Based on material collected from Rhinella cf. margaritifera (Laurenti) and Rhi. marina (Linnaeus) (Anura: Bufonidae) during a parasite survey of the herpetofauna of French Guiana, updated descriptions of Rhabdias androgyna Kloss, 1971 and R. fuelleborni Travassos, 1926 are presented. In addition to metrical data, which may overlap in closely related species, emphasis is placed on qualitative characters. Rhabdias androgyna is distinguished by the unique presence of an outer and inner cephalic cuticular inflation, a shoulder-like broadening of the body at the anterior end, a wide and shallow buccal capsule (average buccal ratio 0.36) with serrated lumen in apical view, a prominent anterior dilatation of the oesophagus, and the presence of an additional posterior dilatation anterior to the oesophageal bulb. Characters that may help to differentiate R. fuelleborni from closely related species parasitising the Rhi. marina species group are the presence of six relatively uniform lips, and the division of the buccal capsule into an anterior and posterior segment, with differently structured walls. Both the presence of R. androgyna and R. fuelleborni in French Guiana constitute new geographic records. A single specimen of Rhabdias sp. is described from Pristimantis chiastonotus (Lynch et Hoegmood) (Anura: Craugastoridae). This species differs from all its Neotropical congeners by the distinct globular swelling of its head, similar to that seen in only one Palaearctic and one Afrotropical Rhabdias species. A list of species of Rhabdias parasitising amphibians in the Netropical Realm is also provided., Yuriy Kuzmin, Louis H. du Preez, Kerstin Junker., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Fourteen species (twelve adult and two larval) of nematodes belonging to the Ascaridoidea, Camallanoidea, Cosmocercoidea, Habronematoidea, Oxyuroidea, Seuratoidea and Trichinelloidea were collected from fishes in the Sudan (River Nile and Atbara Dam Lake), whereas only four species (one adult and three larval) of the Ascaridoidea, Camallanoidea, Dioctophymatoidea and Trichinelloideafrom fishes in Ethiopia (Lake Tana). The Sudanese material also contained two previously unknown species, Cucullanus mormyri sp. n. from Mormyrus caschive Linnaeus (type host), Mormyrus sp. and Marcusenius cyprinoides (Linnaeus) (all Mormyridae), and Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) pseudospiralis sp. n. from Synodontis schall (Bloch et Schneider) (type host), S. frontosus Vaillant and S. nigrita Valenciennes (all Mochokidae), which are described based on light and scanning electron microscopical studies. Cucullanus baylisi Campana-Rouget, 1961, a little-known parasite of Synodontis spp., is redescribed in detail. A key to Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) spp. from African inland fishes is provided. Falcaustra guiersi Vassiliadès, 1973 is considered a junior synonym of F. hexapapillata (Khalil, 1962). The findings represent several new host and geographical records. Cucullanus baylisi Lakshmi, 2000 (= a homonym to C. baylisi Campana-Rouget, 1961) is re-named as C. dubius nom. n. and is considered a species inquirenda., František Moravec, Tomáš Scholz., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Spiders are generalist predators that contribute to the control of pests in agroecosystems. Land use management determines habitats including refuges for hibernation and aestivation. The availability of shelters on the ground can be crucial for maintaining populations of spider within crops. We studied the effect of the number of stones on the surface of the soil on the spider community in selected olive groves in Trás-os-Montes (northeastern Portugal). The number of stones significantly influenced the overall diversity of spiders, abundance of immature individuals and abundance of ground hunters. Agricultural management practices aimed at the conservation of soil microhabitats such as hedgerows, stonewalls and stones on the ground should be promoted in order to maintain or increase the number of shelters for potential natural enemies of pests., Jacinto Benhadi-Marín, José A. Pereira, José A. Barrientos, José P. Sousa, Sónia A.P. Santos., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Faecal samples were collected from cats kept as pets (n = 120) and stray cats (n = 135) in Central Europe (Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and screened for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis (Kunstler, 1882), Encephalitozoon spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi Desportes, Le Charpentier, Galian, Bernard, Cochand-Priollet, Lavergne, Ravisse et Modigliani, 1985 by PCR analysis of the small-subunit of rRNA (Cryptosporidium spp. and G. intestinalis) and ITS (microsporidia) genes. Sequence analysis of targeted genes revealed the presence of C. felis Iseki, 1979, G. intestinalis assemblage F, E. cuniculi Levaditi, Nicolau et Schoen, 1923 genotype II, and E. bieneusi genotype D. There was no correlation between the occurrence of detected parasites and sex, presence of diarrhoea or drug treatment (drug containing pyrantel and praziquantel). Compared to pet cats (7%), stray cats (30%) were statistically more frequently infected with protist parasites and overall may present a greater risk to human health., Martin Kváč, Lada Hofmannová, Ynes Ortega, Nikola Holubová, Michaela Horčičková, Marta Kicia, Lenka Hlásková, Dana Květoňová, Bohumil Sak, John McEvoy., and Obsahuje bibliografii
