Morphology and molecular data (rDNA; internal transcribed spacer 2 [ITS2]) confirmed that Proterometra catenaria Smith, 1934, undergoes asexual reproduction in rasp elimia, Elimia floridensis, (Cerithioidea: Pleuroceridae) and that it sheds a furcocystocercous cercaria that matures in the epithelia of the buccal cavity, near the esophageal sphincter, of redspotted sunfish, Lepomis miniatus, (Perciformes: Centrarchidae) and longear sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, in Holmes Creek (Choctawhatchee River), Florida, U.S.A. Adults of P. catenaria differ from those of congeners by having an oral sucker ≥2.4× ventral sucker length, a pharynx ventral to the posterior musculature of the oral sucker, a short, robust (thick-walled) pars prostatica, an ovary abutting the ventral sucker, a uterus lacking convolutions between the ovary and ventral sucker and that extends beyond the lateral margins of the forebody ceca, and paired, pretesticular vitelline fields that rarely extend beyond the posterior margin of the ventral sucker. Cercariae of P. catenaria differ from those of congeners by having an elongate body (= tail stem furcae) 9–16 mm long (7 mm in fixed specimens); paired, ovate furcae that are longer than wide and taper posteriorly; 2 distinct anterior fields of tail stem mamillae; and a distome located in the middle of the tail stem. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis, including ITS2 sequences of P. catenaria plus Proterometra ariasae Womble and Bullard, 2015, Proterometra epholkos Womble, Orélis-Ribiero, and Bullard, 2015, Azygia longa (Leidy, 1851) Manter, 1926, and Leuceruthrus micropteri Marshall and Gilbert, 1905 (type species) had low support but did not reject assignment of P. catenaria to Proterometra, conspecificity with the azygiid adults and cercariae from Holmes Creek, monophyly of Proterometra, or the sister-taxa relationship between azygiids (L. micropteri and Proterometra spp.) that infect North American basses and sunfishes (Centrarchidae). The redspotted sunfish is a new host record for Proterometra. We also clarify the taxonomic identity of prosobranchs previously reported as hosts for P. catenaria.

Collection of new material from the bamboosharks Chiloscyllium indicum (Gmelin, 1789) and Chiloscyllium hasseltii Bleeker, 1852, from Indonesian and Malaysian Borneo prompted reevalutation of the identity and host associations of the cestode genus Carpobothrium Shipley and Hornell, 1906. Light microscopical examination of whole mounts, histological sections, and egg preparations, in combination with scanning electron microscopy of scoleces, led to redescription of the type species Carpobothrium chiloscyllii Shipley and Hornell, 1906, from Ch. indicum, as well as description of a new species from Ch. hasseltii. The proglottid anatomy of C. chiloscyllii is described for the first time. The genus was confirmed to exhibit pouch-like bothridia with relatively small anterior and posterior flaps that have a tendency to retract into the bothridial pouches, testes that are entirely pre‐poral, a uterus that extends only to the cirrus sac, and a vas deferens that coils posterior to the cirrus sac. Although not previously reported for the genus, both species were determined to possess an apical sucker on the anterior margin of the anterior bothridial flap. The posterior coiling of the vas deferens allowed free gravid proglottids of the new Carpobothrium species to be distinguished from those of Yorkeria Southwell, 1927, and to determine that, while eggs of the former are spherical with bipolar filaments, those of the latter are spindle-shaped with unipolar filaments. Examination of some of Southwell’s material identified as C. chiloscyllii from the batoid hosts Urogymnus asperrimus Bloch and Schneider, 1801 and Rhynchobatus djeddensis Forsskål, 1775, in Sri Lanka, confirmed evidence from molecular work suggesting that these cestodes, which also bear pouch-like bothridia, represent a distinct group of cestodes from those parasitizing bamboosharks. This work both confirms the association of Carpobothrium species with sharks of the genus Chiloscyllium Müller and Henle, 1837, and paves the way for establishment of a novel genus for the taxa parasitizing batoids.

