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FIGURE 4 A–G. Cosmocephalus pelecani n in Two new nematode species of the genus Cosmocephalus Molin, 1858 (Spirurida: Acuariidae), with an amended generic diagnosis and an identification key to Cosmocephalus spp.
No full textFIGURE 4 A–G. Cosmocephalus pelecani n. sp. A. Anterior end, female, lateral view; B. Anterior end, male, lateral view; C. Vagina, lateral view; D. Egg; E. Right spicule, dextral view; F. Posterior end, male, lateral view; G. Caudal end, female, lateral view. Scale bars: A–C, E–G = 100 μm; D = 25 μm.Published as part of Mutafchiev, Yasen, Halajian, Ali & Georgiev, Boyko B., 2010, Two new nematode species of the genus Cosmocephalus Molin, 1858 (Spirurida: Acuariidae), with an amended generic diagnosis and an identification key to Cosmocephalus spp., pp. 1-20 in Zootaxa 2349 on page 9, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19342
FIGURE 6 A–I. Cosmocephalus obvelatus, SEM. A in Two new nematode species of the genus Cosmocephalus Molin, 1858 (Spirurida: Acuariidae), with an amended generic diagnosis and an identification key to Cosmocephalus spp.
No full textFIGURE 6 A–I. Cosmocephalus obvelatus, SEM. A. Anterior end, female, lateral view; note deirid (arrow); B. Anterior end, male, lateral view; note deirid (arrow); C. Pseudolabia, apical view; note cephalic papillae (arrowheads), amphid (arrow), cuticular swellings dorsally and ventrally at the bases of the pseudolabia (asterisks); D. Anterior end, apical view; note small pores; E. Deirid; F. Postdeirid. G. Posterior end, male, ventral view; note ventral cuticular ridge, precloacal papillae (arrowheads) and cloaca (arrow). H. Caudal alae, note postcloacal papillae (arrowheads). I. Posterior end, female, lateral view; note phasmid (arrow) and nipple-like projection. Scale bars: A, B, H, I = 50 μm; G = 100 μm; C, F = 20 μm; D, E = 10 μm.Published as part of Mutafchiev, Yasen, Halajian, Ali & Georgiev, Boyko B., 2010, Two new nematode species of the genus Cosmocephalus Molin, 1858 (Spirurida: Acuariidae), with an amended generic diagnosis and an identification key to Cosmocephalus spp., pp. 1-20 in Zootaxa 2349 on page 12, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19342
Cosmocephalus
No full textKey to the species of <i>Cosmocephalus</i> <p> 1a. Anterior loops of cordons reach between one quarter and one third of the length of cordons <i>......................... C. faridi</i></p> <p>1b. Anterior loops of cordons markedly shorter, do not exceed one quarter of the length of cordons.............................. 2</p> <p> 2a. Lateral alae absent <i>........................................................................................................................................ C. pelecani</i></p> <p>2b. Lateral alae present....................................................................................................................................................... 3</p> <p>3a. Deirids bicuspid........................................................................................................................................................... 4</p> <p>3b. Deirids tricuspid........................................................................................................................................................... 6</p> <p>4a. Cordons with both descending and ascending arms scalloped..................................................................................... 5</p> <p> 4b. Cordons with descending arm scalloped, ascending arm not scalloped <i>...................................................... C. podicipis</i></p> <p> 5a. Cordons shorter than 450 µm in males and than 550 µm in females, rarely longer; distal end of left spicule with sub- terminal projection <i>...................................................................................................................................... C. obvelatus</i></p> <p> 5b. Cordons 450–470 µm long in males and 540–650 µm long in females; tip of left spicule pointed, without projection <i>................................................................................................................................................................... C. imperialis</i></p> <p> 6a. Cordons with well-expressed scalloped structure; inner row of plates 38 µm wide in males; left spicule more than 600 µm long <i>.................................................................................................................................................. C. jaenschi</i></p> <p> 6b. Cordons not scalloped, width 25 in female and 20 in males; left spicule less than 400 µm long.............. <i>C. capellae</i></p>Published as part of <i>Mutafchiev, Yasen, Halajian, Ali & Georgiev, Boyko B., 2010, Two new nematode species of the genus Cosmocephalus Molin, 1858 (Spirurida: Acuariidae), with an amended generic diagnosis and an identification key to Cosmocephalus spp., pp. 1-20 in Zootaxa 2349</i> on page 18, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/193420">10.5281/zenodo.193420</a>
Cosmocephalus jaenschi Johnston & Mawson 1941
No full textCosmocephalus jaenschi Johnston & Mawson, 1941 Material studied: One male specimen (paratype, labelled ‘cotype’), AHC 21265, mounted in glycerine jelly, one slide; host: Phalacrocorax carbo L. (Pelecaniformes, Phalacrocoracidae); locality: Tailem Bend, South Australia. Redescription (Fig. 7 A, B) Body length 11.0 mm. Maximum body width 228, about mid-body; width 97 at level of cloaca. Tail 293 long. Anterior end with two triangular pseudolabia, each bearing single amphid and pair of prominent papillae. Pair of swellings situated dorsally and ventrally at bases of pseudolabia. Cordons arise dorsally and ventrally between pseudolabia, extending in longitudinal direction to 371 from anterior body end, recurrent and anastomosing laterally at 102 from anterior body end (Fig. 7 A). Each cordon consisting of a single row of cuticular plates (each c. 1.5 µm long) and longitudinal cuticular ridge along outer rims of plates; cuticular plates and longitudinal ridge delimiting deep, almost closed longitudinal groove. Maximum width of cordons 38. Deirids 18 long, tricuspid, at 453 from anterior body end. Excretory pore at 537 from anterior body end. Lateral alae well-developed, 17 wide, extending from level posterior of deirids to level about middle of body. Buccal cavity 389 long and 20 wide. Muscular oesophagus 929 long and 54 wide. Glandular oesophagus 3,770 long and 179 wide. Nerve ring at 421 from anterior body end. Cuticle 11–13 thick. Distance between cuticular striations 3–4 μm. Caudal alae 753 long. Single ventral cuticular ridge extending between level at 1,870 from posterior body end and beginning of caudal alae. Single median sessile precloacal papilla present. Nine pairs of pedunculate caudal papillae, 4 precloacal and 5 postcloacal (Fig. 7 B). Anterior 3 pairs of postcloacal papillae with almost same distance between them; fourth pair at some distance from them; fifth pair at posterior end of tail. Sixth pair of postcloacal papillae sessile, smaller, situated between bases of last pedunculate papillae. Left spicule 672 long and 12 wide, with prominent projection on its distal end. Right spicule 159 long and 31 wide. Phasmids subterminal. I CL/BL 0.034; I mOE/gOE 0.249; I OE/BL 0.425; I CA/BL 0.068; I LSP/ RSP 4.226. Remarks. Cosmocephalus jaenschi was described on the basis of two male specimens obtained from Phalacrocorax carbo from Tailem Bend, Australia (Johnston & Mawson 1941). Johnston & Mawson (1942) described a single female specimen collected from Pelecanus conspicillatus as belonging to C. jaenschi. They mentioned that the two males from P. c a r b o had tricuspid deirids; in contrast, the female identified as the same species had bicuspid deirids. This questions the identification of the female specimen described by Johnston & Mawson (1942) and we consider that the morphology of female of this species remains unknown. Johnston & Mawson (1941) did not mention the presence of lateral alae. Our study revealed the existence of lateral alae in the type material.Published as part of Mutafchiev, Yasen, Halajian, Ali & Georgiev, Boyko B., 2010, Two new nematode species of the genus Cosmocephalus Molin, 1858 (Spirurida: Acuariidae), with an amended generic diagnosis and an identification key to Cosmocephalus spp., pp. 1-20 in Zootaxa 2349 on pages 13-14, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19342
Cosmocephalus capellae Yamaguti 1935
