During investigations of gill ectoparasites (Platyhelminthes) parasitising freshwater fish from Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Panama) and southeastern Mexico (Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas), the following dactylogyrid monogenoidean were found: Urocleidoides simonae sp. n. from Profundulus punctatus (Günther) (type host), Profundulus balsanus Ahl, Profundulus guatemalensis (Günther), Profundulus kreiseri Matamoros, Shaefer, Hernández et Chakrabarty, Profundulus labialis (Günther), Profundulus oaxacae (Meek), Profundulus sp. 1 and Profundulus sp. 2 (all Profundulidae); Urocleidoides vaginoclaustroides sp. n. from Pseudoxiphophorus bimaculata (Heckel) (type host) and Poeciliopsis retropinna (Regan) (both Poeciliidae); and Urocleidoides vaginoclaustrum Jogunoori, Kritsky et Venkatanarasaiah, 2004 from P. labialis, Profundulus portillorum Matamoros et Shaefer and Xiphophorus hellerii Heckel (Poeciliidae). Urocleidoides simonae sp. n. differs from all other congeneric species in having anchors with well-differentiated roots, curved elongate shaft and short point. Urocleidoides vaginoclaustroides sp. n. most closely resembles U. vaginoclaustrum, but differs from this species mainly in the shape of its anchors (i.e. evenly curved shaft and short point vs curved shaft and elongate point extending just past the tip of the superficial anchor root). The complexity of potential hosts for species of Urocleidoides and their effect on its distribution on profundulid and poeciliid fishes are briefly discussed., Edgar F. Mendoza-Franco, Juan Manuel Caspeta-Mandujano, Guillermo Salgado-Maldonado, Wilfredo Antonio Matamoros., and Obsahuje bibliografii
A new microsporidian species of the genus Glugea Thélohan, 1891 parasitising the marine teleost fish Cephalopholis hemistiktos Rüppell, collected from the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, is described on the basis of microscopic and molecular procedures. Spherical and whitish xenoma were observed adhering to the intestinal wall. The numerous spores contained within these xenoma, were ovoid to pyriform and measured 4.3-6.0 µm (5.1 µm) in length and 1.8-2.9 µm (2.2 µm) in width. The spore's wall was composed of two thick layers, which were thinner in the area contacting the anchoring disk. The latter appeared at the spore's anterior pole, in an eccentric position to the longitudinal axis. A lamellar polaroplast surrounded the uncoiled portion of the polar filament projected to the basal region of the spore, giving rise to 26-29 turns with winding from the base to the anterior zone of the spore. The posterior vacuole, located at the spore's posterior pole, and surrounded by the polar filament coils, was irregular and composed of light material. Molecular analysis of the rRNA genes, including the ITS region, was performed using maximum parsimony, neighbour-joining and maximum likelihood methods. The ultrastructural features observed, combined with the phylogenetic data analysed, suggest this parasite to be a new species of the genus Glugea. This is the first species of this genus to be reported from Saudi Arabia and is herein named Glugea nagelia sp. n., Abdel-Azeem S. Abdel-Baki, Saleh Al-Quraishy, Sónia Rocha, Mohamed A. Dkhil, Graça Casal, Carlos Azevedo., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, ultrastructure of the anterior organ and posterior funnel-shaped canal of Gyrocotyle urna Wagener, 1852 (Cestoda: Gyrocotylidea) from ratfish, Chimaera monstrosa (Holocephali), was studied for the first time. The proper anterior organ is localised at a short distance (about 170 µm) from an apical pore surrounded by a receptor field, whereas its distal end is marked by a muscular sphincter. The tegumental surface of this organ is covered with short filitriches of irregular length; large area of muscle layers traverse beneath the tegumental layer. The funnel-shaped canal of G. urna (2.5-3.0 mm long) is a specialised, muscular part of the posterior attachment organ; it opens on the rounded elevation on the dorsal body surface. The tegumental layer bears conical sclerite-like structures (up to 1.5 µm long). It produces electron-dense bodies that are transported into a canal lumen and surrounded thick muscle area mixed with numerous nerve fibres. The present ultrastructural study of G. urna indicates that gyrocotylideans share some ultrastructural characters of the anterior organ with spathebothriidean cestodes with a single anterior attachment sucker-like organ. In contrast, the unique posterior rosette attachment organ with funnel-shaped canal of the Gyrocotylidea resembles the haptor of polyopisthocotylean monogeneans in its position at the posterior end of the body and presumed origin. The above-mentioned features add more clarity to support the basal position of the Gyrocotylidea Poche, 1926 among cestodes. In addition, they also indicate a possible relationship of gyrocotylidean ancestors with monogeneans., Larisa G. Poddubnaya, Roman Kuchta, Glenn A. Bristow, Tomáš Scholz., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In the present paper, we describe the ultrastructure of the spermatozoon of the notocotylid Notocotylus noyeri (Joyeux, 1922) by means of transmission electron microscopy. The mature spermatozoon of N. noyeri exhibits the general pattern described in the majority of digeneans: two axonemes of the 9 + "1" pattern of the Trepaxonemata, nucleus, mitochondria, parallel cortical microtubules, spine-like bodies and ornamentation of the plasma membrane. The