Eight species of fishes from rivers of Northern Portugal were examined for cestodes but only one, Barbus barbus bocagei (Steindachner), was infected: river Este (4 of 12 infected, 1,1,4 adult and 37 juvenile cestodes found respectively), Lima (1 of 8 infected, 1 juvenile cestode), Paiva (1 of 5 infected, 57 juvenile cestodes) and Sousa (1 of 13 infected, 1 adult cestode). The cestodes were Caryophyllidea. The fan-shaped scolex had very shallow incisions, with the scolex separated from the hindbody by a neck. The first vitelline follicles started a considerable distance anterior to the testes, with some vitelline follicles along the lateral margins of the cirrus sac, uterine coils and H-shaped ovary. The uterine coils extended forward to the posterior half of the cirrus sac. Transverse transmission electron microscope sections showed cortical vitelline follicles and medullary testes validating Lytocestidae. These features identify Khawia baltica Szidat, 1941, described from tench Tinca tinca (L.) in East Prussia and subsequently reported from barbel B. barbus and T. tinea in Russia, This is a new host and first record from Portugal and western Europe, thus extending the known range of distribution of K. baltica.
Flounder, Paralichthys orbignyanus (Valenciennes), were captured in polluted and non-polluted sites within the Patos Lagoon Estuary, southern Brazil, over four seasons. Blood films showed a high prevalence of infection with a haemogregarine, or mixed parasitaemias of this and an organism resembling Haemohormidium terraenovae So, 1972. Haemogregarine gamont stages conformed to existing descriptions of Desseria platessae (Lebailly, 1904) Siddall, 1995 from flatfishes, but intraerythrocytic division of meronts was observed, leading to the recommendation for nomenclatural correction, placing the haemogregarine in the genus Haemogregarina (sensu lato) Danilewsky, 1885. Statistical analyses suggested that although sample sizes were small, infections with meront stages, immature and mature gamonts were all influenced by site, and possibly therefore, by pollution. Season also appeared to determine likelihood of infection with meronts and immature gamonts, but not mature gamonts, while adult fish gender apparently affected infection with immature and mature gamonts, but not meronts. The H. terraenovae-like organism exhibited unusual extracellular forms and did not match closely with the type description of H. terraenovae; precise identification was therefore difficult. Data analyses suggested that parasitism by this organism was influenced by site and fish gender, since females and males from non-polluted water were infected, but only females from the polluted site. Season was also important and significantly more adult fish of both sexes were infected with this parasite in the Brazilian summer and autumn, compared with winter and spring. Finally, these appeared to be the first observations of Haemogregarina platessae, and possibly H. terraenovae, from the southern hemisphere.
A synopsis of the species of Myxobolus Bütschli, 1882 (Cnidaria, Myxosporea, Myxobolidae) described from 2014 up till now is presented. It includes 122 nominal species described all over the world. For each of the species, the most relevant morphological and morphometric data, as well as data are provided related to the location in the host, type host and type locality. The GenBank accession numbers are provided whenever possible, and the spores were redrawn based on the original descriptions. The bibliography includes all the papers containing the species descriptions.