No full text<i>Cosmocephalus capellae</i> Yamaguti, 1935 <p> <b>Material studied:</b> One male specimen, CLGE-BAS N000.461; host: <i>Tringa totanus</i> L. (Charadriiformes, Scolopacidae); collected from Durankulak Lake, Bulgarian Black Sea coast (2 April 1986); site of infection: oesophagus.</p> <p> <b>Description</b> (Fig. 8A–D)</p> <p>Body length 5.5 mm. Maximum body width 179, about mid-body; width 86 at level of cloaca. Tail 220 long. Anterior end with two triangular pseudolabia, each bearing single amphid and pair of prominent papillae. Pair of swellings situated dorsally and ventrally at bases of pseudolabia (Fig. 8 А). Cordons arise dorsally and ventrally between pseudolabia, extending in longitudinal direction to 241 from anterior body end, recurrent and anastomosing laterally at 74 from anterior body end (Fig. 8 А). Cordons with slightlyexpressed scalloped appearance of descending arm; maximum width of cordons 11 µm; cuticular plates delicate (each c. 1 µm long); cuticular ridge passing along outer rim of cuticular plates. Deep, almost closed longitudinal groove situated between plates and cuticular ridge. Deirids 12 long, at 270 from anterior body end, tricuspid. Excretory pore at 351 from anterior body end. Left postdeirid and right postdeirid at 3.3 mm and 3.5 mm, respectively, from anterior body end. Lateral alae well-developed, extending from level posterior of deirids to level about middle of body, 18 wide. Buccal cavity 237 long and 11 wide. Muscular oesophagus 451 long and 38 wide. Glandular oesophagus 2,418 long and 90 wide. Nerve ring at 261 from anterior body end. Cuticle 7 thick. Distance between cuticular striations 2–3 μm. Caudal alae 354 long. Single ventral cuticular ridge extending between level at 1,158 from posterior body end to caudal alae. Single median sessile precloacal papilla present. Nine pairs of pedunculate caudal papillae, 4 precloacal and 5 postcloacal (Fig. 8B). Anterior four pairs of postcloacal papillae with almost equal distance between them; fifth pair situated in posterior part of tail. Sixth pair of postcloacal papillae sessile, smaller, situated between bases of last pedunculate papillae. Left spicule 389 long, 12 wide, with prominent projection on its distal end (Fig. 8D). Right spicule 138 long, 28 wide (Fig. 8C). Phasmids subterminal. I CL/BL 0.044; I mOE/gOE 0.187; I OE/BL 0.519; I CA/BL 0.064; I LSP/RSP 2.819.</p> <p> <b>Remarks.</b> <i>Cosmocephalus capellae</i> has been reported as a parasite of Scolopacidae, Charadriidae (Charadriiformes) and Anatidae (Anseriformes) from Europe (Iceland, Ukraine), Asia (Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kirghizia, Western Siberia, Japan) and North America (USA, Canada) (data summarised from Threlfall 1970; Smogorzhevskaya 1990; Wong & Anderson 1993). According to Smogorzhevskaya (1990), <i>C. capellae</i> has to be regarded as a specific parasite of Charadriidae and Scolopacidae; she believed that the two records of this species from ducks (<i>Anas querquedula</i> L. and <i>A. clypeata</i> L.) were accidental.</p> <p> The nematode described by von Linstow (1877) as <i>Cosmocephalus obvelatus</i> (= <i>Filaria obvelata</i>) from <i>Tringa erythropus</i> (Pallas) (= <i>Totanus fuscus</i>) morphologically corresponds with <i>C. capellae</i>. Smogorzhevskaya (1990) presented a detailed description of <i>C. capellae</i>; however, there is a difference between the length of the left spicule as given in the text (710 µm) and the length as shown in the relevant illustration (about 420 µm).</p> <p> The specimen from Bulgaria corresponds to the original description (Yamaguti 1935) (see Table 1). This is the first record of <i>C. capellae</i> from Bulgaria.</p>Published as part of <i>Mutafchiev, Yasen, Halajian, Ali & Georgiev, Boyko B., 2010, Two new nematode species of the genus Cosmocephalus Molin, 1858 (Spirurida: Acuariidae), with an amended generic diagnosis and an identification key to Cosmocephalus spp., pp. 1-20 in Zootaxa 2349</i> on page 15, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/193420">10.5281/zenodo.193420</a>
Cutaneous Distribution and Circadian Rhythm of Onchocerca lupi Microfilariae in Dogs
Get PDFBackground: Among the arthropod-borne nematodes infesting dogs, Onchocerca lupi (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) is of
increasing zoonotic concern, with new human cases of infection diagnosed in Turkey, Tunisia, Iran and the USA. Knowledge
of the biology of this nematode is meagre. This study aimed at assessing the distribution and periodicity of O. lupi
microfilariae from different body regions in naturally infested dogs.
