Two new genera of nematode (Oxyurida,Hystrignathidae) parasites of Passalidae (Coleoptera) from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Two new genera and species parasitizing passalid beetles from the Democratic Republic of Congo are described. Kongonema meyerigen. n. sp. n. is characterized by having females with the cervical cuticle unarmed, first cephalic annule cone-like and truncate, sub-cylindrical procorpus and genital tract didelphic-amphidelphic. The males of Kongonema meyerigen. n. sp. n. have the procorpus sub-cylindrical, the dorsal cuticle of the tail end thickened, a single large, median mammiform pre-cloacal papilla and a pair of small, pre-cloacal, sub-lateral papillae at a short distance before the level of the cloaca. Lubanema decraemeraegen. n. sp. n. is characterized by the body markedly fusiform, cuticle unarmed and strongly annulated, procorpus sub-cylindrical, isthmus as a constriction between procorpus and basal bulb, genital tract monodelphic-prodelphic and the posterior end rounded with a very short tail appendage.     

Coynema gen. n., a new genus of nematode (Thelastomatoidea, Hystrignathidae) parasites of Passalidae (Coleoptera) from Cuba

The new genus Coynemagen. n. is described as parasite of the two passalid beetles from Cuba: Passalus interstitialis Escholtz, 1829 (type host) and Passalus pertyi Kaup, 1869. Females are characterized by the shape of their cephalic end, cervical cuticle unarmed, a sub-cylindrical procorpus with its base abruptly dilated, fore region of intestine dilated as a sac-like structure, genital system didelphic-amphidelphic and eggs markedly ovoid and smooth-shelled. Males have a digestive system similar to females, tail sharply pointed, bearing a Y-like thickening of the dorsal cuticle. They also present a big, median, mammiform pre-cloacal papillae and a pair of small, sub-dorsal pre-cloacal papillae anterior to the cuticular thickening of the tail.     

On some Cuban species of the genus Longior Travassos & Kloss, 1958 (Oxyurida, Hystrignathidae), with description of a new species

Longior zayasi Coy, García & Alvarez, 1993 is established as incertae sedis because the males (declared as the holotype) are inconsistent with the generic diagnosis, particularly in relation to the morphology of the head and tail. Thus, the females of Longior zayasi species (which agree with the generic diagnosis) are renamed and re-described as Longior longior Morffe & García sp. n. We also described males found in the sample and considered as conspecific with the new species. A comparative table with the measurements of the most of the records of Longior longior is given. The male of Longior similis Morffe, García & Ventosa, 2009 is described from the type locality of the species and compared with the known males of the genus. A key to the females of the Cuban Longior is given.     

Hystrignathus ferox n.sp. and Xyo xiphacanthus n.sp. (Oxyurida: Hystrignathidae) with additional data on Carlosia tijucana Travassos & Kloss, 1957

Summary Two new species of hystrignathid nematode are described from passalid beetles in Trinidad, West Indies. Hystrignathus ferox n.sp., from the mid-gut caeca of Verres furcilabris (Esch.) is easily differentiated from H. rugosus Travassos & Kloss, 1958 and H. rescens Travassos & Kloss, 1958 on the character of the lateral alae. In H. rugosus the alae extend to the anus and in H. rescens to the vulva whereas in H. ferox n.sp. the alae are much shorter and terminate about two body-widths anterior to the vulva. Xyo xiphacanthus n.sp., from the mid-gut caeca of Veturius transversus var. trituberculatus (Esch.), is characterized by the cervical spines extending about an oesophagus length posterior to the basal bulb. No other nominal species of Xyo has the spines extending so far posteriorly. X. histrix Cobb, 1898 and X. histrix sensu Christie, 1934 are regarded as species inquirendae. Carlosia tijucana Travassos & Kloss, 1957 is illustrated and additional data provided. ac]19810415     

Aoruroides queenslandensis n. sp. (Oxyurida: Thelastomatoidea), a new nematode from Australian Panesthiinae (Blattodea: Blaberidae)

A new thelastomatid, Aoruroides queenslandensis, is described from two native Australian cockroaches, Panesthia tryoni tryoni Shaw and P. cribrata Saussure, from sub-tropical rainforest in south-eastern Queensland. Species of Aoruroides Travassos & Kloss, 1958 have previously been reported from cockroaches found in Brazil and the Philippines, but A. queenslandensis n. sp. is the first species of this genus found in Australia. The new species differs from the other members of Aoruroides principally in the position of the nerve-ring and egg morphology.     

