Ten new species of Myrsidea Waterston, 1915 parasitic on members of the avian families Formicariidae, Thraupidae, Tyrannidae, Troglodytidae and Icteridae are described herein. They and their type hosts are M. isacantha sp. n. ex Chamaeza nobilis Gould, M. circumsternata sp. n. ex Formicarius colma Boddaert (Formicariidae); M. cacioppoi sp. n. ex Lanio fulvus (Boddaert), M. brasiliensis sp. n. ex Tangara chilensis (Vigors), M. saviti sp. n. ex Tangara schrankii (Spix) (Thraupidae), M. rodriguesae sp. n. ex Cnipodectes subbrunneus (Sclater), M. cnemotriccola sp. n. ex Cnemotriccus fuscatus (Wied-Neuwied), M. lathrotriccola sp. n. ex Lathrotriccus euleri (Cabanis) (Tyrannidae), M. faccioae sp. n. ex Cyphorhinus arada transfluvialis (Todd) (Troglodytidae), and M. lampropsaricola sp. n. ex Lampropsar tanagrinus (Spix) (Icteridae). Among these are two new Myrsidea species described from the avian family Formicariidae, which previously had only a single described Myrsidea species, and a new host record for M. cinnamomei Dalgleish et Price, 2005 ex Attila citriniventris Sclater. Analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I sequences for these and other neotropical Myrsidea species provides an assessment of their phylogenetic relationships and indicates that all of these newly described species are genetically distinct. We also put these descriptions into context by estimating the potential number of unnamed Myrsidea species in Brazil, given the known diversity of potential hosts and typical levels of host specificity for Myrsidea species. Our estimate indicates that Brazilian Myrsidea species diversity is likely more than an order of magnitude greater than the number of described Myrsidea species known from Brazil, highlighting the need for future work on this megadiverse ectoparasite genus.
† Pyrenicocephalus jarzembowskii, gen. et sp. n. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Enicocephalomorpha: Enicocephalidae: Enicocephalinae) from Early Eocene, London Clay, England, Isle of Sheppey, is described and illustrated according to the unique pyritized adult head reported as a larval enicocephalid head by Jarzembowski (1986). The head anatomy of similar and related genera of Enicocephalinae is compared and the close relationship of the new genus to a clade including the extant genera Oncylocotis, Embolorrhinus and Hoplitocoris is suggested, most probably as the sister genus to Hoplitocoris (presently with Afrotropical, East Palaearctic and Oriental range).
A combined study of morphology, stem anatomy and isozyme patterns was used to reveal the identity of sterile plants from two rivers on the Germany/France border. A detailed morphological examination proved that the putative hybrid is clearly intermediate between Potamogeton natans and P. nodosus. The stem anatomy had characteristics of both species. The most compelling evidence came from the isozyme analysis. The additive “hybrid” banding patterns of the six enzyme systems studied indicate inheritance from P. natans and P. nodosus. In contrast, other morphologically similar hybrids were excluded: P. ×gessnacensis (= P. natans × P. polygonifolius) by all the enzyme systems, P. ×fluitans (= P. lucens × P. natans) by AAT, EST and 6PGDH, and P. ×sparganiifolius (= P. gramineus × P. natans) by AAT and EST. All samples of P. ×schreberi are of a single multi-enzyme phenotype, suggesting that they resulted from a single hybridization event and that the present-day distribution of P. ×schreberi along the Saarland/Moselle border was achieved by means of vegetative propagation and long-distance dispersal. Neither of its parental species occur with P. ×schreberi or are present upstream, which suggests that this hybrid has persisted vegetatively for a long time in the absence of its parents. The total distribution of this hybrid is reviewed and a detailed account of the records from Germany is given. P. ×schreberi appears to be a rare hybrid. The risk of incorrect determination resulting from the identification of insufficiently developed or inadequately preserved plant material is discussed.