Methodology/Principal Findings: Skin samples were collected from six dogs infested with O. lupi but without apparent
clinical signs. Two skin samples were collected from 18 anatomical regions of dog 1 at necropsy. In addition, single skin
biopsies were performed from the forehead, inter-scapular and lumbar regions of dogs 2–6, in the morning, afternoon, and
at night. Two aliquots of the sediment of each sample were microscopically observed, microfilariae counted and
morphologically and molecularly identified. Most of the 1,667 microfilariae retrieved from dog 1 were in the right ear
(59.6%), nose (26.5%), left ear (6.7%), forehead (3.0%), and inter-scapular (2.9%) regions. In dogs 2–6, the overall mean
number of microfilariae was larger on the head (n = 122.8), followed by the inter-scapular (n = 119.0) and lumbar (n = 12.8)
regions. The overall mean number of microfilariae was larger in the afternoon (153.4), followed by night (75.4) and morning
(25.8).
Conclusions: Onchocerca lupi microfilariae were more common in the head (i.e., ears and nose) than in the remaining part of
the dog’s body, indicating they tend to aggregate in specific body regions, which are the best sites to collect skin samples
for diagnostic purposes. The periodicity pattern of microfilariae of O. lupi and their concentration in specific body regions is
most likely a result of the co-evolution with their as-yet-unknown vector. The detection of skin microfilariae in
asymptomatic animals, suggests the potential role of these animals as carriers and reservoirs of O. lupi
Cosmocephalus obvelatus (Creplin, 1825) Seurat 1919
No full textCosmocephalus obvelatus (Creplin, 1825) Seurat, 1919 Material studied: 12 males and 9 females; host: Larus argentatus Pontoppidan (Charadriiformes, Laridae); collected from Durankulak Lake, Bulgarian Black Sea coast (30 September 1990); site of infection: oesophagus. Vouchers: ZMB Vermes Entozoa 7461 (3 males and 2 females); CLGE-BAS N000.011 (7 males and 5 females); CLGE-BAS N001.068 (2 males), SEM stub; CLGE-BAS N001.069 (2 females), SEM stub. Description (Figs 5 A–H; 6 A–I) General. Medium-sized acuariids. Anterior end with two triangular pseudolabia, each bearing single amphid and pair of prominent papillae (Fig. 6 C). Pair of swellings situated dorsally and ventrally at bases of pseudolabia. Few pores situated posteriorly to apex of pseudolabium (Fig. 6 D). Cordons arise dorsally and ventrally between pseudolabia (Figs 5 A, B; 6 A, B); each cordon forming loop adjacent to its base and then continuing its course along longitudinal body axis; at level of posterior end of buccal cavity, cordons recurrent in anterior direction and reach level of anterior quarter of buccal cavity where they anastomose laterally (Fig. 5 A, B). Cordons consisting of a single row of cuticular plates (each plate c. 2 µm long) and longitudinal cuticular ridge along outer rims of plates; deep longitudinal groove between plates and longitudinal ridge. Plates of both descending and ascending cordon arms of unequal width, thus forming scalloped appearance. Deirids 13–20 long, bicuspid (Fig. 6 E). Postdeirids c. 5 long, bifurcate (Fig. 6 F). Lateral alae well-developed, extending from level just posterior of deirids to level about middle of body (Fig. 6 A, B). Buccal cavity elongate. Excretory pore posterior to deirids (Fig. 5 A, B). Nerve ring surrounding anterior portion of muscular oesophagus. Phasmids subterminal (Fig. 6 I). Male (from L. argentatus, n= 10 except otherwise stated). Body length 9.8–11.3 mm (10.5 mm). Maximum body width 255–286 (271), about mid-body; width 98–136 (124) at level of cloaca. Tail 290–369 (325) long. Cordons 322–376 (350) long, recurrent in anterior direction to 97–170 (117) from anterior body end. Deirids and excretory pore at 384–434 (407) and 487–550 (506), respectively, from anterior body end. Left postdeirid and right postdeirid at 7.0– 8.1 mm (7.5 mm, n= 7) and 6.1–7.1 mm (6.5 mm, n= 7), respectively, from anterior body end. Buccal