DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e65001

Authors: Álvaro J.B. de Freitas, Carine A.M. Bezerra, Yuri C. Meneses, Marcia Cristina N. Justo, Diego C. Viana, Simone C. Cohen

Abstract: Three new species of Urocleidoides Mizelle & Price, 1964 are described from the gills of characiform fishes in the Tocantins River and its tributaries. Urocleidoides boulengerellae sp. nov. is described from Boulengerella cuvieri (Spix & Agassiz, 1829) and differs from all its congeners by the dorsal bar with a long posteromedial projection; male copulatory organ with 2–3 counterclockwise rings and a base with a flange; an accessory piece comprising a robust Y-shaped unit and a sheath-like unit; and a highly sclerotized vaginal canal. Urocleidoides paratriangulus sp. nov., described from Psectrogaster amazonica Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889, Cyphocharax gouldingi Vari, 1992, Caenotropus labyrinthicus (Kner, 1858) and Mylesinus paucisquamatus Jégu & Santos, 1988, is most similar to Urocleidoides triangulus (Suriano, 1981) Rossin & Timi, 2016 based on the shape of the anchors and bars but differs from U. triangulus in the morphology of the projection of the dorsal bar, the number of rings of male copulatory organ, and by the smaller size of members of hook pairs 1 and 5 compared with those of the remaining pairs. Urocleidoides tocantinensis sp. nov. is easily distinguished from all other species of the genus by the morphology of the vagina, which present a vaginal vestibule with a membranous cap. Urocleidoides triangulus is reported from its type host in the Guandu River, state of Rio de Janeiro. The present study increases the number of Urocleidoides species to 37 recognized species that fit all the generic characters.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.38.e65471

Authors: Bárbara Branches, Janice Muriel-Cunha, Marcus Vinícius Domingues

Abstract: Two new monogenoidean species of Unilatus Mizelle & Kritsky, 1967 found in the gills of loricariids in the Lower Xingu-Iriri rivers are described: Unilatus humboldtii sp. nov. from Baryancistrus niveatus (Castelnau, 1855), Panaque armbrusteri Lujan, Hidalgo & Stewart, 2010, Pseudacanthicus sp. (type-host), and Scobinancistrus aureatus Burgess, 1994; and Unilatus luciarappae sp. nov. from P. armbrusteri. Unilatus humboldtii sp. nov. is distinguished from other congeneric species due to its anterior anchor with well-developed superficial root with depressed or truncated distal portion, and inconspicuous or reduced deep root; anterior bar with posteromedial projection; hooks of pair 1 with dilated shaft comprising 2/3 of the hook length; spiraled male copulatory organ with approximately 16–18 counterclockwise loops. Unilatus luciarappae sp. nov. is characterized by having anterior anchor with well-developed superficial root and reduced deep root, slightly curved shaft, elongated, slightly curved, and tapered point; spiraled MCO with approximately 18–19 counterclockwise loops, with median distal bulbous portion and remaining portion tapered and elongated, comprising 1/4 of the body length; and accessory piece comprising approximately 2/3 of the MCO length. More than fifty years after the description of the type species of Unilatus from an artificial environment (U.S. aquaria), this study represents the first formal record and description of Unilatus species from hosts collected in natural habitats in the Xingu River. Considering the impact of the Belo Monte dam on the formerly pristine conditions of the study region and the importance of loricariids for the ornamental fish trade, we recommend monitoring monogenoidean diversity, parasite-host interaction, as well as the dispersion patterns and pathogenicity of these parasites.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.37.e38837

Authors: Eva Huancachoque, Gloria Sáez, Celso Luis Cruces, Carlos Mendoza, José Luis Luque, Jhon Darly Chero

Abstract: During a survey of helminth parasites of the brown ground snake, Atractus major Boulenger, 1894 (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from Moyobamba, region of San Martin (northeastern Peru), a new species of Glossidiella Travassos, 1927 (Plagiorchiida: Plagiorchiidae) was found and is described herein based on morphological and ultrastructural data. The digeneans found in the lung were measured and drawings were made with a drawing tube. The ultrastructure was studied using scanning electron microscope. Glossidiella peruensis sp. nov. is easily distinguished from the type- and only species of the genus, Glossidiella ornata Travassos, 1927, by having an oblong cirrus sac (claviform in G. ornata), distinctly ovate testes (rounded testes in G. ornata) and button-like papillae on the dorsal edge of the oral sucker region (absent in G. ornata). In addition, G. peruensis sp. nov. differs from G. ornata by possessing a longer distance between testes and substantially wider oral and ventral suckers. This is the first time that a species of digenean is described and reported parasitizing snakes in Peru.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.36.e38455