Meloidogyne polycephannulata n. sp. (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae), a root-knot nematode parasitizing carrot in Brazil

Meloidogyne polycephannulata n. sp. is described from specimens collected from an area cultivated with carrot cv. Brasilia, in the city of Rio Paranaíba, in the region of Alto Paranaíba, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The perineal pattern of the female is circular to ovoid with a high dorsal arch that has widely spaced, coarse annulations. The lateral field may have a deep furrow separating the dorsal and ventral arches. The medial lips are short and wide, whereas the lateral lips are large and triangular. The female stylet is 15-16 μm long with wide knobs, distinctly divided by an indentation in the center. Its tip is slightly curved dorsally. The excretory pore opens 34-65 μm from the anterior end. Females retain eggs and second-stage juveniles in their body cavity, similar to that of the cyst-forming nematodes. Males are 1.3-1.7 mm long and have a high head cap that is rounded and slopes posteriorly. The labial disc is fused to the medial lips. The head region has several irregular annulations that are similar in appearance to the first or second body annules that are likewise irregular, making the head region appear to be extremely large. The stylet of the male is 21-24 μm long; it is slender, and has small, rounded knobs, that are distinctly indented medially and appear heart-shaped. The shaft has several tiny projections throughout its length. Mean second-stage juvenile length is 411.7 μm. The juvenile head cap is elevated, the medial lips are small, and the lateral lips are elongate to triangular-shaped. The head region has several short, incomplete and irregular transverse annulations. The juvenile stylet is 14-23 μm long with small, rounded, and sloping knobs. The thin tail ends with a short hyaline portion that is variable in size (16-26 μm) and with a small, rounded tip. Isozyme profiles of esterases from Meloidogyne javanica show 3 strong bands (SB) at Rm 46, 59, and 66; profiles of M. polycephannulata n. sp. show a SB at Rm 47 and a weak band (WB) at Rm 52; M. petuniae has two SB at Rm 44 and 53; M. phaseoli has a SB at 53, 58, and 64 Rm; M. brasilensis has three SB at Rm 40, 58, and 66 and a WB at Rm 71; M. pisi has a SB at Rm 40, 60, and 64 and two WB at 46 and 50 Rm. Data from sequencing the 18S rDNA region of M. polycephannulata n. sp. confirms that it is different from M. arabicida, M. arenaria, M. ethiopica, M. incognita, M. javanica, M. paranaensis, and M. thailandica. Sequence identity among these eight species ranged between 85 to 93.4%. Meloidogyne polycephannulata n. sp. reproduces very well on carrot and tomato; poorly on pepper; and not at all on cotton, peanut, tobacco, watermelon, and sweet corn.     

A new species of Oileus Kaup (Coleoptera, Passalidae) from Guatemala, with a key to the species of the genus

Oileus gasparilomisp. n. is described from nine specimens from the mountains of Quiché in Guatemala, from cloud forest at 1795 m elevation. This represents the second species of the genus for Guatemala, differing from the closely related Mexican species Oileus rimator (Truqui) in having a straight anterior clypeal border, the postocular sulcus divided by a keel and the pronotum almost straight (not clearly bilobed). A key to the species of Oileus is given.     

Steinernema weiseri n. sp. (Rhabditida,Steinernematidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode from Europe

Steinernema weiseri n. sp. is described from a roadside with apple trees near Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic. The species is also widely distributed in Germany and Slovakia, from where it had previously been reported as Steinernema spec. F. The British Steinernema sp. D1 is considered conspecific with S. weiseri n. sp. Males of the new species are mainly characterised by light brown, slightly curved spicules with a long manubrium and the presence of a short tail mucron in the second generation. Third-stage infective juveniles are characterised by a `medium size' body and tail length, short hyaline tail portion (mostly around 1/3 of tail length), the excretory pore situated in the mid-pharynx region, lip region slightly offset, angular and flattened, and the lateral field having nine equally developed lines separated by eight distinct ridges. S. weiseri n. sp. is most similar to S. feltiae, with which it did not hybridise. RFLP analysis of the ITS region of the rDNA repeat shows S. weiseri n. sp. to be distinct from 50 other Steinernema species and isolates. The new species was found in a wide range of habitats and is readily maintained on Galleria mellonella larvae.     

