Protomagalhaensia cerastes n. sp. is described from nymphs and adults of the Pallid cockroach, Phoetalia pallida. Gamonts of Protomagalhaensia species are elongate and serpentine in general shape, but associated gamonts of P. cerastes are considerably smaller than those of other species of Protomagalhaensia. Primites and satellites of P. cerastes average total lengths of 323.1 µm and 317.9 µm, respectively; whereas similar stages range from 400.0 µm to 650.0 µm in the other 4 species within the genus. All species of Protomagalhaensia possess dolioform oocysts. Oocysts of Protomagalhaensia granulosae and Protomagalhaensia serpentula also possess apical corner spines or knobs that are absent in the oocysts of Protomagalhaensia wolfi, Protomagalhaensia blaberae, and P. cerastes. The oocysts of P. granulosae possess a lateral depression unique among members of the genus, while P. cerastes and P. wolfi possess distinct polar plates absent in other members of the genus. Oocysts of P. cerastes are notably smaller than those of P. wolfi in both length (7.3 µm vs. 9.2 µm) and width (4.5 µm vs. 5.5 µm).

Two new species of Nubenocephalus (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida: Actinocephalidae) are described from adult damselflies sampled in Cayo District, Belize, Central America. Nubenocephalus nickoli n. sp. is described from the American Rubyspot damselfly, Hetaerina americana, and the Smoky Rubyspot damselfly, Hetaerina titia (Odonata: Zygoptera: Hetaerinidae), and Nubenocephalus xunantunichensis n. sp. is described from the Comanche Dancer, Argia chelata (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae). New, complete morphological data sets are reported for populations of Nubenocephalus nebraskensis and Nubenocephalus secundus, and a complete, synoptic reevaluation of diagnostic morphological characters used to discriminate species within Nubenocephalus is presented for all known species of the genus in the New World. Nubenocephalus nebraskensis is reported from Argia apicalis for the first time.

Microncocotyle bicoccae n. sp. (Monogenoidea; Dactylogyridae) is described from the gill filaments of the longtail silverbiddy, Gerres longirostris (Teleostei: Gerreidae), collected from Ras Mohammed National Park near Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The monotypic Microncocotyle gen. n. is proposed for this species and is characterized, in part, by its members possessing a cup-shaped haptor armed with a ventral anchor/bar complex (dorsal complex absent); 14 hooks with pairs 2–4, 6 and 7 marginal and pairs 1 and 5 central in the haptor; one pair of eyespots; confluent intestinal ceca lacking diverticula; tandem gonads; a vas deferens looping the left intestinal cecum; articulated male copulatory organ and accessory piece; and a dextromarginal vaginal pore. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian interference analyses of the 18S rDNA gene suggest that Microncocotyle originated independently of two other dactylogyrid genera, Dactylogyrus and Pseudodactylogyrus, in which species possess a single anchor/bar complex.

We redescribe Andrya octodonensis based on new material from Phyllotis xanthopygus from Argentina. Andrya vesicula n. sp. from Phyllotis xanthopygus and Andrya boliviensis n. sp. from Phyllotis osliae are also described and illustrated. The occurrence of these species in South America suggests that cestodes of the genus Andrya were introduced on that continent by sigmodontine rodents from the Nearctic, probably after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama.

