Scleroblast cultures from the gorgonianLeptogorgia virgulata (Lamarck) (Coelenterata: Gorgonacea)

Summary Scleroblasts were separated from fragmented tissue of growing tips ofLeptogorgia virgulata and cultured using a modification of the technique of Rannou. Replacement of fetal bovine serum with horse serum seemed to increase scleroblast viability. Cell adhesion occurred from 14 to 43 d. Cultured scleroblasts demonstrated cell aggregation, spicule formation, and extrusion of spicules into the external medium. Cells showing spicules in the process of being extruded appeared on the average after 24 d of culture. Variability among cultures was marked with respect to both division and spicule formation. Healthy cultures were maintained for more than 4 mo. This work was supported by National Science Foundation grants PCM8201389 and DCB8502698. This is contribution No. 674 of Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine Biology and Coastal Research, University of South Carolina.     

Phylogeny of the Heterodoxus octoseriatus group (Phthiraptera: Boopiidae) from rock-wallabies (Marsupialia: Petrogale)

The phylogenetic position of the Heterodoxus octoseriatus group is inferred from morphological characters. Two character states support monophyly of this group. Another indicates that its sister-group is a group of 11 other Heterodoxus species (here called the H. calabyi group), that infest at least seven other genera of macropodid marsupials. Fourteen potential apomorphies, associated with the male and female genitalia, are identified. Evident rapid and divergent evolution of the genitalia, however, precludes determination of their polarity by comparison with an out-group (the sister-group). Consequently, phylogeny in the H. octoseriatus group is inferred from the close similarity of morphological characters. In light of the phylogenetic analysis and a phenogram, speciation and the evolution of morphological characters in the H. octoseriatus group is discussed.     

Redescription of Besnoitia tarandi (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) from the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

Besnoitia tarandi tissue cysts were found in naturally-infected reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) from Finland. Infectivity of its tissue cysts, bradyzoites, and tachyzoites to animals and cell culture was studied. The bradyzoites and tissue cysts were not infectious to out-bred mice, rabbits or gerbils. When fed tissue cysts, neither cats nor dogs excreted oocysts. However, the parasite was lethal to interferon-gamma gene knock out mice irrespective of the route of inoculation. The parasite was grown successfully in African Green Monkey cells from tissues of two reindeer for the first time. Non-dividing, uninucleate tachyzoites from smears from cell cultures were 5.6 x 1.4 microm (4.5-7.4 x 1.0-1.9, n=50) in size. Longitudinally-cut bradyzoites in tissue sections measured 7.4 x 1.3 microm (6.5-7.8 x 1.0-1.6, n=30). Ultrastructurally, tachyzoites and bradyzoites were similar to those in other Besnoitia species, and in particular to parasites described from cattle (Besnoitia besnoiti) and equids (Besnoitia bennetti) in that their bradyzoites lacked enigmatic bodies. Based on comparative analysis of three portions of nuclear ribosomal DNA (the small and large subunits and the first internal transcribed spacer) B. tarandi was found to be more closely related to the other congeners described from ungulates. The parasite was formally redescribed and specimens deposited in the US National Parasite Collection.     

Rotifera from Burundi: the Lepadellidae (Rotifera: Monogononta)

We studied the distribution of Lepadellidae (Rotifera) in freshwater habitats in the floodplain of the River Rusizi in northwest Burundi. Twenty-three species belonging to ColurellaBory de St. Vincent, 1824 (3 species), Lepadella Bory de St. Vincent, 1826 (18 species) and Squatinella Bory de St. Vincent, 1826 (2 species) are recorded, 22 of them are new to Burundi. One of the taxa encountered probably represents an unnamed species. Lepadella arabicaSegers & Dumont, 1993 is recognised as junior subjective synonym of Lepadella eurysterna Myers, 1942 (syn. nov.). Most of the taxa recorded are cosmopolitan or tropicopolitan, two are restricted to the tropical regions of the Old World and Australia, and one, Squatinella lunata Segers, 1993 is an Ethiopian endemic.     

