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A paleoparasitological investigation of a vertebrate coprolite from the Huai Hin Lat Formation (Upper Triassic) was carried out. Five morphotypes of potential parasite eggs or sporocysts were identified in the coprolite by microscopic analysis using thin section technique. The rounded or oval shape and thick shell of one of the five morphotypes suggests that it belongs to nematode of the order Ascaridida. Systematic assignment of other morphotypes cannot be done in detail but suggests that the host was parasitized by different species of parasites. This is the first record of parasites in terrestrial vertebrate hosts from the Late Triassic in Asia and it provides new information on parasite-host interactions during the Mesozoic era., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Nonsrirach et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

A new rictulariid nematode Pterygodermatites (Mesopectines) valladaresi n. sp., parasite of the house mouse Mus musculus (Rodentia: Muridae) in the Canary Islands (Spain) is described by means of light and scanning electron microscopy. The new species belongs to the subgenus Mesopectines characterized by a more or less dorsal orientation of the buccal capsule, the presence of three oesophageal teeth, the morphology of the oral denticles and the Spirurida type of arrangement of caudal papillae in males. The most discriminant characteristics between the new species and the existing species in the subgenus Mesopectines are (a) the number of cuticular projection pairs (62-64), (b) the size of right and left spicules (respectively, 62-90 µm and 123-139 µm), (c) the number of midventral fans in males (3-4), (d) the number of prevulvar/total cuticular projection pairs (38-42/63-71), (e) the posterior differentiation of combs into spines in relation to the position of the vulva and (f) the anterior position of the vulva in relation to the oesophagus-intestine junction in females. Parasitized hosts and geographical distribution are also useful criteria to distinguish P. (Me.) valladaresi n. sp. from the remaining species of the subgenus. In addition, the cox1 sequence of the new species is provided and compared with available data of related species., (© J. Miquel et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2022.)

A new Oxyurid genus and species are described in a rodent recently discovered in Lao PDR: Laonastes aenigmamus which happens to be the single survivor of the Diatomyidae, a family considered to be extinct since the Miocene. The morphological characters of the new parasite species allow classifying it within the Syphaciinae Railliet, 1916, a subfamily whose members are exclusively parasites of Lagomorpha and Rodents. Male Syphaciinae have developed several types of ventral cuticular ornamentation used to firmly grip the female during mating. The ornamental characters observed in the new species include a finger like appendix, which, until now, has not been described in the subfamily. The originality of this apparatus justifies the creation of a new genus and a new species for the pinworm parasite of Laonastes. Using morphological characters, the new species is analyzed phylogenetically to describe its affinities with representatives of the main groups distinguished within the Syphaciinae. The phylogenetic study produces a cladogram similar to the phylogeny recently proposed for the hosts of the subfamily and in agreement with a close association of the Diatomyidae with the Ctenodactylidae. Such a phenomenon of cophylogeny is interpreted as the result of the existence of a strict specificity between the Syphaciinae and their respective hosts, due to the very close adaptation of their life cycle with the behaviors of their hosts. In Lagomorpha and Rodents, caecotrophy and grooming activities allow a direct transmission of the parasite eggs and favor successive self-infestations, increasing the chances for the parasite to maintain itself in the same host species but decreasing the probability of host switching. The resulting high host specificity allowed the Syphaciinae to out-compete other pinworms and maintain themselves in their specific host over millions of years., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Falcaustra donanaensis sp. nov. (Nematoda, Kathlaniidae) from the large intestine of Mauremys leprosa (Testudines, Bataguridae) is described. By the absence of pseudosucker, arrangement of the male caudal papillae and the size of the spicules Falcaustra donanaensis sp. nov. resembles only to Falcaustra washingtonensis [Bursey and Aker (2001) J Parasitol 87:1082-1084], a species from Ambistoma tigrinum melanostictum in the Nearctic Region. Papillae pattern in the male of F. washingtonensis is similar to F. donanaensis, but differs by the presence of a median papilla in the American species, length of pharynx, spicule, and gubernacle in males, size of eggs, and number of eggs in female. This is the first species of Falcaustra reported in freshwater turtles in the Iberian Peninsula.