cavity 219–246 (231) long and 12–14 wide. Muscular oesophagus 848–940 (903) long and 61–72 (65) wide. Glandular oesophagus 2,927–3,640 (3,187) long and 104–120 (113) wide. Nerve ring at 376–434 (407) from anterior body end. Cuticle 14–16 thick. Distance between cuticular striations 5–6 μm. Lateral alae extending to 6.4–7.1 mm (6.7 mm) from anterior body end, maximum width 44–50. Caudal alae 561–1,062 (839) long. Single ventral cuticular ridge extending between level at 2,036– 2,775 (2,243) from posterior end and caudal alae (Fig. 6 G). Single median sessile precloacal papilla present. Nine pairs of pedunculate caudal papillae, 4 precloacal and 5 postcloacal; postcloacal pairs with almost equal distance between them, fifth pair at posterior part of tail (Figs 5 D; 6 G, H). Sixth pair of postcloacal papillae sessile, smaller, situated between bases of last pedunculate papillae. Left spicule 487–548 (515) long and 9–10 wide, with projection on its distal end (Fig. 5 F). Right spicule 142–167 (156) long and 24–26 (25) wide (Fig. 5 H). I CL/BL 0.029–0.036 (0.034); I mOE/gOE 0.246–0.317 (0.285); I OE/BL 0.370–0.421 (0.391); I CA/BL 0.056–0.095 (0.080); I LSP/RSP 3.109–3.859 (3.333). Female (from L. argentatus, n= 9 except otherwise stated). Body length 14.8–18.2 mm (16.6 mm). Maximum body width 402–456 (436), about mid-body; width 132–174 (150) at anus and 384–456 (414) at vulva. Cordons extending to 452–532 (490), recurrent in anterior direction to 97–122 (111) from anterior body end. Deirids and excretory pore at 474–590 (542) and 595–697 (639), respectively, from anterior body end. Left postdeirid and right postdeirid at 9.2–11.7 mm (10.6 mm) and 7.5–10.6 mm (9.3 mm) from anterior body end. Buccal cavity 456–519 (485) long, 14–17 (16) wide. Muscular oesophagus 1,055–1,284 (1,135) long, 70–89 (79) wide. Glandular oesophagus 3,922–4,375 (4,114) long, 147–182 (162) wide. Nerve ring at 469– 550 (515) from anterior body end. Cuticle 14–16 thick. Distance between striations 6–7 μm. Lateral alae extending to level of vulva, 43–48 wide. Vulva at 7.8–9.8 mm (9.0 mm) from anterior body end. Reproductive system didelphic. Vagina vera short, posteriorly directed, separated from vagina uterina by well-developed circular musculature (Fig. 5 C). Vagina uterin а longer, with muscular walls. Posterior extremity of tail with button-like projection (Figs 5 E; 6 I). Eggs oval, 35–39 × 20–22 (37 × 21, n = 20), containing first stage larva (Fig. 5 G). I CL/BL 0.026–0.035 (0.030); I mOE/gOE 0.255–0.301 (0.276); I OE/BL 0.299–0.342 (0.316); I V/BL 0.520– 0.570 (0.543). Remarks. Anderson & Wong (1981) redescribed Cosmocephalus obvelatus and listed C. diesingi Molin, 1858, Cosmocephalus obvelatus magnus Vasil’kova, 1926, C. firlottei Rao, 1951, C. tanakai Rodrigues & Vicente, 1963 and C. faridi Khalil, 1931 as its junior synonyms. We consider that the synonymy of C. faridi (described from Pelecanus onocrotalus from Egypt) with C. obvelatus is not well-founded (see below). C. obvelatus is parasitic in a wide range of aquatic birds (see below) and its distribution is cosmopolitan (summarised from Anderson & Wong 1981; Baruš et al. 1978; Azuma et al. 1988; Smogorzhevskaya 1990; Diaz et al. 2001). The nematodes from Bulgaria identified here as C. obvelatus correspond with the known range of morphological variation of this species as presented in previous studies (e.g. Cram 1927; Rao 1951; Bowie 1981; Smogorzhevskaya 1990; Diaz et al. 2001). However, our specimens exhibit shorter spicules and tails compared with the material from Larus delawarensis from Canada (Table 1) described by Anderson & Wong (1981). An explanation of the differences in these characters requires further study. Our SEM observations are in agreement with results published by previous authors (Baruš & Majumdar 1975; Bowie 1981; Diaz et al. 2001; Frantová 2002). In addition to them, we describe the presence of a single ventral cuticular ridge situated anteriorly to the cloaca in male specimens (Fig. 6 G, H). This