A peculiar anseriform (Aves: Anseriformes) from the Miocene of Gargano (Italy)

A new large representative of the Anseriformes, Garganornis ballmanni n. gen. et n. sp., from the Miocene of Gargano, Italy, is described from the distal end of a left tibiotarsus. G. ballmanni displays morphological features that are characteristic of the Anseriformes, but differs from all extant and fossil Anseriformes, as well as from taxa closely related to Anseriformes. G. ballmanni is characterized by a very wide and shallow fossa intercondylaris, a less pronounced difference in width of the lateral and medial condyle, reduced epicondyli, and a circular opening of the distal canal. G. ballmanni is larger than any living member of Anseriformes, and with an estimated body mass between 15.3 and 22.3 kg, it was most likely flightless. Although the observed similarities between G. ballmanni and basal taxa might indicate that G. ballmanni represents an insular relict of a stem lineage, it is considered more likely that G. ballmanni was a species of waterfowl highly adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle in an insular environment where mammalian carnivores are rare.     

Redescription of Besnoitia bennetti (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) from the donkey (Equus asinus)

Besnoitia bennetti tissue cysts were found in four naturally-infected donkeys (Equus asinus) from the USA. Infectivity of its bradyzoites and tachyzoites to animals and cell culture was studied. The bradyzoites were not infectious to out-bred Swiss Webster mice, rabbits or gerbils. When fed tissue cysts, cats did not excrete oocysts. However, the parasite was infectious to interferon-gamma gene knock out mice. The parasite from tissues of two donkeys was grown successfully in bovine monocyte monolayers for the first time. Non-dividing, uninucleate tachyzoites were approximately 6 x 1.5 microm in size. Longitudinally-cut bradyzoites in tissue sections measured 8.7 x 1.9 microm. Ultrastructurally, tachyzoites and bradyzoites were similar to those in other Besnoitia species, and in particular to parasites described from cattle (Besnoitia besnoiti) and reindeer (Besnoitia tarandi), in that their bradyzoites lacked enigmatic bodies. Based on comparative analysis of three portions of nuclear ribosomal DNA (the small and large subunits and the first internal transcribed spacer) B. bennetti was found to be more closely related to the other congeners described from ungulates. The parasite was formally redescribed and specimens deposited in the US National Parasite Collections.     

A new species of Empruthotrema (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) from Pteromylaeus bovinus (Myliobatidae) from the Western Mediterranean

Empruthotrema chisholmae n. sp. is described from specimens recovered from a bull ray Pteromylaeus bovinus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) at the Oceanogràfic Aquarium in Valencia, Spain. The bull ray was caught in the Spanish Mediterranean (Puerto de Mazarrón, Murcia). The new species resembles 4 others of the same genus ( Empruthotrema dasyatidis Whittington and Kearn, 1992, Empruthotrema kearni Whittington, 1990, Empruthotrema stenophallus Chisholm and Whittington, 2005, and Empruthotrema tasmaniensis Chisholm and Whittington, 1999) in having a haptor with 13 marginal loculi, the posteriormost loculus single and medial. The new species can be distinguished from these other species of the genus by the morphology of the sclerotized male copulatory organ, which is the shortest described. The new species also differs from the other species by the following combination of features: haptor with 13 marginal loculi, the presence of eyespots, the absence of an accessory piece associated with the male copulatory organ, and a long egg appendage (more than 150 μm). Empruthotrema chisholmae is the first species of the genus reported from the Mediterranean.     

A new nematode (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae) from the lizard, Chamaeleo inturensis (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Maracaya africana n. sp. (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae) from the large intestine of the lizard Chamaeleo inturensis collected in Democratic Republic of Congo is described and illustrated. This is the first record of a species of Maracaya Diaz-Ungria (1963) for Africa. Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies revealed morphological differences in the structure of the male caudal end and cephalic end, which enabled us to differentiate these new species from the others. A key for determination of all species in the genus is provided.     

The oldest Cenozoic passandrid (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea: Passandridae) from the Paleocene of Menat (France)

The new oldest representative of the subfamily Passandrinae (Passandridae) was found in materials from Menat (Puy-de-Dôme, France). It was preliminarily assigned to the genus Passandra Dalman in Schönherr, 1817, although the new species (?) Passandra plenaria sp. n., in contrast to other congeners, demonstrates an exposed labrum and an absence of preapical groove or impression on the hypopygidum. Some notes on fossil records and classification of the family Passandridae are made. The distinctiveness of the families Passandridae and Laemophloeidae in light of the new data on fossils is considered, and the attribution of Mesopassandra Jin, Ślipiński, Zhou and Pang, 2019 (type genus of Mesopassandrinae) to the family Passandridae is regarded as problematic.     