A new species of Soboliphyme from the endemic Iberian mole (Talpa occidentalis) is described. Soboliphyme occidentalis sp. nov. can be readily distinguished from all of its congeners primarily by the position of the vulva, which clearly shows a posterior oesophageal location, and the number of male caudal papillae. S. occidentalis sp. nov. is the only species that has four pairs of caudal papillae. S. abei, S. caucasica and S. jamesoni can be distinguished from S. occidentalis sp. nov. by not having a notched sucker, the anterior position of the vulva and two polar plugs in the eggs. S. jamesoni has an armate oral sucker and longer spicule; S. caucasica a longer spicule and shorter eggs, and S. abei has shorter eggs, which separate these species from S. occidentalis sp. nov. In the rest of the species with a notched oral sucker, S. baturini and S. hirudiniformis are differentiated from S. occidentalis sp. nov. by the anterior position of the vulva, two polar plugs in the egg and the spicule length in S. baturini and S. hirudiniformis and the size of eggs in S. baturini and S. hirudiniformis. S. ataahai, S. soricis and S. urotrichi have the vulva at the oesophago-intestinal junction, 9-10 male caudal papillae (S. ataahai and S. urotrichi), absence of male caudal papillae (S. soricis), armate oral sucker and long spicule in S. ataahai and one row of six circumoral spines in S. urotrichi. A key to the species of Soboliphyme is presented.

A new species of an oxyurid nematode is described from the large intestine of the lacertid lizard Podarcis sicula (Rafinesque. 1810) (Reptilia: Lacertidae) from Italy. Spauligodon aloisei n. sp. differs from other species of the genus by a combination of morphological and metrical characters, including a spined tail in males and females, absence of a spicule in males, arrangement of the last pair of the male caudal papillae, vulva location, and egg morphology. The species most similar to S. aloisei n. sp. is Spauligodon caspius Annayev, 1987, described from Tenuidactylus (=Gymnodactylus) caspius in Turkmenistan. Tail length and location of the excretory pore and vulvar opening separate S. caspius from S. aloisei n. sp. This article increases the number of species of this genus from reptiles in the Paleartic Realm to 19.

Simple Summary: A new spirurid nematode, Protospirura canariensis n. sp., a parasite of the black rat in El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain), was described by means of light and scanning electron microscopy. The morphological characteristics of the new species and the existing Protospirura species, as well as their host species and geographical distributions, were useful criteria in distinguishing P. canariensis n. sp. from the remaining species of the genus. Novel molecular phylogenetic data of the new nematode were obtained, and were compared with those from available related Protospirura species. A new spirurid nematode, Protospirura canariensis n. sp., a parasite of the black rat Rattus rattus Linnaeus, 1758 (Rodentia: Muridae), in El Hierro Island (Canary Archipelago, Spain), was described by means of light (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The most discriminating characteristics between the new species and the remaining species of the genus Protospirura were observed to be the following: (a) the number of tooth-like outgrowths in the sub-median and lateral lobes of the pseudolabia, both in males and females (2 and 4, respectively); (b) the size of the right and left spicules in males (643–715 µm and 309–412 µm, respectively); and (c) the numbers and arrangements of the cloacal papillae in males. The new species has a total of 17 cloacal papillae (4 large and pedunculated pairs of precloacal papillae, an unpaired precloacal papilla and 4 pairs of postcloacal papillae). The arrangement of the postcloacal papillae are as follows: the first pair are large, pedunculated and placed near the posterior edge of cloaca; the three remaining postcloacal pairs are grouped and located near the posterior tip. In the latter group, the papillae in the first pair are large and pedunculated. The parasitized hosts and their geographical distributions were also useful criteria in distinguishing P. canariensis n. sp. from the remaining species of the genus Protospirura. In addition, the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) sequence of the new species was obtained and compared with the available data of related species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Syphacia obvelata is a common gastro-intestinal parasitic nematode of the house mouse (Mus musculus), a prime model rodent species. Investigations of the genetic structure, variability of parasite populations and other biological aspects of this host–parasite system are limited due to the lack of genetic resources for S. obvelata. To fill this gap, we developed a set of microsatellite markers for S. obvelata, using a 454 pyrosequencing approach. We designed three multiplex panels allowing genotyping of 10 polymorphic loci and scrutinized them on 42 samples from two different regions inhabited by two different house mouse subspecies (Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus). The numbers of alleles ranged from 2 to 6 with mean observed heterozygosities 0.1476 and 0.2095 for domesticus and musculus worms, respectively. The described markers will facilitate further studies on population biology and co-evolution of this host–parasite system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]