The type species of the cestode genus Arostrilepis Mas-Coma et Tenora, 1997, Arostrilepis horrida (Linstow, 1901), is redescribed on the basis of the syntype material from the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) deposited in the collection of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. Arostrilepis horrida (sensu lato), reported from a wide range of rodents throughout the Holarctic Region, is shown to be a species complex. The proposed host range and geographical distribution of A. horrida (sensu stricto) are limited to the data reported in the original description. The previously proposed synonymy of A. horrida is examined and the following species are excluded from the list of its synonyms: Hymenolepis procera Janicki, 1904, H. arvicolina Cholodkowsky, 1913, H. sciurina Cholodkowsky, 1913 and H. mathevossianae Akhumyan, 1946; these are considered species inquirendae. Specimens previously identified as A. horrida from voles from the Asian part of Russia are revised and newly collected materials are worked out. Two new species, A. macrocirrosa sp. n. and A. tenuicirrosa sp. n., are described. The main differentiating characters used to distinguish Arostrilepis spp. are the form and size of cirrus and its armature as well as the type of arrangement for the testes. The new species can also be distinguished from one another on the basis of sequences of the ITS2 rRNA gene. The generic diagnosis of Arostrilepis is emended. Hymenolepis neurotrichi Rausch, 1962, which had been placed in Arostrilepis by Mas-Coma and Tenora (1997), does not correspond to the generic diagnosis and is considered a species incertae sedis.
Blood films were examined from 154 wild and captive tortoises from four provinces of South Africa, including Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, North West and Western Cape. The five species of chelonians studied were Chersina angulata (Schweigger), Kinixys belliana belliana (Gray), K. lobatsiana Power, K. natalensis Hewitt, and Stigmochelys pardalis (Bell). Two species of haemogregarines, previously reported from Mozambique, were identified in blood films, namely Haemogregarina fitzsimonsi Dias, 1953 and Haemogregarina parvula Dias, 1953. Additional stages of development (trophozoites and probable meronts, merozoites and immature gamonts) in blood preparations from South Africa warranted the redescription of H. fitzsimonsi. A variety of hosts and broad host distribution range were observed for this haemogregarine, with all five species of tortoises parasitized, wild and captive, from all four provinces, in all seasons. In contrast, only two individuals of K. b. belliana and one S. pardalis, all three captive in Kwazulu-Natal, contained H. parvula with encapsulated stages resembling those of Hemolivia mauritanica (Sergent et Sergent, 1904). For H. fitzsimonsi, parasite prevalences, but not parasitaemias, were significantly higher in captive than wild S. pardalis; captive female S. pardalis also showed a significantly greater prevalence of infection than males, but younger, lighter hosts were not significantly more heavily parasitized than older, heavier individuals. The ticks, Amblyomma marmoreum Koch, 1844 and A. sylvaticum (De Geer, 1778), found attached to some tortoises, may prove to be definitive hosts for the two species of haemogregarines observed.
Pseudocharopinus Kabata, 1964 is one of the 48 genera comprising the Lernaeopodidae (Copepoda, Siphonostomatoida). Currently there are 11 accepted species contained in Pseudocharopinus. Pseudocharopinus pteromylaei Raibaut et Essafi, 1979 infects the spiracles and gill filaments of Pteromylaeus bovinus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire) and is most similar in general appearance to P. pteroplateae (Yamaguti et Yamasu, 1959) from which it clearly differs in the size and dimensions of the dorsal shield and the posterior processes. Additional features of the antenna and the maxilliped of P. pteromylaei, not previously illustrated, are discussed and illustrated while more detailed illustrations of other appendages are provided. This is the first report of the occurrence of a Pseudocharopinus species from the west Indian Ocean and the first report of P. pteromylaei off the east coast of South Africa.
The adults of Trichosurolaelaps dixous Domrow, 1972 are redescribed from a population of Trichosurus cunninghami Lindenmayer, Dubach et Viggers, 2002 in south-eastern Australia. The nymphal stages are described for the first time. Morphologically, T. dixous is similar to Trichosurolaelaps crassipes Womersley, 1956. Morphological differences between the pre-female deutonymphs and adult females of the two mite species are the presence of a single large ventral spur on tibia I of T. dixous. Males of T. dixous could not be distinguished from T. crassipes morphologically and the idiosomal length of male T. dixous was variable (475-683 μm). Protonymphs of the two mite species differed only in size, with that of T. dixous being larger. Although T. crassipes was prevalent in a sympatric population of Trichosurus vulpecula and has been reported from other populations of T. cunninghami in southern Australia, it was never recovered from the population of T. cunninghami studied.