glycogenic nature of the electron-dense granules was evidenced applying the test of Thiéry. The ultrastructural features of the spermatozoon of N. noyeri present some differences in relation to those of the Pronocephalidea described until now, but confirm a general pattern for the Notocotylidae, namely a spermatozoon with two mitochondria and an anterior region with ornamentation of the plasma membrane associated with spine-like bodies. The posterior extremity of the spermatozoon exhibits only some microtubules after the disorganisation of the second axoneme. The present study confirms that some ultrastructural characters of the sperm cell such as the presence or absence of lateral expansions, the number of mitochondria and the morphology of both anterior and posterior spermatozoon extremities are useful for phylogenetic purposes within the Pronocephaloidea. Thus, unlike notocotylids, pronocephalids exhibit external ornamentation and a lateral expansion in the anterior spermatozoon region. Moreover, notocotylid spermatozoa present two mitochondria, whereas pronocephalid spermatozoa exhibit a single mitochondrion. Finally, pronocephalids are characterised by a type 2 posterior spermatozoon extremity, whereas notocotylids exhibit a type 3 posterior spermatozoon extremity., Papa Ibnou Ndiaye, Jordi Torres, Catarina Eira, Vladimir V. Shimalov, Jordi Miquel., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The distribution, variability and host specificity of species of Babesia Starcovici, 1893 were studied in questing ticks collected on the northwestern edge of the Pannonian Basin in the south-easternmost part of the Czech Republic and in western Slovakia. The area is characterised by relatively natural floodplain habitats and the sympatric occurrence of three tick species possessing wide host spectra, namely Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus), Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius) and Haemaphysalis concinna Koch. Analysis was carried out on 1,408 I. ricinus, 2,999 D. reticulatus and 150 H. concinna altogether, collected from 59 localities. We documented the presence of Babesia spp. not only in I. ricinus but also in H. concinna in the Czech Republic. Two isolates from I. ricinus were classified as B. venatorum Herwaldt, Cacciò, Gherlinzoni, Aspöck, Slemenda, Piccaluga, Martinelli, Edelhofer, Hollenstein, Poletti, Pampiglione, Löschenberger, Tura et Pieniazek, 2003 (formerly determined as Babesia sp. EU1), which is a zoonotic parasite and can cause human babesiosis. The rest of our amplicons were very similar to B. canis (Piana et Galli-Valerio, 1895), which is usually transmitted by D. reticulatus. Despite the huge amount of examined samples, all D. reticulatus ticks were Babesia-free. Due to this finding, we did not consider our obtained isolates to be B. canis, but other closely related species possessing a similar sequence of the studied portion of 18S rDNA. Although this genetic marker is most frequently used in PCR-based diagnostic methods of babesias, its low variability compromises its reliability in studies based only on this marker., Markéta Rybářová, Michaela Honsová, Ivo Papoušek, Pavel Široký., and Obsahuje bibliografii
At the southern limit of its range the endangered butterfly Coenonympha oedippus inhabits grasslands (wet, dry) that differ significantly in the abundance of its larval hostplants (wet > dry) and mean annual air temperature (wet < dry). We determined the difference in the wing morphology of individuals in the two contrasting habitats to test whether and how traits associated with wing size, shape and eye like spots vary in the sexes and two ecotypes. We show that sexual dimorphism follows the same (wing size and shape, number of eyespots on forewing) or different (relative area of eyespots on hindwings) patterns in the two contrasting habitats. Irrespective of ecotype, females had larger, longer and narrower wings, and more forewing eyespots than males. Sexual dimorphism in the relative area of eyespots on hindwing was female-biased in the wet, but male-biased in the dry ecotype. Ecotype dimorphism in wing size and the relative area of eyespots on the hindwing is best explained by mean annual air temperature and abundance of host-plants. While ecotype dimorphism in wing size did not differ between sexes, neither in direction (wet > dry) or in degree, in the two sexes the relative area of eyespots on hindwing had opposite patterns (males: dry > wet; females: wet > dry) and was more pronounced in males than in females. The differences in wing shape between ecotypes were detected only in the hindwings of males, with more rounded apex in the dry than in the wet ecotype. We discuss the life-history traits, behavioural strategies and selection mechanisms, which largely account for the sex- and ecotype-specific variation in wing morphology., Jure Jugovic, Sara Zupan, Elena Bužan, Tatjana Čelik., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Thermal requirements for flight in butterflies is determined by a combination of external factors, behaviour and physical constraints. Thorax temperature of 152 butterflies was monitored with an infra-red thermometer in controlled laboratory conditions. The temperature at take-off varied from 13.4°C, for a female Heteronympha merope to 46.3°C, for a female Junonia villida. Heteronympha merope, an understorey species, had the lowest recorded take-off temperatures, with females flying at a much lower thorax temperatures than males. Among the tested butterfly species, warming-up rate