Cestodes of guitarfishes remain poorly documented. During a survey of the spotted guitarfish, Rhinobatos punctifer Compagno Randall, off Chabahar on the Iranian coast of the Gulf of Oman, 15 of 20 hosts (75
Three new isosporan (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) species from Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia Wilson in Mexico (Passeriformes: Passerellidae) are described in the present study. The sporulated oöcysts of Isospora cantoris n. sp. are subspherical, 19.4–21.5 × 16.9–18.9 (20.5 × 18.0) with a length/width (L/W), ratio 1.0–1.2 (1.04), micropyle and oöcyst residuum absent and one compact polar granule present. The sporulated oöcysts of Isospora melodiae n. sp. are spherical to subspherical, 20.2–21.4 × 18.5–19.7 (20.8 × 19.1) (L/W), ratio 1.0–1.1 (1.05), micropyle and oöcyst residuum absent and one compact polar granule present. The sporulated oöcysts of Isospora villai n. sp. are subspherical, 20.7–23.8 × 19.4–23.3 (22.3 × 21.4) (L/W), ratio 1.0–1.2 (1.1), micropyle, oöcyst residuum and polar granule absent. In conclusion, I. cantoris, I. melodiae and I. villai are coccidian species new to science, being a total of seven species of the genus described from New World sparrows.
Rotundianchoratus gen. nov. is proposed to accommodate a new species of dactylogyrid monopisthocolylan parasitizing the gills of Hemiodus unimaculatus (Characiformes: Hemiodontidae) from the Tocantins–Araguaia River basin, Brazil. Rotundianchoratus gen. nov. is mainly characterized by the presence of a well-developed protuberance at the middle shaft of the ventral anchor, a feature not previously reported for other genera within Dactylogyridae. The new genus also presents a tubular male copulatory organ (MCO) with one to two counterclockwise rings, an accessory piece articulated by a copulatory ligament, and a sclerotized vagina. This genus can be distinguished from other genera by the combination of the morphology of the copulatory complex and the unique structure of the anchors, particularly the conspicuous mid-shaft protuberance on the ventral anchor. Additionally, two new species of Urocleidoides Mizelle Price, 1964 are described from the same host species. Both species are characterized by the presence of a copulatory ligament, a sclerotized vagina, and a distinct hook configuration, with pairs 6 and 7 larger than the remaining pairs. The new species differ from their congeners by features of the copulatory complex and structures of the haptor. This study represents the first record of monopisthocolylans infecting H. unimaculatus and expands the knowledge of dactylogyrid diversity in Neotropical freshwater systems. The findings also reinforce the morphological variability within Urocleidoides and highlight the importance of detailed morphological analyses for the recognition of taxonomic diversity within Dactylogyridae.
Authorship of the nominal family Gyrodactylidae has been inconsistently cited for more than a century, being generally attributed either to van Beneden Hesse (1863) or to Cobbold (1864). We evaluated the competing attributions under Article 11.7.2 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. This provision allows a pre-1900 family-group name published in non-latinized form to retain its original authorship if it was later latinized and has been generally accepted as valid and as dating from the first publication in vernacular form. Van Beneden Hesse (1863) originally established the taxon under the French vernacular Gyrodactylidés. Shortly thereafter, Cobbold (1864) published the latinized form Gyrodactylidae. Review of the historical literature demonstrated persistent attribution to van Beneden Hesse (1863) across a broad range of taxonomic traditions and geographic regions, even while attribution to Cobbold (1864) has also continued. The conditions of Article 11.7.2 are satisfied, and the nominal family of the family-group should be cited as Gyrodactylidae Van Beneden Hesse, 1863. This clarification resolves a long-standing nomenclatural inconsistency that persists in both the primary literature and major taxonomic databases.
Parasitological studies on Cyphocharax spp. from different regions of South America, have recorded different species of Urocleidoides Mizelle Price, 1964 parasitizing their gills. To date, no parasites have been documented for Cyphocharax spilurus (Günther) from the Peruvian Amazonia. Thus, the main objective of the present study was to survey the monopisthocotylan parasites from the gills of C. spilurus collected in the Peruvian Amazonia. Twenty specimens of C. spilurus were collected from the Nanay River, Loreto, Peru. Parasites were removed from the gills using dissection needles and cleared in Hoyer’s medium for the study of sclerotized structures. Two new species were described: Urocleidoides nanayensis n. sp. characterized by the male copulatory organ consisting in an elongated sclerotized tube forming a loop-like reservoir at its base, and an articulated accessory piece bearing a multi-pronged terminal apparatus with hook-like projections. The vaginal sclerite is can-opener-shaped, and the haptor presents unequal ventral and dorsal anchors with poorly developed roots; hooks are arranged in seven pairs: pairs I and V share a similar shape with elongated filaments, while pairs II–IV and VI–VII are composed of two subunits with straight shanks and short filaments. Urocleidoides loretoensis n. sp. is characterized by the shape of the MCO, which consists in a knife-blade-shaped with a cone-shaped base and a smoothly arched, needle-tipped sclerotized tube, and an articulated accessory piece bearing a stippled central rod with a curved branch and fan-like membranous sheath. The vaginal sclerite is irregular, with a ventrally directed process, arched lamina, and recurved distal end. The haptor presents unequal ventral and dorsal anchors with poorly developed roots; the ventral bar is straight and robust while the dorsal bar is slender with a small mid-region projection. Hook pairs I and V are morphologically distinct from the remaining pairs (II–IV and VI–VII), which share an erect thumb, slightly curved shank, and short filament. The discovery of two new species of Urocleidoides brings the number of valid species in the genus to 67 and constitutes the first parasitological record for C. spilurus; it also represents the first species of the genus described in a curimatid host from the Peruvian Amazon.