Acanthodasys caribbeanensis sp. n., a new species of Thaumastodermatidae (Gastrotricha, Macrodasyida) from Belize and Panama

We describe one new species of Acanthodasys (Gastrotricha, Macrodasyida, Thaumastodermatidae) collected from sublittoral sites around Carrie Bow Cay, Belize and Isla Colón in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, Panama. Though eight species of Acanthodasys are currently recognized, no species has yet been reported from the Caribbean. Acanthodasys caribbeanensissp. n. is characterized by the lack of lateral adhesive tubes, the presence of ventrolateral adhesive tubes, and with cuticular armature in the form of both spineless and spined scales. The spineless scales are not elliptical as in other species of Acanthodasys, but are instead variable in shape and closely resemble the spineless scales of species of Diplodasys. Spined scales bear uniancres up to 50 μm long and are the largest reported in the genus. Uniancres are arranged dorsally around the mouth rim and distributed in five distinguishable columns. Adult size varies from 325-625 μm long.     

Unikaryon phyllotretae sp. n. (Protista,Microspora), a new microsporidian pathogen of Phyllotreta undulata (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae)

The microsporidium Unikaryon phyllotretae sp. n., a new pathogen of Phyllotreta undulata, is described based on light microscopic and ultrastructural characteristics. Microscopic examination of parasitized individuals revealed two types of spores. The majority of the spores were of the first type, which are oval and measured 2.74±0.17×1.93±0.17 μm when fresh. Fresh spores of the second type (very rare) are elongated and measured 4.39±0.18×1.61±0.20 μm. All life stages have single nuclei. Sporogony ends with uninucleate single sporoblasts and spores. The spores were only observed in Malpighian tubules. The isofilar polar filament of the parasite has six to eight coils, and a well-developed polaroplast was of the lamellated type, with closely packed anterior lamellae and loosely packed posterior lamellae.     

Macrostylophora kinabaluae n. sp. (Insecta: Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae), a new flea from Sabah (Borneo, Eastern Malaysia)

This species, known only by a single male, is described from Mount Kinabalu and thus is recorded from the same area as Macrostylophora borneensis (Jordan, 1926), teste Traub (1972). It is distinguished from its congeneric and characterized by the absence of eriged setae on the thorax and first abdominal tergits, as well as by the shape of terminal segments and the phallosom. Macrostylophora kinabaluae was found to parasitize the Sciurid rodent Callosciurus prevostii that is widespread throughout most areas in the Malaysian subregion.     

Steinernema aciari sp. n. (Nematoda: Steinernematidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode from Guangdong, China

A new species of entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema aciari sp. n. was described. It was recovered from a soil sample collected from Haimen town, Shantou district in the eastern coast of Guangdong province, the People's Republic of China during a survey for entomopathogenic nematodes. S. aciari sp. n. belongs to the Steinernema glaseri group. It can be separated from all described Steinernema species by the combined morphological and morphometrical characters of various stages of the nematodes. For male, the new species can be recognized by spicule length (86+/-6.3 microm); spicule tip blunt with a hook-like structure; gubernaculum with a short and Y-shaped cuneus and corpus well-separated posteriorly. For infective juvenile, the combination of the following characters: body length (1113+/-68 microm), distance from anterior end to excretory pore (95+/-3.7 microm), tail length (78+/-5.2 microm), and E % (123+/-7) can be used to differentiate the new species from other nematodes. For female, the tail (conoid with a long mamillate terminus and a distinct postanal swelling) and vulva (slightly protruding from body surface with conspicuous double flapped epiptygma) shapes can be used as diagnostic characters for the new species. The new species can also be distinguished from other Steinernema species by DNA sequences of either a partial 28S rDNA or the internal transcribed spacer regions of rDNA, and from the close related species S. glaseri, Steinernema longicaudum CWL05, and Steinernema guangdongense by cross-breeding test.     

Trichinella zimbabwensis n.sp. (Nematoda), a new non-encapsulated species from crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) in Zimbabwe also infecting mammals

Since 1995, Trichinella larvae have been detected in 39.5% of farmed crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) in Zimbabwe. Morphological, biological, biochemical and molecular studies carried out on one isolate from a farmed crocodile in 2001 support the conclusion that this parasite belongs to a new species, which has been named Trichinella zimbabwensis n.sp. This species, whose larvae are non-encapsulated in host muscles, infects both reptiles and mammals. The morphology of adults and larvae is similar to that of Trichinella papuae. Adults of T. zimbabwensis cross in both directions with adults of T. papuae (i.e. male of T. zimbabwensis per female of T. papuae and male of T. papuae per female of T. zimbabwensis), producing F1 offspring which produce very few and less viable F2 larvae. Muscle larvae of T. zimbabwensis, like those of T. papuae, do not infect birds. Three allozymes (of a total of 10) are diagnostic between T. zimbabwensis and T. papuae, and five are diagnostic between T. zimbabwensis and Trichinella pseudospiralis, the third non-encapsulated species. The percentage of the pairwise alignment identity between T. zimbabwensis and the other Trichinella species for the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene, the large subunit ribosomal-DNA (mt-lsrDNA) gene and the expansion segment five, shows that T. zimbabwensis is more similar to the two non-encapsulated species T. papuae (91% for cytochrome oxidase I; 96% for mt-lsrDNA; and 88% for expansion segment five) and T. pseudospiralis (88% for cytochrome oxidase I; 90% for mt-lsrDNA; and 66–73% for expansion segment five) than to any of the encapsulated species (85–86% for cytochrome oxidase I; 88–89% for mt-lsrDNA; and 71–79% for expansion segment five). This is the first non-encapsulated species discovered in Africa. The finding of a new Trichinella species that infects both reptiles and mammals suggests that the origin of Trichinella parasites dates back further than previously believed and can contribute to understanding the phylogeny and the epidemiology of the genus Trichinella.     

