Two new species of gill parasites assigned to Protoancylodiscoides (Monogenea, Ancyrocephalidae) from Chrysichthys spp. (Siluriformes, Claroteidae) in River Sanaga (Cameroon).

Host specimens were sampled in the middle course of the River Sanaga (Cameroon) from January to October 2014. Two new species, Protoancylodiscoides auratum n. sp. from Chrysichthys auratus and Protoancylodiscoides combesi n. sp. from C. auratus, Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus and Chrysichthys longidorsalis, are herein described. These new helminths differ from the congeneric species by the size of the haptoral sclerites, the male copulatory organ length, the diameter and morphology of the vagina. At this stage, the present study suggests that Protoancylodiscoides auratum is oioxenous, while P. combesi is stenoxenous. The two new Protoancylodiscoides species bring to three the number of those parasitizing C. auratus, and to four the number of those described from Chrysichthys spp.

Four new species of Cichlidogyrus (Monogenea, Ancyrocephalidae) from Sarotherodon mvogoi and Tylochromis sudanensis (Teleostei, Cichlidae) in Cameroon.

The four Cichlidogyrus species (Monogenea, Ancyrocephalidae) found on the gills of Sarotherodon mvogoi and Tylochromis sudanensis (Teleostei, Cichlidae) in Cameroon are considered new and are described herein. Cichlidogyrus mvogoi n. sp. from Sarotherodon mvogoi, characterised by a long (> 100 µm), thin and spirally coiled penis and a short marginal hook pair I. Cichlidogyrus sigmocirrus n. sp. from Tylochromis sudanensis, characterised by a short marginal hook pair I, a slightly spirally coiled penis with reduced heel, an accessory piece being a spirally coiled band wrapped round the penis and attached to the penis basal bulb by a very thin filament. Cichlidogyrus chrysopiformis n. sp. from Tylochromis sudanensis, characterised by an marginal hook pair I of medium size, a thin spirally coiled penis (1.5 turn) with a developed flared heel, an accessory piece being a large gutter shaped band, ending in a narrow complex extremity, and linked to the basal bulb of the penis by a very thin filament, a short, straight and slightly ringed vagina. Cichlidogyrus djietoi n. sp. from Tylochromis sudanensis, characterised by a slightly spirally coiled penis (2 turns) with developed heel, an accessory piece being a large gutter shaped band, ending in a narrow folded back extremity, a short funnel shaped vagina. The three latter species are also remarkable by the morphology of their auricles implanted on the anterior side of the dorsal transverse bar which make them (together with the other species described from Tylochromis hosts) a homogeneous and original group within Cichlidogyrus, this distinctive feature seems to be ancestral compared to other Cichlidogyrus species.

Field evaluation of synthetic sex pheromone traps for the cocoa mirid Sahlbergella singularis (Hemiptera: Miridae).

BACKGROUND: Field trapping experiments were conducted to evaluate the attractiveness of five different pheromone blends as well as the impact of trap design on attractiveness towards cocoa mirids, Sahlbergella singularis Hagl. and Distantiella theobroma (Dist.), in Cameroon. RESULTS: A total of 361 adults of S. singularis (359 males and two females) were caught. The highest numbers of mirids were found in traps with pheromone blends that combined a monoester and a diester, compared with traps with the diester or the monoester individually and control traps with no pheromone. Rectangular traps caught significantly more mirids compared with delta traps. The mean number of 5.1 mirids trap⁻¹ year⁻¹ caught in rectangular traps was significantly higher compared with the 1.8 mirids trap⁻¹ year⁻¹ for the delta traps. CONCLUSION: The data revealed that rectangular traps containing pheromone blends combining both the monoester and the diester have a good potential to lure and trap adult males of S. singularis on cocoa farms. The pheromone blends used were specific for S. singularis, and the use of pheromone traps appears to be a promising strategy for incorporation into integrated pest management strategies for the monitoring or even the control of S. singularis in cocoa plantations.

The distribution of insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae s.l. populations from Cameroon: an update.

Insecticides are a key component of vector-based malaria control programmes in Cameroon. As part of ongoing resistance surveillance efforts, Anopheles gambiae s.l. female mosquitoes were exposed to organochlorine (DDT), a carbamate (bendiocarb), an organophosphate (malathion), and three pyrethroids (deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and permethrin) in WHO bioassay test kits. Results indicated a higher level of resistance (reduced mortality and knockdown effect) to DDT and pyrethroids in populations of A. gambiae s.s. than in A. arabiensis. The West and East African knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations were found in both species but at much higher frequencies in A. gambiae s.s. The West Africa kdr mutant was also more frequent in the A. gambiae S form than in the M form. No resistance to bendiocarb and malathion was found. Carbamate and organophosphorous compounds could thus be used as alternatives in locations in Cameroon where pyrethroid-resistant populations are found.