Authors: Germán Augusto Murrieta Morey, Mariana Vásquez Arimuya, Walter A. Boeger

Abstract: Biotodomella gen. nov. (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) is proposed to accommodate Biotodomella mirospinata sp. nov., found on the gills of Biotodoma cupido (Heckel, 1840) (“cara bonita” or “green-streaked eartheater”), a freshwater cichlid from the Peruvian Amazon. The new genus and species differ from other Neotropical dactylogyrids in having the hooks of each hook pair well-differentiated from the remaining pairs, shafts varying in robustness, weakly sclerotized expansions at the proximal end of shaft, and a dorsal anchor with grooved shaft, bifid point. This study represents the first record of a monogenoid from a species of Biotodoma Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1903.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e21933

Authors: Zimei Dong, Changying Shi, Gengbo Chu, Yanping Dong, Guangwen Chen, Dezeng Liu

Abstract: Planarians, the representatives of an ancient bilaterian group with complex reproductive system and high regenerative capabilities, are model system suitable for studying the basic molecular requirements for the development of the reproductive system. To further explore the morphological changes of the gonads during desexualization and the molecular events of the genes controlling the reproductive system development in planarians, we have investigated the histological changes of ovary and testis by paraffin section and the expression patterns of reproductive-related genes by the quantitative real-time PCR in Dugesia japonica Ichikawa & Kawakatsu, 1964, upon starvation. The four genes, Djprps, DjvlgA, DjvlgB and Djnos, have been selected. The research results show that the degradation of ovary changes from outside layer to inside, and the testis changes are opposite; the reproductive capacity of the planarians starts to be damaged from the 17th to 25th days and to disappear completely from the 26th to 37th days during starvation. The expression patterns of the four genes exhibit the obvious dynamic variations during their desexualization, which indicates that these genes might be involved in gonad development.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e23917

Authors: Geusivam Barbosa Soares, JoãoJoão Flor dos Santos Neto, Marcus Vinicius Domingues

Abstract: Four species of Cosmetocleithrum (three new) and one new species of Vancleaveus are described or reported parasitizing the gills of doradid catfishes (Siluriformes) from Xingu River and related tributaries: Cosmetocleithrum phryctophallus sp. nov. and Cosmetocleithrum bifurcum Mendoza-Franco, Mendoza-Palmero & Scholz, 2016 from Hassar orestis; Cosmetocleithrum leandroi sp. nov. from Hassar gabiru; Cosmetocleithrum akuanduba sp. nov. and Vancleaveus klasseni sp. nov. from Hassar orestis and H. gabiru. Cosmetocleithrum phryctophallus sp. nov. differs from its congeners by possessing a male copulatory organ (MCO) with 2 ½ counterclockwise rings, and an accessory piece with an elongate torch-shaped blade. Cosmetocleithrum leandroi sp. nov. has a MCO comprising a coil of about 3 ½ rings, a sigmoid accessory piece with a cup-shaped distal portion, a single type of hooks, and anchors with poorly differentiated roots. Cosmetocleithrum akuanduba sp. nov. is characterized mainly by having a J-shaped MCO, an elongate accessory piece with sharp distal region, distal portion with a small gutter, and a heavily sclerotized vagina with short “S”-shaped vaginal canal. Vancleaveus klasseni sp. nov. differs from the other species of the genus occurring in doradids by possessing anchors with triangular to subtriangular superficial root, developed deep root, and a coiled MCO with 2 ½ counterclockwise rings. Cosmetocleithrum bifurcum was reported for the first time parasitizing doradids from Brazilian Amazon.

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DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.34.e12622

Authors: Amanda Cseh, Fernando Carbayo, Eudóxia Maria Froehlich

Abstract: The food preference of Obama anthropophila Amaral, Leal-Zanchet & Carbayo, 2015, a species that seems to be spreading across Brazil’s human-modified environments, was investigated. Extensive experiments led to the conclusion that the generalized diet of this species may have facilitated its dispersal. The analysis of 132 feeding records of 44 geoplaninid species revealed a tendency for closely related species to feed on individuals from similar taxonomic groups, suggesting that in this group behavioral evolution is more conserved than phylogenetic diversification.

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