Capillaria procyonis (Nematoda: Trichuroidea) eggs from the tongue of the raccoon (Procyon lotor)

During an investigation to determine the prevalence and intensity of larvae of Trichinella spiralis in raccoons (Procyon lotor), unembryonated capillariid-type eggs were found routinely in the sediment resulting from 1% pepsin-HCl acid digests of the tongue. The sediment from 36 (90%) of the 40 tongue digests examined contained these capillariid-type eggs. Mean measurements of egg width and length were 25 +/- 2 microns and 62 +/- 2 microns, respectively. In addition, the surface of the egg shell had a pitted appearance. Adult parasites were not found in any of the tongue digests. The egg measurements and surface topography agree with what has been described previously and are tentatively identified as Capillaria procyonis. The detection of C. procyonis eggs in the present report indicates that this parasite inhabits the epithelial lining of the raccoon tongue, in addition to the esophagus, and that eggs expelled by females are deposited in the tracts these parasites create as they migrate.     

Echinoids (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) from the Gulf of Mexico

The echinoid fauna of the Gulf of Mexico collected during three research cruises (20-1260 m depth) was surveyed from samples were taken at 43 stations. A total of 190 individuals were identified (eight orders, 11 families, 15 genera and 18 species). Six species are new records for the Gulf of Mexico: Stylocidaris lineata, Phormosoma placenta placenta, Plesiodiadema antillarum, Plethotaenia spatangoides, Brissopsis atlantica and Hypselaster limicolus. This adds to the little information available on the echinoid fauna of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche and Yucatan states in Mexico.     

Coccidian parasites (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from insectivores: new species from shrew moles (Talpidae) in the United States

All of 18 shrew moles, Neurotrichus gibbsii, collected in Oregon and Washington were infected with one or more species of coccidia. Three eimerians and one isosporan were identified and described as new species. Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria heterocapita n. sp. were subspheroid to ellipsoid, 25.5 X 21.4 (23-27 X 18-23) micron. A membranous, cap-like structure was present at one pole of the oocyst, but a micropyle, oocyst residuum, and polar body were absent. Ovoid sporocysts were 13.6 X 10.0 (12-15 X 9-11) micron; a compact sporocyst residuum was present, but Stieda, sub-, and parastieda bodies were absent. This species was found in 2 of 18 (11%) hosts. Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria neurotrichi n. sp. were ovoid, 17.6 X 13.6 (16-20 X 11-16) micron; micropyle and oocyst residuum were absent, but a polar body was present. Ovoid sporocysts were 10.7 X 5.5 (9-12 X 5-6) micron; Stieda body and sporocyst residuum were present, but sub- and parastieda bodies were absent. This species was found in 2 of 18 (11%) hosts. Sporulated oocysts of Eimeria parastiedica n. sp. were subspheroid, 27.4 X 25.5 (25-30 X 22-28) micron; micropyle, oocyst residuum, and polar body were absent. Ovoid sporocysts, pointed at both ends, were 18.3 X 10.4 (16-20 X 9-11) micron; Stieda, sub-, and parastieda bodies were present as was a sporocyst residuum. This species was found in 2 of 18 (11%) hosts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Two new species of Haliotrema (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) from Cirrhitus rivulatus (Perciformes: Cirrhitidae) from the Pacific coast of Mexico

During surveys of helminth parasites of marine fishes from the Pacific coast of the Guerrero State in Mexico, 2 undescribed species of Haliotrema Johnston and Tiegs, 1922 (sensu Young, 1968) (Dactylogyridae) were found infecting the gills of the giant hawkfish Cirrhitus rivulatus Valenciennes, 1846 (Perciformes, Cirrhitidae), i.e., Haliotrema cirrhitusi n. sp. and Haliotrema pollexinus n. sp. The new species are similar with respect to the morphology of the anchors with base-shaft junction crazed, hinged, or both; dorsal anchors with an elongate superficial root; a tubular male copulatory organ (MCO) with a cylinder-shaped base diagonally opening; and a membranous accessory piece, shaped like a vane, encircling MCO to form 2 complete spirals from the anterior margin of base to the terminal portion of the MCO. While H. cirrhitusi and H. pollexinus differ from all other species of the genus in the general morphology of the copulatory complex, only H. pollexinus notably differs from all these species in having a superficial, blade-like projection from the inner surface on the distal shaft of anchors. Haliotrema cirrhitusi and H. pollexinus are the only members of the genus recorded in the Mexican Pacific and from a cirrhitid host.     

