Polymorphic microsatellite loci were characterised for two louse species, the anopluran Polyplax serrata Burmeister, 1839, parasitising Eurasian field mice of the genus Apodemus Kaup, and the amblyceran Myrsidea nesomimi Palma et Price, 2010, found on mocking birds endemic to the Galápagos Islands. Evolutionary histories of the two parasites show complex patterns influenced both by their geographic distribution and through coevolution with their respective hosts, which renders them prospective evolutionary models. In P. serrata, 16 polymorphic loci were characterised and screened across 72 individuals from four European populations that belong to two sympatric mitochondrial lineages differing in their breadth of host-specificity. In M. nesomimi, 66 individuals from three island populations and two host species were genotyped for 15 polymorphic loci. The observed heterozygosity varied from 0.05 to 0.9 in P. serrata and from 0.0 to 0.96 in M. nesomimi. Deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were frequently observed in the populations of both parasites. Fst distances between tested populations correspond with previous phylogenetic data, suggesting the microsatellite loci are an informative resource for ecological and evolutionary studies of the two parasites., Jana Martinů, Veronika Roubová, Milena Nováková, Vincent S. Smith, Václav Hypša, Jan Štefka., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The mite family Ascouracaridae Gaud et Atyeo, 1976 contains large-sized mites (mostly > 1 mm) which live inside the quills of birds of several orders. To date, no representative of this family has been found associated with the order Strigiformes (owls). In this paper, a new species of this family, Cystoidosoma hermaphroditus sp. n., is described from the tropical screech owl, Megascops choliba (Vieillot) (Aves: Strigiformes) from Brazil. This species is unique in having an external spermaduct, a primary duct and a rudimentary bursa copulatrix present in males. This is the first astigmatan feather mite described from the order Strigiformes in this country. A key to adults of the genus Cystoidosoma Gaud et Atyeo, 1976 of the world is presented., Fabio Akashi Hernandes, Barry M. OConnor., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Third-stage larvae of the nematode Serpinema trispinosum (Leidy, 1852) were collected from the midgut of four of five species of adult damselflies (Zygoptera) from a non-irrigated restored semipermanent wetland located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. Of the four infected damselfly species, prevalence and mean abundance was highest for the southern spreadwing, Lestes disjunctus australis Walker (10%, 0.2 ± 0.8) and lowest for the familiar bluet, Enallagma civile (Hagen) (2.5%, 0.04 ± 0.3); whereas mean intensities were lowest for the citrine forktail, Ischnura hastata (Say) (1.5 ± 0.5) and the eastern forktail, Ischnura verticalis (Say) (1.0 ± 0). This is the first record of larvae of S. trispinosum from damselflies. Serpinema trispinosum adults have been reported from 18 species of North and Central American freshwater turtles, whereas microcrustaceans such as copepods serve as intermediate hosts and snails, fish and amphibians serve as paratenic hosts in this nematode's life cycle. However, dietary studies of the 18 species of freshwater turtles reported as definitive hosts for S. trispinosum indicate that aquatic insects including damselflies are more commonly reported in turtle diets than are fish or amphibians. Additionally, unlike snails and amphibians, larval damselflies predominantly feed on microcrustaceans, and our observation of S. trispinosum infecting damselflies may reflect the importance of these insects as paratenic hosts. In the present study, we provide new host information and measurements for third-stage larvae of S. trispinosum from damselfly hosts along with measurements for adult male and female S. trispinosum from turtle hosts from Oklahoma, USA., Crystal M. Wiles, Matthew G. Bolek., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Lepeophtheirus simplex Ho, Gómez et Fajer-Avila, 2001 is a parasite of Sphoeroides annulatus (Jenyns), an economically important fish species, with potential for aquaculture, in northwestern Mexico. The goal of this study was to describe the developmental stages under experimental conditions and seasonal fecundity of this parasite on wild fish. There are two naupliar, one copepodid, two chalimus and two pre-adult stages preceding the adult of L. simplex. The results support previous findings, which point out that the life cycle of the caligid copepods includes only six post-naupliar stages. The generation time from egg extrusion to adult for L. simplex was approximately 10 days at 22 °C. The body length of the ovigerous females ranged between 2.2 and 4.1 mm, and its fecundity between 12 and 36 eggs per string. Fecundity was negatively correlated with the egg size and positively correlated with the egg string length. Our data did not reveal significant differences in fecundity among sampling months, but ovigerous females were significantly larger in March (when water temperature was 22 °C) than in June and July (when water temperature was 30 °C). To some extent, our fecundity results contrast with those found in species of sea lice from higher latitudes. Undoubtedly, biological information on different species of sea lice from different environmental conditions will enhance our understanding of their infection strategies and will be valuable, given the increasing interest in marine fish farming in Mexico., Francisco Neptalí Morales-Serna, Ana Inés Rivas-Salas, Samuel Gómez, Emma Josefina Fajer-Ávila., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Ectoparasites are an important factor in bat health due to emergent diseases and their associated threats to global public health. The diverse foraging habits of bats expose them to different surfaces which may influence ectoparasite infestations. In spite of these, most studies often overlook dietary specialisations when observing ectoparasite loads. The present paper quantitatively investigates whether foraging strategies as well as other host characteristics (sex, age, trunk and patagial area) influence ectoparasite (nycteribiids and mites) loads of bats. Ectoparasite counts and morphometric data were taken from mist net captures of bats. We then developed and compared models for modeling bat ectoparasite abundance under various distributions using generalised linear models. The negative binomial distribution consistently proved to be adequate for modeling mite, nycteribiid and total ectoparasite abundance based on information-theoretic approaches. Generally, females and frugivores had higher ectoparasite loads conditional on bat sex and diet, respectively. Contrary to nycteribiid abundance, mite abundance was positively related to patagial area. Thus, our findings suggest that dietary guild, sex and patagia of hosts (as well as age-nycteribiid abundance) are significant determinants of ectoparasite abundance., Albert Luguterah, Eric Adjei Lawer., and Obsahuje bibliografii