Gnathostomes are of interest because of their unique appearance and medical importance. Among 13 valid species of the genus Gnathostoma Owen, 1836 (Nematoda: Spirurida), two species, G. doloresi Tubangui, 1925 and G. hispidum Fedtschenko, 1872, are parasites of pigs but their larvae can infect humans to cause gnathostomiasis. In this study, we collected adults of Gnathostoma sp. from the stomach of domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus Linnaeus) from Dien Bien Province, northern Vietnam. Morphologically, nematodes found here are most similar to G. doloresi with a slight difference in the spicules of males. In contrast, they are genetically distinct from G. doloresi and other species of Gnathostoma in both ITS2 and cox1 sequences. The findings of the present study suggest that specimens of Gnathostoma sp. found in Dien Bien are likely a new species and emphasise the need of further studies on the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationship of species of Gnathostoma. Special attention should also be paid to swine and human gnathostomiasis in Dien Bien Province, Vietnam and the neighbouring areas of China and Laos., Nguyen Van Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Kim Lan, Pham Ngoc Doanh., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Abiotic and biotic factors determine success or failure of individual organisms, populations and species. The early life stages are often the most vulnerable to heavy mortality due to environmental conditions. The deer ked (Lipoptena cervi Linnaeus, 1758) is an invasive insect ectoparasite of cervids that spends an important period of the life cycle outside host as immobile pupa. During winter, dark-coloured pupae drop off the host onto the snow, where they are exposed to environmental temperature variation and predation as long as the new snowfall provides shelter against these mortality factors. The other possible option is to passively sink into the snow, which is aided by morphology of pupae. Here, we experimentally studied passive snow sinking capacity of pupae of L. cervi. We show that pupae have a notable passive snow sinking capacity, which is the most likely explained by pupal morphology enabling solar energy absorption and pupal weight. The present results can be used when planning future studies and when evaluating possible predation risk and overall survival of this invasive ectoparasite species in changing environmental conditions., Sirpa Kaunisto, Hannu Ylönen, Raine Kortet., and Obsahuje bibliografii