Homalometron elongatum is reexamined using heat-killed material that was not subjected to pressure during fixation from Gerres cinereus collected from San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico, U.S.A. The new material is compared with some paratype specimens and differs by having a much less variable forebody length, and a median rather than submedian genital pore. Tegumental spines reportedly cover the anterior end of the body but we observed tegumental spines covering the entire body surface in both the paratype and new material. Homalometron lesliorum n. sp. is described from Eucinostomus currani from the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The new species has 3 pairs of oral papillae surrounding the mouth and thus resembles 3 other congeners: H. elongatum, Homalometron carapevae, and Homalometron papilliferum. Homalometron lesliorum n. sp. is distinguished from the 3 species by having the anterior extent of the vitelline follicles at or above the base of the ventral sucker, compared with posterior to the ventral sucker at the level of the seminal vesicle (H. elongatum) or further posterior at the posterior margin of the ovary (H. carapevae and H. papilliferum). The 4 species are further differentiated from one another by sucker width ratio, tegumental spine size and distribution, egg size, host preference, and biogeography. Comparison of nuclear ribosomal DNA (3′ end of 18S, internal transcribed spacer [ITS]1, ITS2, and 5′ end of 28S) between H. elongatum and H. lesliorum n. sp. revealed 1 variable base (n  =  162) at the 3′ end of 18S, 12 variable bases (n  =  476) at ITS1, 10 variable bases (n  =  310) at ITS2, and 11 variable bases (n  =  1,325) at the 5′ end fragment of 28S. Nuclear ribosomal DNA from Homalometron pallidum and Homalometron armatum are included for further comparison with H. elongatum and H. lesliorum n. sp.

Centrorhynchus microcephalus (Bravo-Hollis, 1947) Golvan, 1956 (Acanthocephala: Centrorhynchidae) originally was described as Gordiorhynchus microcephalus Bravo-Hollis, 1947 on the basis of 8 worms collected from the small intestine of a single great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) from the state of Puebla, Mexico. Acquisition of 48 specimens collected from the groove-billed ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris) in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, Mexico permitted a more complete description of the species. Nine of 10 (90%) birds examined were infected with 2–13 individuals of Centrorhynchus microcephalus with a mean intensity of 5.3. Examination of the type material of Centrorhynchus crotophagicola Schmidt and Neiland, 1966 revealed this species, described from groove-billed anis and squirrel cuckoos (Piaya cayana) from Nicaragua, to be conspecific with C. microcephalus; thus, C. crotophagicola is considered a junior synonym of C. microcephalus. Centrorhynchus microcephalus is redescribed on the basis of the type material of G. microcephalus and C. crotophagicola, and the newly acquired specimens from Veracruz. This study constitutes the first report of C. microcephalus since its original description. Additionally, a single immature female of Centrorhynchus kuntzi Schmidt and Neiland, 1966 was collected from one ani, representing a new host record and the first report of C. kuntzi from Mexico.

Twenty-seven Magellanic penguins, Spheniscus magellanicus (Sphenisciformes), were collected from September 1996 to November 2000 from Península Valdés (42°04′–42°53′S; 63°38′–64°30′W), on the Patagonian coast, Argentina and the gastrointestinal tract was examined for helminths. All birds were parasitized by at least 1 of the 5 following parasite species: Tetrabothrius lutzi (Cestoda); Cardiocephaloides physalis (Lutz, 1926) (Digenea), Contracaecum pelagicum (Johnston and Mawson, 1942), Cosmocephalus obvelatus (Creplin, 1825) (Nematoda), and Corynosoma sp. (Acanthocephala). The total mean intensity was 686. The helminth community composition of S. magellanicus is reported for first time in Argentina increasing the host range of many of the species registered.

Seventy-eight spotted ground squirrels, Xerospermophilus (syn. Spermophilus) spilosoma, from 2 different habitats (grassland and creosote bush) located in central New Mexico, were examined for helminth parasites. Eighteen hosts were negative and from 60 hosts the following helminth parasites were recovered: Acanthocephala: Moniliformis clarki; Nematoda: Citellina triradiata, Dermatoxys veligera, Heteromyoxyuris deserti, Mastophorus dipodomis, Physaloptera massino, Protospirura ascaroidea, Pterygodermatites coloradensis, Subulura novomexicanus, Syphacia eutamii, and Syphacia peromysci; Cestoda: Hymenolepis citelli. The parasites D. veligera, Heteromyoxyuris deserti, Mastophorus dipodomis, Moniliformis clarki, Protospirura ascaroidea, and S. peromysci are recorded for the first time from this host.

