Malacological survey along the intertidal zone of Las Piñas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area

Background@#One of the eight Ramsar sites in the Philippines is the Las Piňas – Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area(LPPCHEA), and it plays a significant role in the East Asian-Australian Flyway as a stopover site. The migratory birds coming from the north of Asia and Alaska feed on the molluscs in this area. However, there is paucity of literature on the species composition of molluscs found in this critical habitat. Baseline information on these organisms is essential as they are subject to the effects of anthropogenic activities close to and in the wetland, which in turn can have an impact on the ecosystem, particularly the birds foraging in this location. @*Methodology@#The Natural Geography of in-Shore areas (NaGISA) protocol was used for the study. Transects were laid in three sampling sites in Freedom Island and Long Island. The sampling sites were GPS-referenced. A cylinder corer was used to collect mudflat soil, with the corer pushed into the sediment. Soil samples were sieved using a 0.5mm stainless mesh sieve pan, leaving shells and larger sand grains. The molluscs were sorted and identified through taxonomic keys. Sampling was done once for each site in November 2012. @*Results and Discussion@#A total of 61 molluscan species belonging to two classes, 14 orders, and 33 molluscan families were identified and recorded. There were 34 species under the Class Gastropoda that belong to 5 orders and 18 families. For Class Bivalvia, there were 27 species belonging to 8 orders and 15 families. Among the molluscs recorded, 10 species were identified as non-indigenous. It is important to monitor molluscan species as anthropogenic activities may affect these organisms, and in turn, affect the wetland's function for migratory birds. The presence of non-indigenous species may be a potential threat to the ecosystem.@*Conclusion@#Baseline information of the molluscan community in the LPPCHEA was provided by the study. These species provide diet to the endemic and migratory birds in the area. There is a need to monitor these molluscs due to the effects of the man-caused activities close to the area. Also, the non-indigenous species should be studied for their potential to be invasive.

Infections with Digenetic Trematode Metacercariae in Freshwater Fishes from Two Visiting Sites of Migratory Birds in Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea

The infection status of digenetic trematode metacercariae (DTM) was investigated in fishes from 2 representative visiting sites of migratory birds in Gyeongsangnam-do, the Republic of Korea (Korea). A totaly 220 freshwater fishes (7 species) were collected from Junam-jeosuji (reservoir), and 127 fishes (7 species) were also collected from Woopo-neup (swamp) in June and October 2017. As the control group, total 312 fish (22 spp.) from Yangcheon in Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do were also collected in June and October 2017. All fishes collected in 3 sites were examined with the artificial digestion method. In the fishes from Junam-jeosuji, more than 4 species, i.e., Clonorchis sinensis, Echinostoma spp., Diplostomum spp. and Cyathocotyle orientalis, of DTM were detected and their endemicy was very low, 0.70. More than 6 species, i.e., C. sinensis, Echinostoma spp., Metorchis orientalis, Clinostomum complanatum, Diplostomum spp. and C. orientalis, of DTM were found in the fishes from Woopo-neup, and their endemicy was low, 5.16. In the fishes from Yangcheon, more than 8 species, i.e., C. sinensis, Metagonimus spp., Centrocestus armatus, C. complanatum, C. orientalis, M. orientalis, Echinostoma spp., and Diplostomum spp., of DTM were detected, and their endemicity was relatively high, 95.48. The percentages of avian trematode metacercariae (ATM) were 99.6% and 94.7% in fishes from Junam-jeosuji and Woopo-neup whereas it was 74.1% in the control site, Yangcheon. The above findings suggested that migratory birds partly affect in endemicity of DTM in the fish in the 2 visiting sites in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea.

Three Echinostome Species from Wild Birds in the Republic of Korea

Three echinostome species, i.e., Patagifer bilobus, Petasiger neocomense, and Saakotrema metatestis, are newly recorded in the trematode fauna of the Republic of Korea. They were recovered from 3 species of migratory birds (Platalea minor, Podiceps cristatus, and Egretta garzetta), which were donated by the Wildlife Center of Chungbuk (WCC) and the Conservation Genome Resource Bank for Korean Wildlife (CGRB). Only 1 P. bilobus specimen was recovered from the intestine of a black-faced spoonbill (P. minor), and characterized by the bilobed head crown with a deep dorsal incision and 54 collar spines. Twenty P. neocomense were recovered from the intestine of a great crested grebe (P. cristatus), and they had a well-developed head crown with 19 spines and 2 testes obliquely located at the posterior middle of the body. Total 70 S. metatestis were collected from the bursa of Fabricius of 1 little egret (E. garzetta). It is characterized by stout tegumental spines covered in the entire leaf-shaped body, posterior extension of the uterus, presence of the uroproct and a well-developed head crown with 12 pairs of collar spines on each side. By the present study, these 3 echinostome species are newly added to the trematode fauna in Korea.