The course of a 300 metacercarial infection of ICR mice with Echinostoma caproni was examined over a 24-d period. Seven groups of 3 mice each were infected with 300 metacercariae of E. caproni and examined at 24 hr postinfection (PI), 4 d PI, and then at 4-d intervals to 24 d PI; however, as a result of the death of 4 mice prior to necropsy, the 20-d collection was abandoned. All mice were infected at the time of examination with worm loads ranging from 13.3% to 94.3% of the initial inoculum. The lowest recovery was at 24 hr PI with an average of 26.7% and the majority of worms located in the posterior one fifth of the small intestine. From 4–24 d PI there was no significant difference in recovery with means from 52.3% to 68.0% of the infective inoculum. Worms were congregated in the last two fifths of the intestine at all collection periods. None of the mice that died during the course of the experiment demonstrated unusual behavior prior to death. There was no significant difference in worm load between the 4 animals that died 13–21 d PI and those that were necropsied 16 and 24 d PI (P = 0.435). The results confirm that heavy infections of E. caproni mice can successfully produce large numbers of adult worms; however, outbred ICR mice demonstrate individual differences to these infections that cannot be explained at this time.

The generic diagnosis of Nagmia Nagaty, 1930, is emended to include species having some vitelline follicles extending into the extracecal space. Two new species belonging in the genus are described from the Gulf of California: Nagmia rodmani n. sp. from the body cavity of the giant electric ray, Narcine entemedor Jordan and Starks, 1895, and Nagmia cisloi n. sp. from the body cavity of the smoothtail mobula, Mobula thurstoni (Lloyd, 1908). Both species are distinguished from each other and the 13 other known congeners by the number of testicular follicles, ratio of widths of oral sucker to ventral sucker, and position of the vitelline follicles relative to the ceca. Nagmia rodmani is distinct based on the combined features: 12–17 follicles per testis, sucker width ratio of 1:1.7–2.0, vitelline follicles extending into the extracecal space, and the excretory vesicle being I-shaped and lacking perpendicular lateral branches along the main stem. Nagmia cisloi is distinct based on the combined features: 23–26 follicles per testis, body measuring 13.4 mm long by 14.6 mm wide, eggs measuring 47–48 μm long by 43–47 μm wide, and the excretory vesicle is I-shaped and has lateral perpendicular branches along the main stem. Supplemental data are provided for the anaporrhutine species Probolitrema richiardii (López, 1888) collected from a variety of rays in the Gulf of California. Our specimens are indistinguishable from those described as Probolitrema californiense Stunkard, 1935, and Probolitrema mexicana Markell (1956), both of which previously had been synonymized under P. richiardii. Checklists of parasites reported from N. entemedor and M. thurstoni are provided.

A new cryptogonimid trematode is described from the white crappie, Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, 1818, collected from Lake Chotard, an oxbow lake directly connected to the Mississippi River in Issaquena County, and from a small ephemeral oxbow periodically connected with the Pascagoula River in Jackson County, both in Mississippi, U.S.A. Caecincola longiscens n. sp. is characterized by having an elongated body with a length to width ratio of 5.5–7.5:1, tandem testes, an elongated tubular seminal vesicle, and vitelline follicles confined to the hindbody.

Rhipidocotyle tridecapapillata n. sp. is described from the intestine of the white bass, Morone chrysops (Rafinesque, 1820), from the Luxapalila River in Lowndes County, Mississippi, U.S.A. The new species has 13 papillae that protrude laterally from the anterior rim of the dorsal lobe of the rhynchus, enabling easy differentiation from the only known freshwater North American congeners, Rhipidocotyle papillosa (Woodhead, 1929), which has 15 papillae, and Rhipidocotyle septpapillata Krull, 1934, which has 7 papillae. Prosorhynchoides potamoensis n. sp. is described from the pyloric ceca and intestine of the white crappie, Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, 1818, from the Pascagoula River in Jackson County, Mississippi, U.S.A. The new species differs from the only other North American freshwater congener, Prosorhynchoides pusilla (Stafford, 1904), by having the anterior half of the body wider than the posterior body half rather than having a cylindrical body; a rhynchus-width to body-width ratio of 1:2.5–4.0 compared with 1:0.8–1.3; a pre-equatorial rather than equatorial mouth; a larger pharynx, testes, and ovary; and the Mehlis' gland located between the testes rather than immediately posterior to the ovary as in P. pusilla and most of the North American marine species in Prosorhynchoides. New combinations are created for 9 species of North American bucephalids belonging in Prosorhynchoides Dollfus, 1929.