Twenty-four individual amphibians (4 families, 11 species) and 52 individual reptiles (9 families, 19 species) from the Rupunini District of southwestern Guyana were examined for helminths. Ten species of amphibians (91%) and 13 (8 lizards, 5 snakes) species of reptiles (68%) were found to harbor at least 1 species of helminth; 1 species of amphibian harbored a multiple infection of 2 helminths, and 2 harbored a multiple infection of 3 helminths. One species of reptile harbored a multiple infection of 2 helminths, 1 was infected with 3 species, and 1 harbored a multiple infection of 5 species. Three species of cestodes (1 linstowiid and 2 proteocephalids) and 20 species of nematodes representing 10 families were found in the herpetofauna surveyed. Twenty-five new host and 23 new geographic records are documented.

Placobdella ali Huges and Siddall, 2007 has not been reported since its original description based on 3 specimens from Silver Mine Lake in Orange County, New York. The finding of 3 populations of P. ali in Connecticut along with further collection of this species from its type locality facilitated an investigation of host use by this leech, molecular characterization of the species, and observations on its natural history. Placobdella ali commonly occurred on substrate in Silver Mine Lake in Orange County, New York, and Clark's Pond and North Farms Reservoir in New Haven County, Connecticut. A single specimen was found in Lake Wintergreen in New Haven County, Connecticut. Placobdella ali was represented by individuals of a light-colored form and a melanic or dark-colored form. Sequences of 2 mitochondrial genes, CO-I and ND-1, were virtually identical among individuals from Connecticut and New York populations, as well as between the 2 color morphs. Placobdella ali was collected from 10 of 15 (66.7%) American snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) in North Farms Reservoir. This observation in conjunction with the absence of P. ali on 55 eastern painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) suggests a fairly high degree of host specificity. Two species of exotic turtles, 3 red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans), and a single southern painted turtle (Chrysemys dorsalis), which is a state record for Connecticut, indicate the potential of introduction of exotic turtles as a vehicle for the introduction of exotic leeches. One of the 3 (33.3%) red-eared sliders was infested with a single individual of P. ali.

Northwestern Argentina is an area of a high biodiversity. However, few fleas have been recorded parasitizing mammals. In the present study we report the results of surveys carried out in the provinces of Salta, Jujuy, Tucumán, and Catamarca. The following 9 flea species and subspecies were collected from 17 species of mammals: Craneopsylla minerva minerva (Rothschild, 1903) (Stephanocircidae); Neotyphloceras crassispina hemisus Jordan, 1936 (Ctenophthalmidae); Adoratopsylla (Tritopsylla) intermedia intermedia (Wagner, 1901) (Ctenophthalmidae); Tetrapsyllus (Phylliver) bleptus (Jordan and Rothschild, 1923) (Rhopalopsyllidae); Polygenis (Polygenis) acodontis (Jordan and Rothschild, 1923) (Rhopalopsyllidae); Phthiropsylla agenoris (Rothschild, 1904) (Malacopsyllidae); Malacopsylla grossiventris (Weyenbergh, 1879) (Malacopsyllidae); Pulex irritans Linnaeus, 1758 (Pulicidae); and Hectopsylla gracilis Mahnert, 1982 (Tungidae). Neotyphloceras crassispina hemisus, Ad. (T.) i. intermedia, Ph. agenoris, and H. gracilis are reported for the first time from northwestern Argentina, from specimens collected in the provinces of Jujuy, Salta, and Catamarca. The mammals Micoureus constantiae (Thomas, 1904); Thylamys cf. cinderella (Thomas, 1902); Thylamys sponsorius (Thomas, 1921) (Didelphimorphia); Akodon albiventer Thomas, 1897; Akodon caenosus Thomas, 1918; Calomys lepidus (Thomas, 1884); Eligmodontia hirtipes Thomas, 1902; Eligmodontia puerulus (Philippi, 1896); Phyllotis xanthopygus (Waterhouse, 1837); Tapecomys primus Anderson and Yates, 2000 (Rodentia); and Chaetophractus vellerosus (Gray, 1865) (Cingulata) have an increased number of parasite species known to them. Eighteen new parasite–host associations are also reported.