This paper analyses the bivariate relationship between flood peaks and corresponding flood event volumes modelled by empirical and theoretical copulas in a regional context, with a focus on flood generation processes in general, the regional differentiation of these and the effect of the sample size on reliable discrimination among models. A total of 72 catchments in North-West of Austria are analysed for the period 1976-2007. From the hourly runoff data set, 25 697 flood events were isolated and assigned to one of three flood process types: synoptic floods (including long- and short-rain floods), flash floods or snowmelt floods (both rain-on-snow and snowmelt floods). The first step of the analysis examines whether the empirical peak-volume copulas of different flood process types are regionally statistically distinguishable, separately for each catchment and the role of the sample size on the strength of the statements. The results indicate that the empirical copulas of flash floods tend to be different from those of the synoptic and snowmelt floods. The second step examines how similar are the empirical flood peak-volume copulas between catchments for a given flood type across the region. Empirical copulas of synoptic floods are the least similar between the catchments, however with the decrease of the sample size the difference between the performances of the process types becomes small. The third step examines the goodness-of-fit of different commonly used copula types to the data samples that represent the annual maxima of flood peaks and the respective volumes both regardless of flood generating processes (the traditional engineering approach) and also considering the three process-based classes. Extreme value copulas (Galambos, Gumbel and Hüsler-Reiss) show the best performance both for synoptic and flash floods, while the Frank copula shows the best performance for snowmelt floods. It is concluded that there is merit in treating flood types separately when analysing and estimating flood peak-volume dependence copulas; however, even the enlarged dataset gained by the process-based analysis in this study does not give sufficient information for a reliable model choice for multivariate statistical analysis of flood peaks and volumes.
Spermiogenesis in the amphilinidean cestode Amphilina foliacea (Rudolphi, 1819) was examined using transmission electron microscopy. The orthogonal development of the two flagella is followed by a flagellar rotation and their proximodistal fusion with the median cytoplasmic process. This process is accompanied by extension of both the mitochondrion and nucleus into the median cytoplasmic process. The two pairs of electron-dense attachment zones mark the lines where the proximodistal fusion of the median cytoplasmic process with the two flagella takes place. The intercentriolar body, previously undetermined in A. foliacea, is composed of three electron-dense and two electron-lucent plates. Also new for this species is the finding of electron-dense material in the apical region of the differentiation zone at the early stage of spermiogenesis, and the fact that two arching membranes appear at the base of the differentiation zone only when the two flagella rotate towards the median cytoplasmic process. The present data add more evidence for a close relationship between the Amphilinidea and the Eucestoda.
Dendromonocotyle species (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) are the only monocotylids to parasitize the skin of chondrichthyan hosts. Currently 11 species are recorded from the skin of ray species in the Dasyatidae, Myliobatidae and Urolophidae. There have been increasing reports of Dendromonocotyle outbreaks on rays kept in public aquaria. This paper provides a broad review of Dendromonocotyle that should assist taxonomists and aquarists with species identification and help decisions on potential control methods for Dendromonocotyle infections. The taxonomy and host-specificity of Dendromonocotyle are discussed and a key to current species is provided. We summarise what little is known about the biology of Dendromonocotyle including egg embryonation and hatching, feeding, camouflage and reproduction. The efficacy of freshwater baths, chemical treatments and biological control measures such as the use of cleaner fish for Dendromonocotyle is also discussed. We demonstrate that effective control of Dendromonocotyle on captive rays is hampered by the lack of basic biological data on the life cycle of the parasites. A case history is provided outlining the success of a public aquarium (Underwater World, Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia) in managing D. pipinna infections on captive Taeniura meyeni without chemical intervention simply by taking measures to reduce host stress.
