A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Falcaustra</Emphasis> (Nematoda,Kathlaniidae) and other nematodes from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphenomorphus simus</Emphasis> (Squamata,Scincidae) from Papua New Guinea

Falcaustra papuensis sp. nov. (Ascaridida, Kathlaniidae) from the large intestine of Sphenomorphus simus (Squamata, Sciencidae) is described and illustrated. Falcaustra papuensis represents the 4th Australo-Papuan species assigned to this genus and is distinguished from other Australo-Papuan species by the distribution pattern of caudal papillae (6 precloacal, 6 adcloacal, 8 postcloacal, and 1 median), length of spicules (561–714 μm) and presence of a pseudosucker. Sphenomorphus simus was found to harbor 2 additional species of nematodes, Meteterakis crombiei and Oswaldocruzia bakeri. Sphenomorphus simus represents a new host record for each of these nematode species.     

A new species of genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hysterothylacium</Emphasis> Ward et Magath, 1917 (Nematoda,Anisakidae) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Liparis tanakae</Emphasis> (Scorpaeniformes,Liparidae) from the Yellow Sea,China

A new anisakid nematode, Hysterothylacium liparis sp. nov., is described from the intestine and stomach of the fish, Liparis tanakae (Gilbert et Burke, 1912) (Scorpaeniformes, Liparidae), a fish endemic to the Yellow Sea, China. The new species can be distinguished from the congeners by the absence of lateral alae, the length of the intestinal caecum (1.94–3.35 mm, 58.84–82.47% of oesophageal length), the number and arrangement of the caudal papillae (20–29 precloacal subventral pairs, 1 adcloacal pair and 4 postcloacal pairs), the size of the spicules (1.94–3.74 mm, 4.85–7.30% of body length) and the morphology of the tail tip. This is the first species of adult ascaridoid nematodes to be reported from fishes of the family Liparidae in northern China.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Falcaustra</Emphasis> (Nematoda,Kathlaniidae) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cnemaspis</Emphasis> aff. <Emphasis Type="Italic">tro pidogaster</Emphasis> (Squamata,Gekkonidae) from Sri Lanka

Falcaustra desilvai sp. nov. (Ascaridida, Kathlaniidae) from the large intestine of Cnemaspis aff. tropidogaster (Squamata, Gekkonidae) is described and illustrated. Falcaustra desilvai represents the 4th nematode species from Sri Lanka to be assigned to the genus and is distinguished from other Sri Lankan species by the distribution pattern of caudal papillae (12 precloacal, 2 adcloacal, 10 postcloacal, and 1 median), length of spicules (956–1046 μm) and absence of a pseudosucker.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Falcaustra sinensis</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Nematoda,Kathlaniidae) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Indotestudo elongata</Emphasis> in China

Falcaustra sinensis sp. nov. collected from the feces of Indotestudo elongata (Blyth) is described and illustrated. The new species can be distinguished from the congeners by the arrangement of caudal papillae of the male (6 pairs precloacal, 4 pairs postcloacal, 1 median), length of spicules (3.84–4.74 mm) and the presence of pseudosucker.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Moaciria</Emphasis> (Nematoda,Heterakidae) and other helminths in the red Mawatta frog, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hylophorbus</Emphasis> cf. <Emphasis Type="Italic">rufescens</Emphasis> (Anura,Microhylidae) from Papua New Guinea

Moaciria moraveci sp. nov. (Nematoda, Heterakidae) from the large intestine of Hylophorbus cf. rufescens from Papua New Guinea is described. Moaciria moraveci sp. nov. represents the 9th species assigned to the genus and the 5th from the Australo-Papuan region. It is distinguished from congeners by the distribution pattern of the caudal papillae of the male, spicule length and vulvar position.     

Equine stomach worm, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drashia megastoma</Emphasis> (Spirurida: Habronematidae): first SEM report

Drashia megastoma (Spirurida: Habronematidae) occurs in nodules in the stomach wall and rarely free in the stomach of the horse, mule and zebra throughout the world. D. megastoma develops in the housefly Musca domestica and causes gastric haemorrhage or even perforation of the stomach. Larvae of this nematode may be found in the lung, skin and eye of the host. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the surface ultrastructure of adult worms of this nematode. In both sexes, the head end was separated from the rest of the body by a constriction. The stoma was infundibuliform with a wall forming two separated lateral vales. The pseudo-labia were not lobed. Around the mouth, four submedian cephalic papillae and two amphids were seen. A pair of ciliated cervical papillae was present, and an excretory pore was observed. There were two lateral alae. In the female, the vulva was opened anteriorly. The caudal end of the male was alate and the spicules were unequal. At the posterior end of the male, four pairs of stalked precloacal papillae, two median precloacal papillae close to the cloaca, two pairs of postcloacal papillae and a cluster of small papillae were present.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oxyascaris</Emphasis> (Nematoda,Cosmocercidae) in the Costa Rica brook frog, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Duellmanohyla uranochroa</Emphasis> (Anura,Hylidae)