This paper describes Regoella brevis gen. n. et. sp. n. (Proteocephalidea: Monticelliinae), a parasite of the intestine of the barred sorubim Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum (Linnaeus) from the Paraná River basin. The new genus is placed in the Monticelliinae because of the cortical position of the genital organs. It differs from all known genera included in the Monticelliinae by the following combination of characters: 1) a quadrangular scolex with a truncated conical apex and formed by four lobes separated by grooves; 2) uniloculate suckers of inverted triangular shape possessing a small cone-shaped projection at each corner of the anterior margin; 3) strobila consisting of a low number of proglottides; 4) testes arranged in one dorsal field; 5) a cirrus-sac, which represents more than one half of the proglottis width, cirrus surrounded by conspicuous chromophilic gland cells; 6) a butterfly-shaped and strongly lobulate ovary; and 7) formation of uterus of type 2. The examination of the tegument surface with scanning electron microscopy revealed the occurrence of three types of microtriches: acicular and capilliform filitriches and gladiate spinitriches. The new species is the eighth proteocephalidean reported from P. fasciatum, six of which are commonly found in the Amazon and Paraná River basins.
This study describes the proteocephalidean tapeworm Pseudocrepidobothrium chanaorum sp. n. (Proteocephalidae: Proteocephalinae), which was found in the intestine of Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum (Eigenmann et Eigenmann) from the Colastiné River, a tributary of the Paraná River. The new species differs from the two other species of the genus, P. eirasi (Rego et de Chambrier, 1995) and P. ludovici Ruedi et de Chambrier, 2012, parasites of Phractocephalus hemioliopterus (Bloch et Schneider) from the Amazon River in Brazil, in having fewer proglottides (4-8 without ventral appendages vs 7-12 with ventral appendages and 20-36 without ventral appendages, respectively), a smaller scolex (350-450 µm wide vs 495-990 µm and 515-1 020 µm wide, respectively), in the total number of testes (21-25 vs 21-51 and 37-79, respectively), a cirrus-sac usually directed anteriorly if the vagina is posterior to the cirrus-sac vs transversely situated in the known species. The study of the tegumental surface of Pseudocrepidobothrium spp. revealed the presence of four types of microtriches: papilliform, acicular and capilliform filitriches, and gladiate spinitriches. The three species have a similar microthrix pattern, with minor differences on the immature proglottis surface. Pseudocrepidobothrium chanaorum sp. n. is the ninth proteocephalid reported from P. reticulatum.
Rhinozachvatkinia calonectris sp. n., a new species of the feather mite genus Rhinozachvatkinia Mironov, 1989 (Avenzoariidae: Bonnetellinae), is described from two species of shearwaters in the North-East of the Atlantic Ocean, Calonectris edwardsii (Oustalet) (type host) and Calonectris borealis (Cory) (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae). We completed the morphological description of this new feather mite species with sequence data on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene fragment (COI). The full generic status of Rhinozachvatkinia, originally established as a subgenus of Zachvatkinia Dubinin, 1949, is formally fixed and its systematic relationships are briefly discussed.
A new species, Gnathia nkulu sp. n. is described from material collected off the South African coast at 80-200m depth. It differs from the intertidal species Gnathia africana Barnard, 1914 in that the mediofrontal process is not deeply divided into two lobes, article 2 of the pylopod is rounded and small wart-like tubercles and long simple setae are present on both the cephalosome and pereon.
A redescription of the adult male and praniza of Gnathia africana Barnard, 1914 is provided from material collected at three localities along the South African coast and from syntypes and other material deposited by the original author. This redescription is based on light and scanning electron microscopy.
A redescription of the adult male of Caecognathia cryptopais (Barnard, 1925) is provided from syntypes and other material deposited in the South African Museum. The generic status of Caecognathia cryptopais is also revised. This redescriplion is based on light and scanning electron microscopy.
Ten species of Cixiidae, formerly placed in Trirhacus Fieber, 1875, are redescribed and one additional species is described. They belong to seven genera: Trirhacus s. str. with T. setulosus Fieber, 1876 (type species), T. dubiosus Wagner, 1959, T. biokovensis Dlabola, 1971 and T. peloponnesiacus sp. n., Apartus gen. n. with A. michalki (Wagner, 1948) comb. n. (type species) and A. wagnerianus (Nast, 1965) comb. n., Nanocixius Wagner, 1939 stat. n. with N. discrepans (Fieber, 1876) comb. n., Neocixius Wagner, 1939 stat. n. with N. limbatus (Signoret, 1862) comb. n., Sardocixius gen. n. with S. formosissimus (Costa, 1883) comb. n., Simplicixius gen. n. with S. trichophorus (Melichar, 1914) comb. n. and Sphaerocixius Wagner, 1939 stat. n. with S. globuliferus (Wagner, 1939) comb. n. The phylogenetic relationships of these genera to other Cixiidae are briefly discussed and a key to the genera of European Cixiidae is provided.