Lethrus (Lethrus) schneideri sp. n. (Coleoptera,Geotrupidae) from Greece

Lethrus (Lethrus) schneideri Král & Hillert, sp. n. from Thrace, Greece, is described. The new species is morphologically most similar and probably closely related to Lethrus (Lethrus) apterus (Laxmann, 1770) and Lethrus (Lethrus) ares Král, Rejsek & Schneider, 2001. Diagnostic characters (shape of mandibles, ventral mandible processes, pronotum and parameres) are illustrated. Character matrix for separation of males of the Lethrus species closely related to Lethrus schneideri Král & Hillert, sp. n. and geographic ranges for all species studied are mapped.     

Myxobolus absonus sp. n. (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) parasitizing pimelodus maculatus (siluriformes: Pimelodidae), a South American freshwater fish

A new myxoporean species is described from a freshwater fish in Brazil. Myxobolus absonus sp. n. was found infecting Pimelodus maculatus captured in the river Piracicaba, State of S?o Paulo, Brazil. Cysts were found free in the opercular cavity. The spores are large (length--15.7 +/- 1.5 microns, width--10.2 +/- 0.7 microns; mean +/- S.D.) and oval in shape, with the anterior end slightly pointed. The spore valves are relatively thin, smooth, and asymmetrical in a frontal view. The polar capsules are pyriform in shape, and unequal in size; the largest are 6.4 +/- 0.7 microns long and 3.6 +/- 0.5 microns wide, while the smallest are 4.2 +/- 0.6 microns long and 2.5 +/- 0.5 microns wide.     

Some observations on a Tylenchid nematode Howardula sp. parasitizing the mushroom phorid Megasalia halterata (Phoridae, Diptera)

Howardula sp. parasitizes the Mushroom phorid fly Megasalia halterata destroying the fat body and follicular membrane of the fly, decreasing copulation and egg output. With increasing hyperinfestation the fly is rendered sterile. Howardula sp. is host density dependent and reaches a maximum incidence in September and October. Under laboratory conditions fly populations were eliminated in three to five generations. The implications for possible biological control of M. halterata are discussed.     

Longidorus orongorongensis n. sp. (Nematoda: Dorylaimida) from subsoil of conifer/broadleaved forest

Abstract

Longidorus orongorongensis n. sp. is bisexual and recognisable from its large size (adults over 6 mm long), long odontostyle (145-172 μm), bluntly conoid lip region continuous with the body contour and especially by the posteriorly placed guide ring more than 60 μm from the oral aperture; also the female has a bluntly rounded tailless than an anal body width long. The first stage juvenile has a bluntly rounded tail. Juveniles and adults from one site below virgin forest are described.     

Steinernema ceratophorum n. sp. (Nematoda: Steinernematidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode from north-east China

Steinernema ceratophorum n. sp. was isolated from soil in Liaoning and Jining Provinces of China. Morphological, cross-breeding and DNA studies support the distinctiveness of S. ceratophorum n. sp. in comparison with four morphologically similar Steinernema species: S. affine, S. intermedium, S. riobrave and S. bicornutum. Diagnostic characters include: body length of infective juvenile, juvenile lip region with two horn-like structures and lateral field with six or eight longitudinal ridges; tail tip of first and second generation males lacking mucron; spicules of first generation male curved, dark yellow in colour and 71 µm long; tail tip of first generation female with small mucronate projection; and second generation female with fine mucronate process about 5.5 µm long. In addition, the restriction fragment length pattern (RFLP) of the ITS region of the ribosomal DNA repeat unit is different from other Steinernema spp., and S. ceratophorum n. sp. did not hybridise with S. riobrave, the species with the most similar RFLP.