Helminths, a cestode, and 4 nematode species, including 2 new species and 1 putative new species, were collected from the digestive tracts of 8 Rattus giluwensis (Muridae), and a cestode and 7 nematode species, including 2 putative new species, were obtained from the digestive tracts of 8 Rattus novaeguineae from Papua New Guinea. Heterakis sirawii n. sp. (Heterakidae) most closely resembles Heterakis fieldingi Smales, 1996, and Heterakis dahomensis (Gendre, 1911) but differs from both these species in having ornamentation on the lateral alae, as well as in body size, the dimensions of the precloacal sucker, and egg size. Odilia hagemannae n. sp. (Heligmonellidae) most closely resembles a group of species comprising Odilia emanuelae (Mawson, 1961), Odilia bainae Gibbons and Spratt, 1995, Odilia tasmaniensis Gibbons and Spratt, 1995, and Odilia mamsaensis Hasegawa, Miyata, and Syafruddin, 1999, which have between 17 and 22 ridges on the synlophe at the midbody but differs from each of these species in the detail of the synlophe ridges and the length of the spicules. The nematodes identified from R. giluwensis represented 85.7% of the helminth component community and those of R. novaeguineae 57.5% as calculated using the bootstrap estimator of species richness. Neither assemblage resembled that of any murid endemic to Papua New Guinea that has been studied thus far. The suites of nematodes recovered, however, were closer to that of the new endemic, Rattus leucopus, than those of the older endemic hydromyin murines that have been studied.

We describe a new species of Hedruris, Hedruris wogwogensis n. sp. (Nematoda), from the skink Lampropholis guichenoti in southeastern Australia. This nematode is distinguished from other species of Hedruris infecting reptiles principally by the extent of the rows of longitudinal scale-like bosses on the ventral surface of the male tail, which extend anteriorly for more than half the length of the worm. The species also differs in minor respects from other species of Hedruris, principally in its small size.

During 2009 and 2010, 87 specimens of the smooth-backed frog, Lithobates psilonota, from 2 localities (Atenquique and Zapopan) in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, were collected and analyzed for helminths. A total of 816 helminth specimens representing 9 species (7 adults and 2 larvae) were collected. The helminthological record for this host species is composed by 5 digeneans, 3 nematodes, and 1 acanthocephalan. Hosts from both sites shared the nematode Foleyellides sp. and the digeneans Haematoloechus sp., Megalodiscus americanus, and Glypthelmins quieta. On the other hand, Halipegus psilonota, Gorgoderina sp. (Trematoda), Eustrongylides sp., and Rhabdias sp. (Nematoda) were exclusively found in frogs from Atenquique. The acanthocephalan Oncicola sp. was found only in hosts from Zapopan. The most prevalent helminth species in both localities was M. americanus, reaching the highest levels in hosts from Atenquique. The composition of the helminthological record of L. psilonota is compared with those described for the other 8 species of this amphibian genus studied in Mexico; in these host species, the richness ranges from 6 to 21 species and abundance from 194 to 18,434 individuals. Richness and abundance of the parasite community of L. psilonota is dominated by digeneans. Most of the species that parasitize Ranidae hosts in Mexico infect them through ingestion of eggs or larval stages; some others are recruited via penetration or mosquito bite. Finally, the helminth fauna of L. psilonota shows a Nearctic influence coupled with a high percentage of endemic species that suggests an important coevolutionary component in the history of the association of this group of frogs and their helminths.