structure was not mentioned in the previous descriptions of C. obvelatus but was documented in the illustrations of two articles (Diaz et al. 2001; Frantová 2002). We consider Cosmocephalus argentinensis Boero & Led, 1970 as a synonym of C. obvelatus. The former species was described on the basis of a single female nematode collected from Spheniscus magellanicus (Forster) (Spheniscidae) from La Plata Zoo, Argentina (Boero & Led, 1970). Its description, including the metrical data (Table 1), coincides with that of females of C. obvelatus. Recent studies have demonstrated high prevalence and intensities of infection of C. obvelatus in the same host species (Diaz et al. 2001; Pazos et al. 2003). Diaz et al. (2001) considered C. argentinensis as a species inquirenda.Published as part of Mutafchiev, Yasen, Halajian, Ali & Georgiev, Boyko B., 2010, Two new nematode species of the genus Cosmocephalus Molin, 1858 (Spirurida: Acuariidae), with an amended generic diagnosis and an identification key to Cosmocephalus spp., pp. 1-20 in Zootaxa 2349 on pages 10-13, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19342
Cosmocephalus pelecani Mutafchiev, Halajian & Georgiev, 2010, n. sp.
No full textCosmocephalus pelecani n. sp. Type-host: Australian Pelican, Pelecanus conspicillatus Temminck, 1824 (Pelecaniformes, Pelecanidae). Type-locality: Mansfield, Victoria, Australia (collected on 9 July 1972). Site: Stomach. Intensity of infection: 5 specimens (3 males and 2 females). Type-material: Holotype: AHC 45436 (male); Paratypes: AHC 11466 (2 males and 2 females). Etymology: The name of the new species reflects the generic name of the host species. Description (Fig. 4 A–G) General. Medium-sized acuariids. Anterior end with two triangular pseudolabia, each bearing single amphid and pair of prominent papillae. Pair of swellings situated dorsally and ventrally at bases of pseudolabia. Cordons arise dorsally and ventrally between pseudolabia; each cordon forming loop adjacent to its base and then continuing its course along longitudinal body axis; at level of posterior end of buccal cavity, cordons recurrent in anterior direction and reach level of anterior quarter of buccal cavity where they anastomose laterally (Figs 4 A, B). Cordons consisting of a single row of cuticular plates (each plate c. 2 µm long) and longitudinal cuticular ridge along outer rims of plates; deep, almost closed longitudinal groove between plates and longitudinal ridge. Plates of descending cordon arm of unequal width, thus forming wide portions with notches between them. Deirids 14–20 long, bicuspid. Lateral alae absent. Buccal cavity elongate. Excretory pore situated posteriorly to deirids. Nerve ring surrounding narrow anterior portion of muscular oesophagus. Phasmids subterminal. Male (n= 3 except otherwise stated). Body length 11.9–12.3 mm (12.0 mm). Maximum body width 115– 116, about mid-body; width 107–116 (112) at level of cloaca. Tail 294–302 (298, n= 2) long. Cordons 415–469 (442) long, recurrent in anterior direction to 116–132 (123) from anterior body end, 30–36 wide. Deirids and excretory pore at 482–561 (520) and 595–693 (640), respectively, from anterior body end. Buccal cavity 411– 434 (419) long and 18–20 wide. Muscular oesophagus 952–1,135 (1,040) long and 50–56 (53) wide. Glandular oesophagus 4,003–4,265 (4,141) long and 116–143 (123) wide. Nerve ring at 453–516 (479) from anterior body end. Cuticle 18–20 thick. Distance between cuticular striations 4–5 μm. Caudal alae 597–660 (n= 2) long. Single ventral cuticular ridge extending between level at 2,520–2,573 (n= 2) from posterior body end to beginning of caudal alae. Single median sessile precloacal papilla present. Nine pairs of pedunculate caudal papillae, 4 precloacal and 5 postcloacal (Fig. 4 F). Anterior four pairs of pedunculate postcloacal papillae with almost equal distance between them; fifth pair near posterior extremity of tail. Sixth pair of postcloacal papillae sessile, smaller, situated between