First Find of Eggs of the Nematode Baylisascaris transfuga Rudolphi, 1819 (Ascaridoidea, Nematoda) in the Late Pleistocene.

The article presents the findings of the paleoparasitological analysis of coprolites from the cave bear (Ursus kanivetz Vereshchagin, 1973). The material for research was obtained during excavations in the Ignatievskaya Cave (Southern Urals, Russia; 54°53′ N 57°46′ E). The deposits with coprolites date back to the middle of the Late Pleistocene (90 000–30 000 years ago). On the basis of the paleoparasitological analysis, eggs of the nematode characteristic of representatives of Ursidae, namely, Baylisascaris transfuga Rudolphi, 1819, have been established to be present in the coprolites. The eggs are well preserved and have not lost their morphological features. The large cave bear was infested by the nematode B. transfuga. This is the first find of the nematode B. transfuga in Pleistocene-aged sediments and the first find of parasites in coprolites of the cave bear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]