The invasive nematode Anguillicoloides crassus parasitizes the swim bladder of eels, including that of the American eel, Anguilla rostrata. Despite its potential devastating effects on eel populations, however, its intermediate host(s) is/are unknown in North America. The goal of this study was to determine whether An. crassus could infect copepods collected in the wild from the Goose Creek Reservoir in South Carolina, U.S.A., where An. crassus is known to occur. Cyclopoid copepods, identified morphologically as belonging to the Acanthocyclops robustus–americanus–vernalis species complex, were successfully experimentally infected by second-stage larvae (L₂s) of An. crassus from eels captured in South Carolina, U.S.A. One infected copepod was identified as Ac. americanus via sequencing of a 251-base pair (bp) portion of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I DNA. For each infection experiment, 30 to 60 copepods were exposed for 24 hr to L₂s at either 21°C or 26°C and maintained at their respective exposure temperatures to monitor larval development until larvae molted to the L₃ stage. More than 85% of the exposed copepods showed L₂s in their intestine or hemocoel at 24 hr postexposure. Larvae molted into the L₃ stage in 7 d at 26°C and 12 d at 21°C. Based on these results, species within the Acanthocyclops vernalis–robustus–americanus complex are implied to be natural intermediate hosts of An. crassus in North America.

Abiotic stimuli are critical in the dispersal and transmission of trematode cercariae from the first intermediate host to the next host in the life cycle. The role of 2 abiotic stimuli, light and gravity, were examined in the dispersal and transmission of the cercariae of Echinostoma caproni in a laboratory setting. Nearly 100% of cercariae placed in a vertical chamber that permitted upward migration with a marginal probability of return swam to the surface in both light and dark conditions, suggesting that a positive phototaxis is not involved in dispersal and that a negative geotaxis may be the critical component in the vertical migration. The presence of a sentinel snail (Biomphalaria glabrata) in the bottom portion of the transmission chamber resulted in a significant reduction of cercariae dispersing upward and a significantly higher intensity of metacercariae in snails under lighted conditions than in the dark. In a light/dark choice experiment the prevalence and intensity of metacercariae was significantly higher in snails in the dark. The results suggest that although a positive phototaxis is not important in the dispersal of E. caproni cercariae, a negative phototaxis enhances host finding and transmission of cercariae to snails functioning as the second intermediate host.

We document morphological descriptions for 3 newly described Eimeria spp. that infect springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis). Eimeria antidorcasi n. sp. oocysts are ovoid, with average size (n = 346) 26.2 × 18.8 (19.2–33.5 × 13.1–26.5) μm, a length/width ratio of 1.4 (1.2–2.0), a micropyle, and a polar granule sometimes present. Sporocysts are ovoid (n = 336), 11.3 × 7.3 (6.0–14.6 × 5.2–9.8) μm, with a length/width ratio of 1.5 (1.1–2.0), a Stieda body, a prominent, ovoid sporocyst residuum, and one refractile body per sporozoite. Eimeria versfeldi n. sp. oocysts are ellipsoid (n = 136), 38.9 × 26.6 (27.8–48.2 × 21.2–31.0) μm, with a length/width ratio of 1.5 (1.2–2.0), a micropyle cap with sub-micropylar material, and 2–4 polar granules. Sporocysts are elongate-ovoid (n = 132), 18.3 × 9.2 (13.2–22.8 × 6.8–11.2) μm, with a length/width ratio of 2.0 (1.3–2.5), a Stieda body, a small sporocyst residuum present, and an evident nucleus and two refractile bodies per sporozoite. Eimeria gasawayi n. sp. oocysts are subspheroid (n = 87), 14.8 × 13.6 (11.5–20.0 × 11.1–18.2) μm, with a length/width ratio of 1.1 (1.0–1.2), and no micropyle. Sporocysts are elongate-ovoid (n = 82), 9.0 × 4.6 (5.5–12.5 × 3.6–6.4) μm, with a length/width ratio of 2.0 (1.3–2.4), a small Stieda body, and an irregularly shaped sporocyst residuum present. These are the first Eimeria spp. described from springbok.

The ectoparasitic mite genus Cameronieta (Acari: Mesostigmata: Spinturnicidae) is endemic to the New World and associated exclusively with bats of the family Mormoopidae. The genus consists of 7 species, 4 broadly distributed through the Caribbean and mainland of North and South America, and 3 species limited to the Greater Antilles archipelago. We present a brief review of the taxonomic history, redefine the genus, and consider some questions that remain concerning the biology and systematics of the group. A new species, Cameronieta almaensis n. sp., is described from the wings of Pteronotus parnellii collected from the Serra das Almas Reserve, in the northeastern state of Ceará, Brazil. This is the first record of Cameronieta from Brazil.