On the ventral tube of males of Onychiuroides granulosus (Stach, 1934) there is a male ventral organ, which consists of two groups of four setae that are thickened, slightly flattened and bent. All setae of the male ventral organ are inserted in a richly sculptured cuticle. At the base of each seta there are a few large cells (basal cells) that have large irregular nuclei that contain a large amount of heterochromatin. In the cytoplasm of the basal cells there are numerous mitochondria, ribosomes and a rich system of endoplasmic reticulum. The plasma membrane of the basal cells forms richly folded, deep invaginations, filled with a dense material, which also occurs in particular setae and on their surface. The present study indicates that the male ventral organ is secretory and does not confirm its previously suggested sensory function., Bożena Simiczyjew, Dariusz Skarżyński, Adrian Smolis, Romuald J. Pomorski, Marta Mazurkiewicz-Kania., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Identifying patterns with sufficient predictive power is a constant challenge for ecologists to address ecological problems related to species conservation, pollution or infectious disease control. During the last years, the amounts of parasitological studies in this sense increased, but they are still scarce in urban environments. The main aim of this study was to investigate if the helminth communities of urban rodents are structured within host assembly (compound community) or they are a result of random events occurring at each individual host scale (infracommunity). A total of 203 rodents belonging to four species, Rattus rattus (Linnaeus), Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout), Mus musculus Linnaeus and the native Oligoryzomys flavescens (Waterhouse) and captured in different landscape units of the City of Buenos Aires (industrial-residential neighbourhoods, shantytowns and parklands) were analysed. The results showed that infracommunities could be grouped according to composition and relative abundances and that they respond to the structure of the host community. Thus, the component communities defined in this study could be identified as subsets of the compound community (rodent assemblage) and infracommunities (each host) as random samples within each one. Quantitative differences among component communities were denoted by comparing the infection levels of helminths described as central species. Therefore, infracommunities of R. norvegicus and O. flavescens were the most predictable because of the high abundance of the nematodes Heterakis spumosa Schneider, 1866 and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Travassos, 1914), and Stilestrongylus flavescens (Sutton et Durette-Desset, 1991), respectively. Several mechanisms contribute to complexity of the structure of parasite communities, where specific parasites, definitive and intermediate hosts, and environmental and anthropogenic factors all play a role in the dynamics of the compound community., Diego Hancke, Olga Virginia Suárez., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Phoridae (scuttle flies) are widely distributed, occur in many types of habitats and are ecologically versatile, which makes them an excellent bioindicator group for evaluating faunal diversity. The structure of scuttle fly communities was compared in two Mediterranean habitats in the Montseny Natural Park (Catalonia, Spain) that differ in vegetation and microclimate: beech forest and highland scrubland. 3684 male individuals belonging to 135 species of scuttle flies were identified. Scuttle flies were more abundant in beech forest than scrubland. Observed and estimated species richness were lower in scrubland than in beech forest, while diversity was similar in both habitats. Community evenness was greater in scrubland than beech forest. Therefore, the percentage of dominant and subdominant species was higher in scrubland than beech forest, while the percentage of rare species was higher in beech forest than scrubland. Scuttle fly species composition was significantly different in the two habitats, but it was similar among plots within the same habitat. Megaselia pectoralis (Wood, 1910) and Megaselia subpleuralis (Wood, 1909) were the dominant species in beech forest, while Megaselia pusilla (Meigen, 1830), Megaselia pumila (Meigen, 1830), Megaselia superciliata (Wood, 1910) and Megaselia diversa (Wood, 1909) were the dominant species in scrubland. Trophic specialization was higher in beech forest than scrubland. Saprophages were the dominant trophic group in beech forest, while fungivores and polyphages were dominant in scrubland. The high biodiversity of scuttle flies recorded in the Montseny Natural Park indicates that there is also a high diversity of other taxa there and that these Mediterranean mountains are of high conservation status., Carlos García-Romera, José A. Barrientos., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_Based on light and scanning electron microscopical studies, eight species (five adult and three larval) of nematodes belonging to the Ascaridida, Oxyurida