bases of last pedunculate papillae. Left spicule 658–665 (n= 2) long, 11–13 wide, with prominent projection on its distal end. Right spicule 151–155 (n= 2) long, 30–36 (n= 2) wide (Fig. 4 E). I CL/BL 0.035–0.038 (0.037); I mOE/gOE 0.238–0.273 (0.251); I OE/BL 0.417–0.445 (0.431); I CA/BL 0.050–0.056 (n= 2); I LSP/RSP 4.290–4.358 (n= 2). Female (n= 2 except otherwise stated). Body length 14.5–15.8 mm. Maximum body width 385–493, about mid-body; width 129–130 at anus and 385–460 at vulva. Tail 233–237 long. Cordons extending to 516–539 from anterior body end, recurrent in anterior direction to 125–129 from anterior body end, 52–54 wide. Deirids and excretory pore at 584–596 and 688–791, respectively, from anterior body end. Buccal cavity 482– 539 long and 24–28 wide. Muscular oesophagus 939 (n= 1) long and 72 (n= 1) wide. Glandular oesophagus 4,149–4,706 long and 112–125 wide. Nerve ring at 505–612 from anterior body end. Cuticle 14–18 thick. Distance between striations 6–7 μm. Vulva at 7.1 –8.0 mm from anterior body end. Reproductive system didelphic. Vagina vera short, posteriorly directed, separated from vagina uterina by well-developed circular musculature (Fig. 4 C). Vagina uterin а longer, with muscular walls. Posterior extremity of tail with nipple-like projection (Fig. 4 G). Eggs oval, 36–39 × 22–24 (37 × 23, n= 20), containing first stage larva (Fig. 4 D). I CL/BL 0.034–0.036; I mOE/gOE 0.200 (n= 1); I OE/BL 0.357 (n= 1); I V/BL 0.491–0.509. Remarks. The presence of lateral alae has been described in C. obvelatus (see Anderson & Wong 1981; present study), C. capellae (see Yamaguti 1935; present study), C. jaenschi (present study) and C. podicipis (present study). It was not mentioned in the original description of C. imperialis but was shown in the accompanying illustration (Morishita 1930). C. pelacani can be distinguished from all these species by the absence of lateral alae. Cosmocephalus pelecani is similar to C. obvelatus in its morphometrical characters (Table 1). In addition to the absence of lateral alae, C. pelecani can be differentiated by its more prominent appendage of the distal end of the left spicule than that in C. obvelatus (Fig. 4 F and Fig. 5 F). The new species can be differentiated from C. capellae by the longer body of males and the longer spicules (Table 1). C. pelecani has longer and markedly wider cordons. Moreover, C. capellae exhibits tricuspid deirids (compared to bicuspid deirids in C. pelecani). The absence of lateral alae and the bicuspid deirids of C. pelecani differentiate it from C. jaenschi; the latter has lateral alae and tricuspid deirids. C. jaenschi also has a prominent appendage on the distal apex of the left spicule, much bigger than in the new species (Fig. 7 B and Fig. 4 F). The new species has longer males but a shorter right spicule than those of C. imperialis (Table 1). Cosmocephalus pelecani is characterised by cordons consisting of plates of unequal width, forming a descending arm of wide series of plates separated by notches; in addition, the cordon loop is short. In contrast, C. faridi has no scalloped cordons and a very elongate loop (Khalil 1931). The males of C. pelecani can also be distinguished from those of C. faridi by their longer body and longer left spicule (Table 1). Compared to C. podicipis, the males of C. pelecani have a longer left spicule (Table 1) and a greater spicule ratio, i.e. I LSP/RSP (4.290–4.358 vs 2.770–3.360). The eggs of C. podicipis are more elongate than those of C. pelecani (Fig. 1 F and Fig. 4 D).Published as part of Mutafchiev, Yasen, Halajian, Ali & Georgiev, Boyko B., 2010, Two new nematode species of the genus Cosmocephalus Molin, 1858 (Spirurida: Acuariidae), with an amended generic diagnosis and an identification key to Cosmocephalus spp., pp. 1-20 in Zootaxa 2349 on pages 8-10, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19342
Development of Crenosoma vulpis in the common garden snail Cornu aspersum: implications for epidemiological studies.