Physalopteroides grismeri n. sp. (Spirurida, Physalopteridae) from the stomach of Emoia atrocostata (Squamata: Scincidae) collected in Peninsular Malaysia is described and illustrated. Physalopteroides grismeri n. sp. is the twentieth species assigned to the genus, the sixth from the Oriental region, and the first from Peninsular Malaysia. The new species is most similar to those species possessing symmetrical caudal alae, i.e., Physalopteroides agamae, Physalopteroides bahamensis, Physalopteroides dactyluris, Physalopteroides dryophisi, Physalopteroides geckonis, Physalopteroides grayiacola, Physalopteroides impar, Physalopteroides milneae, Physalopteroides minor, Physalopteroides quadridentatum, Physalopteroides tarentolae, Physalopteroides valdesi, Physalopteroides venancioi, and Physalopteroides versicoloris. Physalopteroides valdesi possesses 6 postcloacal papillae; P. dryophisi possesses 6–8 postcloacal papillae; P. grayiacola, P. geckonis, P. bahamensis, P. venancioi possess 8 postcloacal papillae; P. impar, P. minor, P quadridentatum possess 10 postcloacal papillae; P. milneae, P. agamae, P. dactyluris, P. versicoloris possess 12 postcloacal papillae; P. tarentolae and P. grismeri n. sp. possess 14 postcloacal papillae; however, spicules are absent in P. tarentolae, present in P. grismeri n. sp.

Between August 2014 and August 2015, in the Ouachita and Red River drainages of Arkansas (n = 17) and the Red River drainage of Oklahoma (n = 113), 130 Blackstripe Topminnows, Fundulus notatus, were collected and examined for helminth parasites. Sixty-three (48%) F. notatus, including 7 (37%) from Arkansas and 56 (50%) from Oklahoma, were infected. These included 16 (12%) with Homalometron robisoni, 24 (18%) with immature Proteocephalus sp., 8 (6%) with larval Eustrongylides sp., 17 (13%) with Spiroxys sp. larvae, 3 (2%) with acanthocephalan cystacanths, 1 (0.8%) with Leptorhynchoides thecatus, and 1 (0.8%) with Neoechinorhynchus sp. In addition, 1 of 5 (20%) from Arkansas harbored the monogenean Salsuginus umbraensis. We document 4 new host and 3 new distributional records.

Trichomonas gallinae is a protozoan parasite commonly found in domestic turkeys, columbids, and passerines. Trichomonosis can cause significant morbidity and mortality in these species and has been associated with contaminated bird feeders and waterers. Previously, we found that T. gallinae persisted up to 1 hr in distilled water with organic material; however, it was recognized that pH may play a role in the persistence of isolates of T. gallinae. To examine the effects of pH, we inoculated 1 × 10⁶ trichomonads into plastic containers in 4 different treatments: 500 ml clean distilled water at pH 5.0 or 7.0, or 500 ml distilled water at pH 5.0 or 7.0 plus 15 g organic matter. Aliquots of 0.5 ml were collected from each container at 0, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 20, 60 min, or 24 hr and inoculated into a flask with Diamond’s media, incubated at 37°C, and examined daily for 6 d. Maximum persistence of T. gallinae for pH 7 was 60 min, whereas the maximum persistence at pH 5.0 was 20 min. Survival was best in the presence of organic matter, regardless of the pH of water. Further research is needed to determine how organic material and pH influences the persistence of T. gallinae, including effects of dissolved oxygen concentrations and ingestion of bacteria by the trichomonads.