and Enoplida were collected from fishes of the Okavango River, Botswana, namely Falcaustra similis Moravec et Van As, 2004, Atractidae gen. sp. (only female) (both Cosmocercoidea), Cucullanus sp. (only female) (Seuratoidea), Cithariniella longicaudata sp. n., Synodontisia annulata sp. n. (both Oxyuroidea), Contracaecum sp. third-stage larvae, third-stage larvae of Galeiceps sp. (both Ascaridoidea) and Eustrongylides sp. fourth-stage larvae (Dioctophymatoidea). The new species Citharinella longicaudata (type host Schilbe intermedius Rüppel) is mainly characterised by the shape and size of cephalic papillae and the spicule 108 µm long, and Synodontisia annulata (type host S. intermedius) by the shape of cephalic papillae, body length of gravid females (4.88-5.33 mm) and a short spicule (66 µm long). The female specimen of Cucullanus sp. from Tilapia sparmanni Smith markedly differs from congeners parasitising inland fishes in Africa by the elongate pseudobuccal capsule and by the excretory pore far posterior to the oesophago-intestinal junction; apparently, it belongs to an undescribed species. Galeiceps larvae parasitising fishes are described for the first time. Cithariniella gonzalezi Van Waerebeke, Chabaud, Bain et Georges, 1988 is considered a junior synonym of C. khalili Petter, Vassiliadès et Troncy, 1972, and the previous records of Cithariniella citharini Khalil, 1964 from Synodontis spp. in Egypt concern, in fact, Cithariniella khalili Petter, Vassiliadès et Troncy, 1972., a2_The specimens of Cithariniella reported by Koubková et al. (2010) from Paradistichodus dimidiatus (Pellegrin) in Senegal and misidentified as C. gonzalesi Van Waerebeke, Chabaud, Bain et Georges, 1988 are considered to represent a new species, C. koubkovae sp. n.; this is established by reference to the description and drawings provided by Koubková et al. (2010)., František Moravec, Liesl L. Van As., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Clear-cutting, the main method of harvesting in many forests in the world, causes a series of dramatic environmental changes to the forest habitat and removes habitat resources for arboreal and epigeal species. It results in considerable changes in the composition of both plant and animal communities. Ants have many critical roles in the maintenance and functioning of forest ecosystems. Therefore, the response of ants to clear-cutting and the time it takes for an ant community to recover after clear-cutting are important indicators of the effect of this harvesting technique on the forest ecosystem. We investigated ground-dwelling ant communities during secondary succession of deciduous forests in Transylvania, Romania. Using space-for-time substitution, we explored a chronosequence from clear-cuts to mature forests (> 120 years). The object was to determine if cutting has measurable effects on ant community structure, and if ant species richness differs between successional stages. We recorded a total of 24 species of ants, 11 characteristic of forests and seven of open landscape. Ant species richness was higher in clear-cuts compared to closed-canopy and old stands. Number of ant individuals was highest in young age classes and lowest in closed-canopy age classes. There was no drastic change in species richness during the succession, however differences in community composition at different stages were recorded. Open landscape species are able to rapidly colonize following disturbance but disappear when the forest sites mature and many forest ant species are capable of surviving clear cutting., Ioan Tăuşan, Jens Dauber, Maria R. Trică, Bálint Markó., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We report results of a faunal survey of Aradidae flat bugs sampled by sifting litter in 14 wet and discrete Tanzanian primary forests (= Tanzanian Forest Archipelago, TFA) of different geological origins and ages. Images, locality data and, when available, DNA barcoding sequences of 300 Aradidae adults and nymphs forming the core of the herein analyzed data are publicly available online at dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-ARADTZ. Three Aradidae subfamilies and seven genera were recorded: Aneurinae (Paraneurus), Carventinae (Dundocoris) and Mezirinae (Afropictinus, Embuana, Linnavuoriessa, Neochelonoderus, Usumbaraia); the two latter subfamilies were also represented by specimens not assignable to nominal genera. Barring the six nominal species of Neochelonoderus and Afropictinus described earlier by us from these samples and representing 11 of the herein defined Operational Taxonomic Units (OTU), only one of the remaining 52 OTUs could be assigned to a named species; the remaining 51 OTUs (81%) represent unnamed species. Average diversity of Aradidae is 4.64 species per locality; diversity on the three geologically young volcanoes (Mts Hanang, Meru, Kilimanjaro) is significantly lower (1.33) than on the nine Eastern Arc Mountains (5.67) and in two lowland forests (5). Observed phylogeographic structure of Aradidae in TFA can be attributed to vicariance, while the depauperate fauna of Aradidae on geologically young Tanzanian volcanoes was likely formed anew by colonisation from nearby and geologically older forests., Vasily V. Grebennikov, Ernst Heiss., and Obsahuje bibliografii