Get PDFBackground: Crenosoma vulpis (Dujardin, 1845), the fox lungworm, is a metastrongyloid affecting the respiratory tract of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), dogs (Canis familiaris) and badgers (Meles meles) living in Europe and North America. The scant data available on the intermediate hosts of C. vulpis, as well as the limited information about the morphology of the larvae may jeopardise epidemiological studies on this parasite.
Methods: Suitability and developmental time of C. vulpis in the common garden snail Cornu aspersum (= Helix aspersa) was assessed at selected days post-infection (i.e. 3, 6, 10, 15, 20 and 180). Nematodes were preserved in 70 % ethanol, cleared and examined as temporary mounts in glycerol for morphological descriptions of first-and third-stage larvae. In addition, nematodes collected from the dog and the experimentally infected snails were molecularly analysed by the amplification of the nuclear 18S rRNA gene.
Results: Specimens of C. aspersum digested before the infection (n = 10) were negative for helminth infections. Out of 115 larvae recovered from infected gastropods (mean of 9.58 larvae per snail), 36 (31.3 %) were localised in the foot and 79 (68.7 %) in the viscera. The 18S rDNA sequences obtained from larvae collected from the dog and the snail tissues displayed 100 % identity to the nucleotide sequence of C. vulpis.
Conclusions: Cornu aspersum is herein reported for the first time as a suitable intermediate host of C. vulpis. This snail species may play an important role for the infection of animals living in regions of the Mediterranean basin. In addition, this study provides more details on the morphological descriptions of L1 and L3 and supports future investigations on the epidemiology of this little known parasite
Whence river blindness? The domestication of mammals and host-parasite co-evolution in the nematode genus Onchocerca
Get PDFThe genus Onchocerca includes 34 described species and represents one of the largest genera of the filarial nematodes within the family Onchocercidae. Representative members of this genus are mainly parasites of ungulates, with some exceptions such as Onchocerca lupi and Onchocerca volvulus, infecting carnivores and/or humans. For a long time, the evolutionary relationships amongst onchocercids remained poorly studied, as the systematics of this genus was impaired by the high morphological variability of species included in the taxon. Although some molecular phylogenies were developed, these studies were mainly focused on bovine Onchocerca spp. and O. volvulus, including assessments of Wolbachia endosymbionts. In the present study, we analysed 13 Onchocerca spp. from a larger host spectrum using a panel of seven different genes. Analysis of the coxI marker supports its usefulness for the identification of species within the genus. The evolutionary history of the genus has been herein revised by multi-gene phylogenies, presenting three strongly supported clades of Onchocerca spp. Analyses of co-evolutionary scenarios between Onchocerca and their vertebrate hosts underline the effect of domestication on Onchocerca speciation. Our study indicates that a host switch event occurred between Bovidae, Canidae and humans. Cophylogenetic analyses between Onchocerca and the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia indicate the strongest co-evolutionary pattern ever registered within the filarial nematodes. Finally, this dataset indicates that the clade composed by O. lupi, Onchocerca gutturosa, Onchocerca lienalis, Onchocerca ochengi and O. volvulus derived from recent speciation
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