Approximately 1,350 specimens of an undescribed species of Austrodiplostomum (Diplostomidae: Diplostominae) were collected from 10 double-crested cormorants, Phalacrocorax auritus (Phalacrocoracidae), from the Galveston, Texas, U.S.A., area. Austrodiplostomum compactum is synonymized with Austrodiplostomum mordax, the type species in the genus, leaving A. mordax as the only species remaining. Austrodiplostomum ostrowskiae n. sp. can be distinguished from A. mordax by having a small but distinct hindbody, shorter ceca, a uterus and vitelline fields that extend into the tribocytic organ, smaller eggs, and an anterior testis that is about the same width as the posterior testis in A. ostrowskiae n. sp. Five specimens of the neotropical cormorant, Phalacrocorax brasilianus, were also examined from the Galveston, Texas, U.S.A., area during the study, but this host species was not found to be infected with a species of Austrodiplostomum.

Dactylogyrus agolumaccessorius n. sp. is described from the bigmouth shiner, Notropis dorsalis (Agassiz), from the Prairie Region, U.S.A. Dactylogyrus agolumaccessorius appears most closely related to D. julieae Rogers, 1967, by possessing a copulatory accessory piece with the distal end in the shape of a shepherd's crook. Dactylogyrus agolumaccessorius differs from D. julieae most notably by possessing a much narrower male copulatory organ. The apparent close relationship of D. agolumaccessorius and D. julieae supports a close phylogenetic relationship between their hosts (N. dorsalis for D. agolumaccessorius, and N. amplamala Pera and Armbruster and N. buccatus (Cope) for D. julieae) previously indicated by studies of skeletal morphology, allozymes, and mitochondrial DNA, and coevolution from a common ancestor of these parasites and their respective hosts.

The only 2 published taxonomic accounts of Neoechinorhynchus tenellus are those of Van Cleave (1913) and Van Cleave (1919) from Esox lucius Linnaeus and Sander vitreus (Mitchill) (=Stizostedion vitreus (Mitchill)). While Van Cleave's original description is adequate to identify N. tenellus, his description of proboscis armature, lemnisci, reproductive system in both sexes, and eggs was either not complete or in error. We studied the original type material and found their present state to be of little use for elucidating characters that were not already illustrated and described by Van Cleave. For that reason we studied newly collected, conspecific specimens to better document key morphological features of this species. Our description of the Michigan material from the same 2 fish species was compared with the original description and with Van Cleave's cotypes (designated syntypes). Our revised description includes the following: (1) trunk of males and females is widest in anterior third tapering gradually at both ends. (2) Lateral anterior hooks are markedly larger than and set more posterior to the other 4 hooks of the same circle. Middle hooks not in perfect circle but alternate. (3) Middle and posterior hooks with discoidal bases. (4) Lemnisci are subequal. (5) Eggs have distinct polar prolongation of fertilization membrane, which places the species in the subgenus Hebesoma Van Cleave, 1928. New observations address sexual dimorphism, the larger size of specimens from S. vitreus than from E. lucius, the apical organ, giant nuclei, sensory pits on the proboscis, and details of the reproductive system in both sexes.

A new species of monogenoid, Lamellodiscus donatellae n. sp., from twobar seabream, Acanthopagrus bifasciatus, of the Gulf of Sinai, Egypt, is described and compared with other congeneric species. Lamellodiscus donatellae n. sp. is included in the L. ergensi group, but it presents differences with each species of this group, including size and morphology of the sclerotized structures. Two known species were found and redescribed: Polylabris acanthopagri Mamaev and Parukhin, 1976, and Placodiscus acanthopagri Paperna, 1972.