Two species of chewing lice (Eutrichophilus mexicanus and Neotrichodectes mephiditis), 4 species of sucking lice (Fahrenholzia fairchildi, Fahrenholzia ferrisi, Fahrenholzia n. sp., and Hoplopleura mendezi), 4 species of fleas (Kohlsia traubi, Polygenis roberti beebei, Rhopalopsyllus australis australis, and Rhopalopsyllus lugubris), and 1 species of epifaunistic pseudoscorpion (Epichernes guanacastensis) were recorded from native mammals in the Área de Conservación Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica during a parasite All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory from 1996 to 2004. All 6 species of lice were host specific. Fleas were less host specific and included a record of a rodent flea (R. a. australis) from a jaguar, Panthera onca. Epifaunistic pseudoscorpions were recorded only from Salvin’s spiny pocket mouse, Liomys salvini, on which they appear to be mutualistic with the host by preying on ectoparasites in the host pelage. Eutrichophilus mexicanis, N. mephiditis, F. ferrisi, H. mendezi, K. traubi, and R. a. australis are reported from Costa Rica for the first time.

Halarachnidae consists of nasal mites that parasitize pinnipeds. The respiratory tracts of 22 Arctocephalus australis (South American fur seal) were examined for the presence of mites and to study their parasitological indices. Of these, 15 hosts (68.2%) were infected with Orthohalarachne attenuata, 5 of which (22.7%) were coinfected with Orthohalarachne diminuata. A moderate to severe infection by O. attenuata was observed in 27.3% of the hosts, and by O. diminuata in 9.1%. Co-infection occurred in all O. diminuata–positive hosts. No significant differences for Halarachnidae prevalence were found between male and female hosts. Mite infections of the respiratory system by Otariidae are often reported; however, further studies should be conducted to better understand host–parasite relationships and possible pathogeneses caused by these infections.

Thirty-six Brook Silversides, Labidesthes sicculus, and 15 Golden Silversides, Labidesthes vanhyningi, collected from the Ouachita and Red River drainage basins of Arkansas and Oklahoma, U.S.A., were examined for parasites. Six (17%) of the L. sicculus and 3 (20%) of the L. vanhyningi were infected with Dermocystidium sp., 1 (7%) L. vanhyningi harbored an immature tapeworm, Proteocephalus sp., and 1 (7%) L. vanhyningi was infected with the copepod Ergasilus funduli. We document new host records for all 3 parasites as well as 2 new state records for Dermocystidium sp. and E. funduli.

We examined 125 individual crayfish representing 9 species from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, U.S.A., for the presence of the antennal gland digenetic trematode Alloglossidium. Fifteen (12%) individuals were found to harbor Alloglossidium progeneticum, which is reported for the first time from the following second intermediate hosts: 2 of 7 (29%) Orconectes longidigitus (longpincered crayfish), 3 of 53 (6%) Orconectes ozarkae (Ozark crayfish), 3 of 15 (20%) Orconectes punctimanus (spothanded crayfish), 4 of 7 (57%) Procambarus ouachitae (Ouachita River crayfish) from Arkansas, and 3 of 10 (30%) Orconectes menae (Mena crayfish) from Oklahoma. Four other crayfish species were negative for infection.

Haliotrema macrobaculum Zhukov, 1983 is transferred to Parancylodiscoides as P. macrobaculum (Zhukov, 1983) n. comb. (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae). The species is redescribed from the gills of gag Mycteroperca microlepis and is newly recorded from scamp Mycteroperca phenax and yellowmouth grouper Mycteroperca interstitialis (all Serranidae: Epinephelinae: Epinephelini) in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The transfer of H. macrobaculum to Parancylodiscoides is based on the presence of a dorsal bar with bifurcated ends, the hook morphology, the germarium lying to the right of the anterior end of the testis, and by the absence of an accessory piece in the copulatory complex. The generic diagnosis of Parancylodiscoides is emended to include species having a dextroventral or dextrolateral vaginal aperture.

