagonicus shows some similarities to Pomphorhynchus yamagutii Schmidt and Hugghins, 1973, from Chile, but differs with respect to the longer neck, bulb protruberances, and proboscis armature. Pomphorhynchus patagonicus is endemic to Patagonia, where its definitive type host is the endemic fish Patagonina hatcheri (Atherinidae) and its intermediate host the endemic freshwater amphipod Hyalella patagonica. It has been found also in autochthonous fishes belonging to the families Galaxiidae and Percichthyidae and in introduced salmonid fishes.     

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.