Three-hundred twenty-four individuals representing 12 species of Sphenomorphus (Scincidae) collected in Papua New Guinea were examined for endoparasites: S. aignanus, S. forbesei, S. fuscolineatus, S. granulatus, S. jobiensis, S. louisiadensis, S. maindroni, S. meyeri, S. minutus, S. nigrolineata, S. simus, and S. solomonis. Found were 2 species of Cestoda, Adenobrechmos greeri, Cylindrotaenia hickmani; 2 species of Digenea, Mesocoelium monas, Zeylanurotrema sphenomorphi; 15 species of Nematoda, 10 species represented by gravid adults, Abbreviata oligopapillata, Aplectana crombiei, Aplectana zweifeli, Cosmocerca zugi, Falcaustra papuensis, Meteterakis crombei, Oswaldocruzia bakeri, Parapharyngodon maplestoni, Physalopteroides milnensis, Pseudorictularia dipsarilis, and 5 represented by immature individuals, Abbreviata sp. (juveniles in cysts), Moaciria sp., Physocephalus sp. (juveniles in cysts), Acuariidae gen. sp. (juveniles in cysts), Rictulariidae gen. sp. (juveniles in cysts); 3 species of Acanthocephala, Acanthocephalus bufonis, Sauracanthorhynchus sphenomorphicola, unidentified cystacanths; and 1 species of Pentastomida, Kiricephalus sp. (nymph). Mean number helminth species per infected skink was 1.78 ± 0.06 SE (range 1–5); mean number of helminth individuals per infected skink was 14.51 ± 2.01 SE (range 1–274). Mean number of helminth species per skink species was 6.58 ± 0.95 SE (range 2–12). The supracommunity of Papua New Guinean sphenomorphine skinks is discussed. Sixty-four new host records are reported. The initial helminth list is established for 8 species.

Specimens of the ectoparasitic harpacticoid Balaenophilus manatorum (Ortíz, Lalana, and Torres, 1992) (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) were collected recently from the skin of sea turtles nesting along the Pacific coast of central Mexico. Adult specimens were compared with descriptions of specimens collected around Japan and Cuba. The intra-Pacific and the northwestern Atlantic specimens differed in subtle character states of the antennule, antennal exopod, swimming legs 1–4, and female and male fifth legs. Differences were within the range of intraspecific variability, as inferred from (1) the level of morphological divergence of B. manatorum from its only congener, Balaenophilus unisetus, also an epibiont of marine vertebrates, (2) the broad distribution of both species as a result of their widely ranging hosts, and (3) morphological differences, which were not geographically consistent. No differences were found between specimens collected from different host species, which are presumed to have different migration patterns and geographic ranges.

This report describes the hyperparasitism of Hemimyialges macdonaldi (Evans, Fain, and Bafort) (Acari: Astigmata: Epidermoptidae) on louse flies Ornithomya avicularia aobatonis (Matsumura) (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) found on a Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus nisosimilis (Tickell) (Falconiformes: Accipitridae) in western Honshu, Japan. This is the first record of the family Epidermoptidae in Japan. Moreover, this is the first case of hyperparasitism on louse flies in Japan and the first record of mite/fly and mite/bird host. Gravid female, nongravid female, immature male, and the egg of H. macdonaldi are figured.

Monophyly of the superfamily Dioctophymatoidea was assessed based on analyses of DNA sequence variation among 3 of 4 constituent genera (5 species). Represented is the first molecular phylogenetic evaluation of the Dioctophymatoidea using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference of 18S nuclear DNA (786 base-pair [bp] segment) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (293 bp) genes. Dioctophymatoidea is monophyletic and includes a clade with Dioctophyme renale and Eustrongylides ignotus (Dioctophymatidae) as the sister of Soboliphyme baturini, Soboliphyme jamesoni, and Soboliphyme abei (Soboliphymatidae). Within Soboliphymatidae, S. baturini is the sister of S. jamesoni and S. abei.

A study of Gorgorhynchoides bullocki in 1,319 fish, including members of 37 species, from Bahía de Chetumal and the associated lagoonal system of Río Huach, Quintana Roo, Mexico, was initiated in order to investigate the finding of cystacanths in Eucinostomus jonesii (Perciformes: Gerreidae; slender mojarra) and Atherinomorus stipes (Atheriniformes: Atherinidae; hardhead silverside). In total, 563 fish, 254 E. jonesii and 309 A. stipes, were collected from the Laguna Río Huach system; cystacanths of G. bullocki were found to infect individuals of both species, but they were more prevalent in E. jonesii (mean abundance = 2.48; intensity = 1–27 worms) than A. stipes (mean abundance = 0.34; intensity = 1–14). A Kolmogorov–Smirnov test of similarity of distribution of helminths in the 2 populations of fishes indicated that the 2 distributions differed significantly (p < 0.0001). For E. jonesii, there was a significant difference in the mean abundance of cystacanths in relation to the month in which they were collected and in relation to the total length of host (p < 0.03 and p < 0.0001, respectively), but for A. stipes, only the relationship between mean abundance and total length of host was significant (p < 0.01). To investigate possible sources of infection for these 2 species, 756 fish from Bahía de Chetumal were examined. Definitive hosts of G. bullocki in Bahía de Chetumal include Caranx latus, Hexanematichthys assimilis, Lutjanus griseus, Selene vomer, and Scomberomorus maculatus. Eucinostomus jonesii, A. stipes, H. assimilis, S. vomer, and Sco. maculatus are new host records for G. bullocki for Quintana Roo and Mexico.