This report describes a series of observations made on 2 parasite species infecting a collection of horned passalus beetles (Odontotaenius disjunctus, n = 135), from Georgia, U.S.A., that were collected as larvae in the wild and were reared to metamorphosis in captivity. Tachinid fly maggots emerged from 15 beetle larvae (11%) and, when they completed their development into adults, we identified them as Zelia vertebrata, a known but little-studied parasitoid of O. disjunctus. We also observed infections by Steinernema nematodes (n = 11 cases, or 8%), which killed and consumed the carcasses and which produced thousands of infective juveniles in the rearing containers. Based on morphological measurements of infective juvenile and adult worms, these nematodes were consistent with Steinernema carpocapsae, members of which infest the surface of soils and which infect a wide range of insects. This report is the first to describe Steinernema infections in O. disjunctus, and our observations of Z. vertebrata infections and prevalence will be useful for comparative purposes or future study.

Forty scincid lizards, Emoia veracunda (emo skink; n = 7) and Prasinohaema flavipes (common green tree skink, n = 33) from Papua New Guinea were examined for gastrointestinal helminths. One species of Digenea, Saurokoilophilia kinsellai, and six species of Nematoda, Bakeria bakeri, Falcaustra papuensis, Parapharyngodon maplestoni, Skrjabinodon sheai, Abbreviata sp., and Rictulariidae gen. sp. were found. Individuals of P. maplestoni were the most abundant (n = 21); Rictulariidae gen. sp. had the highest prevalence (29%). Emoia veracunda and P. flavipes are infected by generalist helminths that have been found in other lizards from Papua New Guinea. Seven new host records are reported.

Fourteen individuals of the leech Placobdella multilineata were found feeding on a Gulf Coast box turtle, Terrapene carolina major, collected in Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S.A., representing a new host and state geographic distribution record. This represents the first vouchered report of a leech from any North American box turtle.

A new host record for Pseudocapillaria (Pseudocapillaria) tomentosa (Dujardin, 1843) Moravec, 1987 from the intestine of red shiner, Cyprinella lutrensis, imported from a commercial facility in Missouri to a research facility in Wisconsin is described. Prevalence of infection was 85%. Intensity of infection was 1–26 worms per host. Supplementary information involving sequence data (18S ribosomal RNA gene) and new details of the male spicule are provided. The issue of parasite dispersal through the baitfish trade is briefly discussed.

A total of 22 specimens of the red-spotted toad collected from San José Brook, Baja California Sur, Mexico were examined for helminth parasites. The only parasite species recovered was the adult cestode Distoichometra bufonis, which was found parasitizing the intestine with a prevalence of 27% and mean abundance of 0.59. This report represents the first record for a helminth species in the red-spotted toad in Mexico. This tapeworm occurs naturally in the Nearctic region (Canada, United States, and Mexico), parasitizing 23 host species belonging to 10 genera and 5 anuran families.

Necropsy of dead California sea lion (CSL) (Zalophus californianus) pups (n = 20) born in 2014 was done on San Miguel Island, California, in December 2014 and February 2015. The main objective was to obtain data on prevalence/intensity of hookworms (Uncinaria lyonsi) in pups at that time of the year and to compare the results with data from previous studies conducted in December, January, and February. Fourteen dead pups were examined for adult hookworms in December 2014; all pups were infected (prevalence = 100%) with intensity from 6 to 140 (average 58.9 ± 38.9 SD) nematodes per host. Six dead pups were examined in February 2015. Hookworms were present in the intestines of 2 pups (prevalence=33%); two adult female worms were found in each infected pup. From 1 to 23 (average 7.5) parasitic larvae (L₃) were found in the blubber of 4 pups. The findings in this study (2014–2015) verify, from earlier observation, that adult U. lyonsi are shed by pups by late February. The prevalence of parasitic L₃ in blubber of pups in February has not been previously reported. Sand samples collected in February 2015 from 4 rookery sites were positive for free-living third-stage hookworm larvae, resulting from eggs passed in feces of CSL or northern fur seal pups inhabiting the same rookeries.