Over the last two decades my colleagues and I have assembled the literature on a good percentage of most of the coccidians (Conoidasida) known, to date, to parasitise: Amphibia, four major lineages of Reptilia (Amphisbaenia, Chelonia, Crocodylia, Serpentes), and seven major orders in the Mammalia (Carnivora, Chiroptera, Lagomorpha, Insectivora, Marsupialia, Primates, Scandentia). These vertebrates, combined, comprise about 15,225 species; only about 899 (5.8%) of them have been surveyed for coccidia and 1,946 apicomplexan valid species names or other forms are recorded in the literature. Based on these compilations and other factors, I extrapolated that there yet may be an additional 31,381 new apicomplexans still to be discovered in just these 12 vertebrate groups. Extending the concept to all of the other extant vertebrates on Earth; i.e. lizards (6,300 spp.), rodents plus 12 minor orders of mammals (3,180 spp.), birds (10,000 spp.), and fishes (33,000 spp.) and, conservatively assuming only two unique apicomplexan species per each vertebrate host species, I extrapolate and extend my prediction that we may eventually find 135,000 new apicomplexans that still need discovery and to be described in and from those vertebrates that have not yet been examined for them! Even doubling that number is a significant underestimation in my opinion.
Examinations of nematodes collected from some marine fishes off the southwestern coast of Java, Indonesia in 2000 and 2001 revealed the presence of the following six species: ascaridoids Ichthyascaris grandis sp. n. from the intestine of Lophiomus setigerus (Vahl), I. cf. longispicula Li, Liu, Liu et Zhang, 2012 from the intestine of Conger cinereus Rüppel, Ichthyascaris sp. from the body cavity of Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch), and Raphidascaroides halieutaeae Yin, 1983 from the intestine of Halieutaea stellata (Vahl), and philometrids Philometra ivaschkini Parukhin, 1976 from the stomach wall of Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus and P. psettoditis Moravec, Walter et Yuniar, 2012 from the body cavity (liver) of Psettodes erumei (Bloch et Schneider). Descriptions of these nematodes based on light and scanning electron microscopical studies are provided. The new species I. grandis sp. n. is mainly characterised by large body measurements (males and females up to 41.8 mm and 73.6 mm long, respectively), the length of spicules (0.99-1.05 mm), the tail tip usually without rudimentary spines and by the presence of 44-53 pairs of caudal papillae, eight to twelve of which being postanals. In addition to new data on the morphology of R. halieutaeae and other nematodes recorded, the 11 species of Raphidascaroides Yamaguti, 1941 poorly described from marine fishes in South Asia and reviewed in the monograph of Sood (2017) are considered species inquirendae and incertae sedis.
The examination of eight spotted skates, Raja straeleni Poll, resulted in the discovery of four new species of Acanthobothrium van Beneden, 1849, namely A. microhabentes sp. n., A. microtenuis sp. n., A. crassus sp. n., and A. dolichocollum sp. n., located off the Western Cape of South Africa. With a total of over 200 valid species of Acanthobothrium recognised worldwide, the use of an integrative approach becomes imperative in the interest of simplifying interspecific comparisons between congeners. In accordance with this, the four new species were incorporated into the category classification system established by Ghoshroy and Caira in 2001, where they were identified as category 2 species, which, at present, includes 47 recognised species of Acanthobothrium. Nevertheless, each of the four new species exhibits postovarian testes, a most intriguing and highly unusual feature among Acanthobothrium, instantly differentiating them from most congeners. This feature has been reported in 12 congeners, which have previously been considered to be restricted to waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Not only do the four new congeners represent the first species of Acanthobothrium reported from southern Africa, but they also represent the first reported species with postovarian testes from the southern Atlantic Ocean. and Regarding the legitimacy of the four new species, only two other category 2 species are reported to exhibit this feature, namely A. popi Fyler, Caira et Jensen, 2009, and A. bobconniorum Fyler et Caira, 2010, to which the four congeners were compared to. Acanthobothrium microhabentes sp. n. is the smallest of the congeners and differs from A. popi and A. bobconniorum by having fewer testes and postovarian testes, a shorter body, fewer proglottids, a shorter scolex, and longer cephalic peduncle. Acanthobothrium microtenuis sp. n. differs from A. popi and A. bobconniorum by having fewer testes and postovarian testes, a shorter scolex, longer cephalic peduncle, and the possession of columnar spinitriches on the anterior region of the terminal proglottid. Acanthobothrium crassus sp.n. differs from A. popi and A. bobconniorum by having fewer postovarian testes, a narrower cirrus-sac, larger vitelline follicles, and a longer cephalic peduncle. Acanthobothrium dolichocollum sp. n. is the longest of the four new species and differs from A. popi and A. bobconniorum by having fewer postovarian testes, more postporal testes, a larger body, more proglottids, larger testes and vitelline follicles, and an exceptionally long cephalic peduncle. Apart from differences in overall size, the four new species differ in a combination of measurements for the scolex, vitelline follicles, muscular pad and cephalic peduncle, and the number of proglottids and testes. The four species were recovered from a previously unexplored host and locality, expanding the host associations and geographical distribution of the genus.
a1_Three genera of rhinebothriideans, previously referred to as New genus 1, New genus 2 and New genus 4, are erected in the the Anthocephaliidae. New genus 1 is established as Divaricobothrium gen. n., with Divaricobothrium tribelum sp. n. as its type species; Echeneibothrium trifidum Shipley et Hornell, 1906 is transferred to the genus as Divaricobothrium trifidum (Shipley et Hornell, 1906) comb. n. This genus is unique among rhinebothriidean genera in bearing bothridia that are posteriorly deeply divided into two lobes with facial loculi but no apical sucker, and a vagina that extends to near the anterior margin of the proglottid. Its species parasitise Indo-Pacific members of the genera Brevitrygon Last, Naylor et Manjaji-Matsumoto, Maculabatis Last, Naylor et Manjaji-Matsumoto and Pateobatis Last, Naylor et Manjaji-Matsumoto. New genus 2 is established as Barbeaucestus gen. n., with Barbeaucestus jockuschae sp. n. as its type species; Barbeaucestus ralickiae sp. n. is also described. Anthobothrium sexorchidum Williams, 1964 and Rhinebothrium shipleyi Southwell, 1912 are transferred to the genus as Barbeaucestus sexorchidus (Williams, 1964) comb. n. and Barbeaucestus shipleyi (Southwell, 1912) comb. n., respectively. This genus is unique among rhinebothriidean genera in that its bothridia are substantially wider than long, bear an apical sucker and at least one row of two or more facial loculi in their anterior half. Its species parasitise the genera Neotrygon Castelnau and Taeniura Müller et Henle. New genus 4 is established as Sungaicestus gen. n. with transfer of Rhinebothrium kinabatanganensis Healy, 2006, as Sungaicestus kinabatanganensis (Healy, 2006) comb. n., as its type species. Among the genera of its order, this genus most closely resembles Rhinebothrium Linton, 1890, however, despite the original description, the bothridia were found to bear, rather than lack, apical suckers., a2_This monotypic genus is known only from the freshwater stingray Urogymnus polylepis (Müller et Henle). The familial diagnosis of the Anthocephaliidae Ruhnke, Caira et Cox, 2015 is emended. The family now houses five genera., Janine N. Caira, Claire J. Healy, Fernando P.L. Marques, Kirsten Jensen., and Obsahuje bibliografii