Microsporidia of the genus Parahtelohania (Microspora: Amblyosporidae) from blood-sucking mosquitoes of the genus Anopeles (Diptera: Culicidae) from the South of the West Siberia

Five new microsporidian species of the genus Parathelohania have been found in the fat body of blood-sucking mosquitoes collected in various water basins in the South of West Siberia: Parathelohania divulgata sp. n., P. formosa sp. n., P. sibirika sp. n., P. teguldeti sp. n., and P. tomski sp. n. Processes of merogony, sporogony, and ultrastructure of spores was were investigated by means light and electronic microscopy.     

Spirorbinae (Polychaeta:Serpulidae) from Chios (Aegean Sea)

Twelve species are described, of which two are new, viz. Spirorbis (Janua) gnomonicus and Spirorbis (J.) parvulus, and three others have been recognized only very recently, viz. S. (Pileolaria) clavus, S. (P.) endoumensis, S. (P.) heteropoma. Some such as 5. (jf.) corrugatus and S. (P.) koehleri were widely distributed between depths of 0–60 m, but others showed a tendency towards depth zonation, with S.(J.)pagenstecheri abundant in shallow and S. (Spirorbis) cuneatus in somewhat less shallow water. 5. (P.) pseudomilitaris and S. (Marsipospira) striatus were confined to greater depths except where the former occurred amongst ships fouling and the latter in a dark cave. 5. (P.) militaris seems rather uncommon.
A remarkably high percentage of the species (over 80%) are opercular incubators. Outside the Mediterranean, the only areas known to have similar percentages are Ceylon and the West Indies, suggesting that the habit may have originated in the Sea of Tethys.     

Fecundity of Thominx neopulchra (Nematoda:Capillariidae) from bats of the genus Myotis (Chiroptera:Vespertilionidae)

Variability of absolute fecundity of nematode Thominx neopulchra from three species of genus Myotis was studies on the territory Zhiguli State Reserve in 2007, 2008. Significant differences in the fecundity of the nematode females depending on host species and sex, size of the parasite, number of the helminthes in a given host, and season of year were revealed.     

Cestodes (Caryophyllidea) of the stinging catfish Heteropneustes fossilis (Siluriformes: Heteropneustidae) from Asia

The stinging catfish Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) (Siluriformes: Heteropneustidae) has been reported to harbor as many as 19 species of caryophyllidean tapeworms (Cestoda) of 11 genera in tropical Asia (Indomalayan zoogeographical region). However, a critical review of the species composition has shown that only 1 species, Lucknowia fossilisi Gupta, 1961 (Lytocestidae), is a specific parasite of H. fossilis. Three other species, Djombangia penetrans Bovien, 1926 (syn., Djombangia caballeroi Sahay and Sahay, 1977 ), Pseudocaryophyllaeus ritai Gupta and Singh, 1983 (syn. Pseudocaryophyllaeus lucknowensis Gupta and Sinha, 1984 ), and Pseudocaryophyllaeus tenuicollis (Bovien, 1926) Ash, Scholz, Oros and Kar, 2011 (syn. P. mackiewiczi Gupta and Parmar, 1982 ), were found only once. Lucknowia fossilisi is redescribed on the basis of new material collected in West Bengal and voucher specimens from Maharashtra, India. A total of 9 species of Capingentoides, Lucknowia, Lytocestus, Pseudoadenoscolex, Pseudocaryophyllaeus, Pseudoheteroinverta, and Sukhapatae are newly synonymized with L. fossilisi and previous synonymies of 9 other species, proposed by Hafeezulah (1993), are confirmed. Generic diagnosis of Lucknowia Gupta, 1961 is amended. In addition, 1 species of Pseudobatrachus and 2 species of the monotypic genera Pseudoneckinverta and Sudhaena are invalidated as nomina nuda.