Larval Pimephales promelas Rafinesque individuals, estimated to be 2 wk posthatch, from a small temperate lake in Algonquin Park, Ontario, were examined for parasites. The monogene Dactylogyrus pectenatus Mayes, 1977 was the only parasite found. Prevalence was 71.4%; mean intensity was 2.3 ± 1.7 (range 1–9). The presence of gravid parasites on fish measuring 12 mm in length suggests that the larvae became infected shortly after hatching, and because P. promelas is a fractional spawner, the larvae appear to represent a significant host resource for D. pectenatus during the summer months. The infection of this parasite on these larvae is discussed within the context of assembly of parasite infracommunities of fish.

Five species of digeneans (4 Microphallidae, 1 Echinostomatidae) were recovered from a total of 85 Olrog's gulls, Larus atlanticus (dead chicks). Birds were collected from a breeding colony in the Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina, during breeding seasons 2003 (n = 6), 2005 (n = 66), and 2006 (n = 13). Digeneans were identified as Maritrema bonaerensis, Maritrema orensensis, Odhneria odhneri, Levinseniella cruzi, and Himasthla escamosa. Except for M. bonaerensis, all other helminth species represent new host records, and all the digeneans reported constitute new locality records. Likely intermediate hosts for digeneans, such as Neohelice granulata (Crustacea: Decapoda), Cyrtograpsus angulatus (Crustacea: Decapoda), and Heleobia australis (Mollusca: Gastropoda), were also studied. The metacercariae of M. bonaerensis were found in the crabs N. granulata and C. angulatus, and cercariae closely resembling those of M. bonaerensis, L. cruzi and H. escamosa were found in the mollusc H. australis.

Three species of vespertilionid bats, including 4 big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), 4 western small-footed myotis (Myotis ciliolabrum), and 6 little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) were collected between July and October 2007 from 2 sites on the Pine Ridge escarpment in Dawes County, Nebraska, U.S.A., and examined for helminths. Ten of 14 (71%) were infected with 1 or more parasites as follows: 3 of 4 (75%) E. fuscus, 3 of 6 (50%) M. lucifugus, and 3 of 4 (75%) M. ciliolabrum harbored the lecithodendrid trematode Paralecithodendrium swansoni; 1 of 4 (25%) E. fuscus, 1 of 6 (17%) M. lucifugus, and 1 of 4 (25%) M. ciliolabrum were infected with a plagiorchid trematode, Plagiorchis vespertilionis; and a single E. fuscus (25%) harbored third-stage larval spirurid nematode Physaloptera sp. This is the first time P. vespertilionis and P. swansoni have been reported from M. ciliolabrum. In addition, E. fuscus is a new host for Physaloptera sp., and P. swansoni is now documented in Nebraska.

The common lesser escuerzo, Odontophrynus americanus, from Corrientes, Argentina, was found to harbor 3 species of Nematodes: Rhabdias elegans, Cosmocerca podicipinus, and Cosmocerca parva. Cosmocerca podicipinus was the most prevalent nematode species (22.7%), whereas C. parva had the highest mean intensity of infection (5.5 ± 2.12). These 3 nematode species are reported for the first time from O. americanus and members of the Cycloramphidae from Corrientes, Argentina.

The piscicolid leech, Limnotrachelobdella okae (Moore, 1924), was found to be parasitic on Japanese seaperch, Lateolabrax japonicus (Lateolabracidae), from Tokyo Bay and on kusafugu, Takifugu niphobles (Tetraodontidae), from the Sea of Japan in Yamagata, Japan. This species was also collected from bastard halibut, Paralichthys olivaceus (Paralichthyidae), and Japanese pufferfish, Takifugu rubripes (Tetraodontidae), cultured in the Seto Island Sea, Okayama, Japan. These 4 fish species are new hosts for L. okae. Based on a wide range of fish hosts of different taxonomic groups (11 species in 7 families from 6 orders) including the present 4 new hosts, L. okae apparently shows no strict host specificity.