To seek unknown molecules and pathways that might be responsible for the pathogenicity of ruminant coccidiosis, the protein expression profiles of Eimeria bovis and Eimeria alabamensis were compared by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The average gel of E. bovis contained 938 ± 132 protein spots having an experimental isoelectric point (pI) range of 4.58 to 7.95 and a mass range of 19.1 to 138.2 kDa. A total of 692 ± 129 protein spots with pIs ranging from 4.39 to 7.84 and masses between 17.6 and 127.8 kDa were included in the average gel of E. alabamensis. Our results provide a valuable starting point to detect differences in protein expression distribution between 2 Eimeria species that cause cattle coccidiosis and may also serve as a useful tool for further investigation of the basis accounting for their sharp difference in virulence.

Gyrodactylus wardi Kritsky and Mizelle, 1968, is reported from the external surfaces of the mountain sucker, Catostomus platyrhynchus, and Utah sucker, Catostomus ardens, from the Cub River in Idaho. This report represents new host and locality records for G. wardi. Unidentified species of Gyrodactylus also occur on the external surfaces of the Utah sucker in Idaho. A previously published report of Gyrodactylus atratuli Putz and Hoffman, 1957, on Catostomus catostomus in Labrador is incorrect and represents G. wardi.

One thousand fifty-two anurans representing 11 families (41 species)—Bufonidae: Crepidophryne epiotica (n  =  2), Incilius coccifer (n  =  21), Incilius conifera (n  =  2), Incilius luetkenii (n  =  48), Incilius valliceps (n  =  5), Rhaebo haematiticus (n  =  6), Rhinella marina (n  =  77); Craugastoridae: Craugastor bransfordii (n  =  1), Craugastor cuaquero (n  =  1), Craugastor fitzingeri (n  =  54), Craugastor megacephalus (n  =  6), Craugastor noblei (n  =  4), Craugastor podiciferus (n  =  3), Craugastor ranoides (n  =  4), Craugastor stejnegerianus (n  =  3), Craugastor underwoodi (n  =  2); Dendrobatidae: Oophaga pumilio (n  =  5); Eleutherodactylidae: Diasporus diastema (n  =  4); Hylidae: Agalychnis callidryas (n  =  14), Duellmanohyla rufioculis (n  =  3), Dendropsophus ebraccatus (n  =  10), Dendropsophus microcephalus (n  =  8), Isthmohyla lancasteri (n  =  7), Scinax boulengeri (n  =  22), Scinax elaeochrous (n  =  13), Smilisca baudinii (n  =  83), Smilisca phaeota (n  =  8), Smilisca puma (n  =  4), Trachycephalus venulosus (n  =  41); Leptodactylidae: Leptodactylus fragilis (n  =  16), Leptodactylus melanonotus (n  =  17), Leptodactylus pentadactylus (n  =  22), Leptodactylus poecilochilus (n  =  26); Leiuperidae: Engystomops pustulosus (n  =  27); Microhylidae: Hypopachus variolosus (n  =  32); Ranidae: Lithobates forreri (n  =  114), Lithobates taylori (n  =  24), Lithobates vaillanti (n  =  267), Lithobates warszewitschii (n  =  32); Rhinophrynidae: Rhinophrya dorsalis (n  =  4); Strabomantidae: Pristimantis ridens (n  =  10)—collected in the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, were necropsied. Gravid nematodes representing 20 species—Africana telfordi, Aplectana hylambatis, Aplectana incerta, Aplectana itzocanensis, Cosmocerca parva, Cosmocerca podicipinus, Cosmocercella minor, Cosmocercoides variabilis, Cruzia empera, Falcaustra costaricae, Foleyellides striatus, Ochoterenella digiticauda, Oswaldocruzia costaricensis, Parapharyngodon duniae, Rhabdias alabialis, Rhabdias pseudosphaerocephala, Rhabdias savagei, Schrankiana inconspicata, Spiroxys figueiredoi, Subulascaris falcaustriformis—and larvae representing 5 species—Ascaridae gen. sp.,