Oxyascaris mcdiarmidi sp. nov. (Nematoda, Cosmocercidae) from the small intestine of Duellmanohyla uranochroa from Costa Rica is described. Oxyascaris mcdiarmidi sp. nov. represents the 4th species assigned to the genus and is distinguished from congeners by the distribution pattern of the caudal papillae of the male, spicule length and vulvar position.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cosmocerca kalesari</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Nematoda,Cosmocercidae) in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis</Emphasis> (Amphibia,Anura) from Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary,Haryana, India

Cosmocerca kalesari sp. nov. from the large intestine of frogs, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis, collected in the Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary, India is described and photomicrographed. It is most similar to those species bearing 5 pairs of plectanes, i.e., C. acanthurum, C. banyulensis, C. cruzi, C. japonica, C. ornata, C. novaeguineae, C. paraguayensis, C. parva, C. podicipinus and C. travassosi, but differs from these species with the exception of C. cruzi and C. japonica in the length of spicules and length of gubernaculum. The new species can be separated from C. cruzi and C. japonica by the arrangement of postanal mammiliform papillae: 6 postanal pairs in C. kalesari sp. nov.; 4 postanal pairs in C. cruzi; no postanal mammiliform papillae in C. japonica. Cosmocerca kalesari sp. nov. represents the 25th species assigned to the genus, but only the second species from the Oriental region.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hysterothylacium</Emphasis> (Ascaridoidea,Anisakidae) parasitic in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zenopsis conchifer</Emphasis> (Zeiformes,Zeidae) from Argentinean waters

A new species of parasitic nematode, Hysterothylacium spirale sp. nov. (Ascaridoidea, Anisakidae), is described based on specimens collected from the intestine and pyloric caeca of the silvery john dory Zenopsis conchifer (Lowe) (Zeiformes, Zeidae), from the Argentinean Shelf (35°05′–40°46′S, 53°03′–58°07′W). Among the 66 valid species described so far in the genus, the new species most closely resembles H. zenis (Baylis, 1929). Both species, apparently specific for fishes of the family Zeidae, share the shape of the dorsal lip, the long expanded lateral alae originating from subventral interlabia and the ornamentation of the tail tip, as well as general morphometry. The combination of these shared features distinguishes both species from all congeners so far known. However, the new species is distinguishable from H. zenis by having shorter interlabia, and consequently the lateral alae originating more posteriorly, shorter spicules, a smaller number of postcloacal papillae and the presence of two pairs of double postcloacal papillae.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Anomotaenia barusi</Emphasis> sp. nov. and <Emphasis Type="Italic">A. alata</Emphasis> (Cestoda,Dilepididae) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Charadrius dubius</Emphasis> (Aves,Charadriiformes) in Slovakia,with comments on related species

During a re-assessment of tapeworm collections from wild birds in Slovakia, two Anomotaenia spp. were recovered from the intestine of the little ringed plover Charadrius dubius Scop., 1786. One of them is described as Anomotaenia barusi sp. nov. The new taxon is distinguished from related congeneric species by the different shape and size of the rostellar hooks, the number of testes and the morphology of male and female reproductive organs. The other species was identified as Anomotaenia alata Spassky et Konovalov, 1969. The validity of this species has formerly been questioned because of its striking morphological similarity to the type-species of the genus, A. microrhyncha (Krabbe, 1869), described from the same host, Philomachus pugnax (L.). Present data revealed differences in the number and measurements of the rostellar hooks, the size of the cirrus-sac, the armament of the cirrus and the presence or absence of setae at the polar ends of the inner egg envelope, which supported the validity of A. alata. The finding of A. alata in C. dubius from Slovakia represents a new host and geographical record.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Litomosoides pardinasi</Emphasis> n. sp. (Nematoda,Onchocercidae) from two species of cricetid rodents in northern Patagonia,Argentina

Seventy-seven cricetid rodents, corresponding to six different species, deposited at the Mammal Collection at Centro Nacional Patagónico, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, were examined for parasites. Litomosoides pardinasi n. sp. is described parasitizing the pleural and abdominal cavities of Phyllotis xanthopygus (Phyllotini) and the abdominal cavity of Oligoryzomys longicaudatus (Oryzomynii) in the northern Patagonia, Argentina. The new species is included in the carinii group, characterized by the presence of a right spicule with a dorsal heel and a terminal cap well cuticularized; left spicule composed with a handle longer or as long as the blade, and the blade constituted by a cuticularized distal filament. Litomosoides pardinasi n. sp. possesses a buccal capsule tubular with an anterior enlargement, and a smooth cavity; four labial and two dorsal cephalic papillae; vulva posterior to the esophagus–intestinal junction; male tail with three to five pairs of symmetric postcloacal papillae; female tail slender; vagina globular and small. This is the first record for a filarioid in a Phyllotini rodent and the southernmost record of any filarioid species worldwide.     

