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A new species of nematode, Molinostrongylus longmenensis n.sp., parasite of the genus Molinostrongylus, is described based on specimens recovered from the small intestine of Scotophilus kuhlii Leach, 1822 (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in Longmen County, Guangdong Province, China. To date, 135 species of bat-parasitic nematodes have been reported worldwide. Overall, 13 species belonging to seven genera in three families have been described in China. The new species is characterized by the presence of three ventral and three dorsal longitudinal cuticular ridges perpendicular to the body surface, which appear posterior to the cephalic vesicle and extend to the caudal bursa in males and the posterior end in females. The female tail has two medium-sized subventral conical processes of equal length, as well as one large dorsal conical process, and one thin spine, lateral alae that extend to the position of the vulva, with a fin-like ending. In addition, the new species was also characterized using molecular approaches, such as sequencing and analyzing the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS-1) of the ribosomal DNA.

Abstract Background The whitespotted conger Conger myriaster (Brevoort) (Anguilliformes: Congridae) is an extremely marketable food fish, commonly consumed as sashimi or sushi in some Asian countries (i.e. Japan, Korea and China). Conger myriaster is also suspected as being an extremely important source of human anisakidosis. However, there is currently very little information on the levels of infection with ascaridoid nematode parasites in this economically important marine fish. The aims of the present study are to determine the species composition, prevalence and mean intensity of ascaridoid parasites of C. myriaster caught in the Zhoushan Fishery. Results A total of 1142 third-stage ascaridoid larvae were isolated from 204 C. myriaster. The overall prevalence of infection was 100% (mean intensity 5.6). Nine species of such larvae were accurately identified using integrative taxonomic techniques involving both morphological and genetic data; these included Anisakis pegreffii, A. typica and A. simplex (sensu stricto) × A. pegreffii, Hysterothylacium fabri, H. aduncum, H. sinense, H. amoyense, H. zhoushanense and Raphidascaris lophii. Although high levels of infection and species richness were revealed in C. myriaster, most of the ascaridoid parasites (1135 individuals) were collected from the body cavity and visceral organs of the fish and only seven individuals of A. pegreffii were found in the musculature. Conclusions This study represents the first report C. myriaster from the Zhoushan Fishery being heavily infected with third-stage ascaridoid larvae. Among the ascaridoid larvae parasitic in this fish, an important etiological agent of human anisakidosis, A. pegreffii (L3), represents the predominant species. The genus Hysterothylacium has the highest species richness, with H. fabri (L3) being the most prevalent species. This high level of infection of A. pegreffii (L3) in C. myriaster suggests a high risk of anisakidosis or associated allergies for people consuming raw or poorly cooked fish originating from this marine area. These findings provide important basic information on the occurrence and infection parameters of ascaridoid nematodes in this economically important marine fish. They also have significant implications for the prevention and control of human anisakidosis when conger eels from the Zhoushan Fishery are consumed.

In the present study, light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to further study the detailed morphology of Physaloptera clausa Rudolphi, 1819, based on the material collected from the Amur hedgehog E. amurensis Schrenk in China. The results revealed a few previously unreported morphological features and some morphological and morphometric variability between our specimens and the previous studies. The present supplementary morphological characters and morphometric data could help us to recognize this species more accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Durettenema guangdongense gen. et sp. nov. is described from Hipposideros larvatus (Horsfield) (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) in Guangdong Province, China. The new genus differs from the other genera of subfamily Molineinae in the structure of the synlophe, the absence of lateral alae, the arrangement of the bursa rays, the shape of the spicules, the female tail and the presence of gubernaculum. Meanwhile, considering the morphological characters of Macielia rhinolophiYin, 1980, including the pattern of the bursa ray, the shape of the spicules, and the female tail, this species should be transferred to the genus Durettenema, as D. rhinolophi (Yin, 1980) comb. nov., which can be distinguished from D. guangdongense in the shape of the ovejector. In addition, the ITS-1 sequences of D. guangdongense were also analysed, these sequence added new data for the molecular diagnosis of trichostrongylid nematodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detailed morphology of Cucullanus bourdini Petter et Le Bel, 1992 was further studied using both light and scanning electron microscopy, based on specimens collected from the yellowback fusilier Caesio xanthonota Bleeker (Perciformes: Caesionidae) from off the Taiwan Strait. In addition, C. bourdini was characterized genetically for the first time using molecular approaches by sequencing and analysing ribosomal [small ribosomal subunit (18S rDNA) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2)] and mitochondrial [cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1)] target regions. The molecular analysis of C. bourdini displayed no nucleotide differences in the 18S sequences, but detected 0.20-2.82% and 0.52-1.04% nucleotide divergence in the ITS-2 and cox1 regions, respectively. The new morphological and genetic data obtained herein would enable us to identify this hitherto little known species more rapidly and accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]