A fauna of quill mites of the subfamily Picobiinae (Acari: Syringophilidae) associated with African birds is revised. Two new monotypic genera are proposed, Gunabopicobia gen. n. for Picobia zumpti Lawrence, 1959 and Lawrencipicobia gen. n. for Picobia poicephali Skoracki et Dabert, 2002. These new genera differ from other genera of the subfamily by the following features: in females of Gunabopicobia, propodonotal setae vi are situated anterior to the level of setae ve; the narrow lateral propodonotal shields bear bases of setae vi, ve, si and se; the bases of setae 1a-1a are coalesced; the genital setae and the opisthosomal lobes are absent; the leg I with full set of solenidia and apodemes I are devoid of the thorn-like protuberances in the middle part. In females of Lawrencipicobia, the bases of setae 1a-1a are not coalesced; the propodonotal shield is entire; the genital setae are present; legs I are with full set of solenidia. Additionally, two new species belonging to Picobia Haller, 1878 are described, Picobia illadopsae sp. n. parasitising Illadopsis rufipennis (Sharpe) (Passeriformes: Pellorneidae) in Kenya and Picobia phoenicuri sp. n. infecting Phoenicurus moussieri (Olphe-Galliard) in Tunisia. The following species are redescribed, Columbiphilus alectoris (Fain, Bochkov et Mironov, 2000), Lawrencipicobia poicephali (Skoracki et Dabert, 2001) comb. n. and Picobia phoeniculi (Fain, Bochkov et Mironov, 2000). The key to the genera of the Picobiinae is provided.
In the present study, we review the known zoogonid cercariae, summarise their life-cycles and first intermediate host distributions, and present a new cercaria, Cercaria capricornia XI (Digenea: Zoogonidae), which was found in one of three nassariid gastropods, Nassarius olivaceus (Bruguière), surveyed in the intertidal zone in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Australia. Morphological data and molecular analysis of the ITS2 rDNA region support placement of this cercaria in the family Zoogonidae but do not allow any further resolution of its identity. There are now fifteen cercariae described as belonging to the Zoogonidae; thirteen of these, including the present species, infect neogastropods as first intermediate hosts and two use vetigastropods. This study reinforces the pattern that the Nassariidae is by far the most commonly reported family for the Zoogonidae. Given its richness we predict that the Nassariidae will prove to harbour many more zoogonid species.
Traditionally, the Microsporidia were primarily studied in insects and fish. There were only a few human cases of microsporidiosis reported until the advent of AIDS, when the number of human microsporidian infections dramatically increased and the importance of these new pathogens to medicine became evident. Over a dozen different kinds of microsporidia infecting humans have been reported. While some of these infections were identified in new genera (Enterocytozoon, Vittaforma), there were also infections identified from established genera such as Pleistophora and Encephalitozoon. The genus Pleistophora, originally erected for a species described from fish muscle, and the genus Encephalitozoon, originally described from disseminated infection in rabbits, suggested a link between human infections and animals. In the 1980's, three Pleistophora sp. infections were described from human skeletal muscle without life cycles presented. Subsequently, the genus Trachipleistophora was established for a human-infecting microsporidium with developmental differences from species of the genus Pleistophora. Thus, the existence of a true Pleistophora sp. or spp. in humans was put into question. We have demonstrated the life-cycle stages of the original Pleistophora sp. (Ledford et al. 1985) infection from human muscle, confirming the existence of a true Pleistophora species in humans, P. ronneafiei Cali et Takvorian, 2003, the first demonstrated in a mammalian host. Another human infection, caused by a parasite from invertebrates, was Brachiola algerae (Vavra et Undeen, 1970) Lowman, Takvorian et Cali, 2000. The developmental stages of this human muscle-infecting microsporidium demonstrate morphologically what we have also confirmed by molecular means, that B. algerae, the mosquito parasite, is the causative agent of this human skeletal muscle infection. B. algerae had previously been demonstrated in humans but only in surface infections, skin and eye. The diagnostic features of B. algerae and P. ronneafiei infections in human skeletal muscle are presented. While Encephalitozoon cuniculi has been known as both an animal (mammal) and human parasite, the idea of human microsporidial infections derived from cold-blooded vertebrates and invertebrates has only been suggested by microsporidian phylogeny based on small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences but has not been appreciated. The morphological data presented here demonstrate these relationships. Additionally, water, as a link that connects microsporidial spores in the environment to potential host organisms, is diagrammatically presented.