was positively correlated with take-off temperature and negatively with body mass. Wing loading is a major variable in determining the thorax flight temperature. Butterflies with the highest wing-loadings experienced the highest thorax temperatures at take-off. A notable exception to this rule is Trapezites symmomus, the only Hesperiidae of our data set, which had thorax flight temperatures of 31.5°C and 34.5°C, well within the range of the observed butterflies, despite a wing load ca. five times higher. The high thorax temperature recorded in J. villida is probably linked to its high flight speed. The results highlight the importance of physical constraints such as body size on the thermal requirements for flight across a range of butterfly species., Gabriel Nève, Casey Hall., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Herbivorous insects are often highly specialised, likely due to trade-offs in fitness on alternative host species. However, some pest insects are extremely adaptable and readily adopt novel hosts, sometimes causing rapid expansion of their host range as they spread from their original host and geographic origin. The genetic basis of this phenomenon is poorly understood, limiting our ability to predict or mitigate global insect pest outbreaks. We investigated the trajectory of early adaptation to novel hosts in a regionally-specialised global crop pest species (the cowpea seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus). After experimentally-enforced dietary specialisation for nearly 300 generations, we measured changes in fitness over the first 5 generations of adaptation to 6 novel hosts. Of these, C. maculatus reproduced successfully on all but one, with reduced fitness observed on three hosts in the first generation. Loss of fitness was followed by very rapid, decelerating increases in fitness over the first 1-5 generations, resulting in comparable levels of population fitness to that observed on the original host after 5 generations. Heritability of fitness on novel hosts was high. Adaptation occurred primarily via changes in behavioural and phenological traits, and never via changes in offspring survival to adulthood, despite high heritability for this trait. These results suggest that C. maculatus possesses ample additive genetic variation for very rapid host shifts, despite a prolonged period of enforced specialization, and also suggest that some previously-inferred environmental maternal effects on host use may in part actually represent (rapidly) evolved changes. We highlight the need to examine in more detail the genetic architecture facilitating retention of high additive genetic variation for host shifts in extremely adaptable global crop pests., Thomas N. Price, Aoife Leonard, Lesley T. Lancaster., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Population fluctuations of the well-known oak defoliator, the oak processionary moth (Thaumetopoea processionea L.), were studied using light trap data and basic meteorological parameters (monthly average temperatures, and precipitation) at three locations in Western Hungary over a period of 15 years (1988-2012). The fluctuations in the numbers caught by the three traps were strongly synchronized. One possible explanation for this synchrony may be similar weather at the three trapping locations. Cyclic Reverse Moving Interval Techniques (CReMIT) were used to define the period of time in a year that most strongly influences the catches. For this period, we defined a species specific aridity index for Thaumetopoea processionea (THAU-index). This index explains 54.8-68.9% of the variation in the yearly catches, which indicates that aridity, particularly in the May-July period was the major determinant of population fluctuations. Our results predict an increasing future risk of Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) outbreaks and further spread if the frequency of severe spring/summer droughts increases with global warming., György Csóka, Anikó Hirka, Levente Szöcs, Norbert Móricz, Ervin Rasztovits, Zoltán Pödör., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Parasitological examination of freshwater fishes of the Phongolo River in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa resulted in the discovery and morphological and molecular characterisation of a new species of Wenyonia Woodland, 1923 (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea). The new species from the plain squeaker, Synodontis zambezensis Peters (Siluriformes: Mochokidae), is morphologically most similar to Wenyonia acuminata Woodland, 1923, a species reported from three species of Synodontis in north-eastern, western and central Africa (Sudan, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo). Both these species are markedly different from congeners by having a nematoform body and a digitiform scolex. Wenyonia gracilis sp. n. differs from W. acuminata in its general body size, length and width of main body regions (testicular and uterine regions), a posterior extension of the testes into the uterine region, numerous postovarian vitelline follicles filling the entire medulla, eggs c. 1/3 larger in size, and a scolex with an apical introvert but devoid of longitudinal furrows and a well-defined base. Wenyonia gracilis is the seventh species in the genus and the first autochthonous caryophyllidean ever reported and described from southern Africa (south of the Zambezi River)., Bjoern C. Schaeffner, Divan van Rooyen, Ruan Gerber, Tomáš Scholz, Nico J. Smit., and Obsahuje bibliografii