A frameshift mutation of the chloroplast <Emphasis Type="Italic">mat</Emphasis>K coding region is associated with chlorophyll deficiency in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptomeria japonica</Emphasis> virescent mutant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Wogon</Emphasis>-Sugi

Wogon-Sugi has been reported as a cytoplasmically inherited virescent mutant selected from a horticultural variety of Cryptomeria japonica. Although previous studies of plastid structure and inheritance indicated that at least some mutations are encoded by the chloroplast genome, the causative gene responsible for the primary chlorophyll deficiency in Wogon-Sugi, has not been identified. In this study, we identified this gene by genomic sequencing of chloroplast DNA and genetic analysis. Chloroplast DNA sequencing of 16 wild-type and 16 Wogon-Sugi plants showed a 19-bp insertional sequence in the matK coding region in the Wogon-Sugi. This insertion disrupted the matK reading frame. Although an indel mutation in the ycf1 and ycf2 coding region was detected in Wogon-Sugi, sequence variations similar to that of Wogon-Sugi were also detected in several wild-type lines, and they maintained the reading frame. Genetic analysis of the 19 bp insertional mutation in the matK coding region showed that it was found only in the chlorophyll-deficient sector of 125 full-sibling seedlings. Therefore, the 19-bp insertion in the matK coding region is the most likely candidate at present for a mutation underlying the Wogon-Sugi phenotype. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lamellodiscus theroni</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Monogenea,Diplectanidae), a gill parasite from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Diplodus puntazzo</Emphasis> (Teleostei,Sparidae) from the Mediterranean Sea

We propose to name as Lamellodiscus theroni sp. nov., the gill parasite of Diplodus puntazzo (Cetti) that was reported by Euzet (1984) as L. ergensi Euzet and Oliver, 1966 in Kerkennah Island (Tunisia). L. theroni sp. nov. was also found specific to D. puntazzo in Algiers Bay (Algeria) and in Gulf of Lion (France). The host specificity of various Lamellodiscus species on D. puntazzo is briefly discussed. Within Lamellodiscus, L. theroni belongs to the “ignoratus” group characterized by a “lyre” shaped male copulatory organ and to the “ergensi” subgroup, characterized by a complex morphology of the haptoral dorsal bars. L. theroni differs from the five other species of this subgroup (L. ergensi, L. kechemirae, L. tomentosus, L. sanfilippoi, L. baeri) by the morphology and the size of the haptoral dorsal bar. L. theroni, as well as, L. hilii, L. bidens, L. impervius, was only reported on the sparid Diplodus puntazzo. These parasite species are all considered as oioxenic.     

Evaluation of hematological values in indigenous chickens infected with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plasmodium gallinaceum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegyptianella pullorum</Emphasis>

Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and leukocytozoon are the most important hematozoa in birds, which have been reported in different areas of the world. The present study was undertaken to find which blood protozoans exist in indigenous chickens in Shiraz, southern Iran and to evaluate hematological parameters in birds infected with hematozoas. Plasmodium and Aegyptianella were the two parasites found in 740 blood samples examined from indigenous chickens of which 29 (3.91%) were positive for Aegyptianella pullorum, 106 (14.32%) for Plasmodium gallinaceum, and 12 (1.62%) for A. pullorum and Plasmodium gallinaceum together. There was no significant difference between hematological parameters of non-infected and naturally infected chickens with Plasmodium gallinaceum, A. pullorum, and both (P > 0.05). Low infection of indigenous chickens with A. pullorum, Plasmodium gallinaceum, and both had no significant effects on hematological parameters (P > 0.05), which is probably due to low parasitemia rate and immunity against these two parasites.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chitwoodiella</Emphasis> Basir, 1948 with first report on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mirzaiella asiatica</Emphasis> Basir, 1942 (Nematoda,Travassosinematidae) from Manipur,North-East India

Chitwoodiella longicardia sp. nov. is characterized by having modified cardia into a long tubular structure and extends upto anterior portion of the intestine. This character is present in all the specimens collected from North-East India and represents the third species described under the genus globally. A short note on Mirzaiella asiatica Basir, 1942 is also given. Moreover, key to known species of Chitwoodiella and Mirzaiella are also provided. A comparative measurement table of known species of Chitwoodiella and Mirzaiella are given in Table I and Table II.