Helminth parasites of the bufflehead duck, Bucephala albeola, wintering in the Chihuahua Desert with a checklist of helminth parasites reported from this host.

The bufflehead duck (Bucephala albeola) (Mergini) ranges from Alaska and Canada to the United States and Mexico. Buffleheads ingest invertebrates as a major component of their food throughout life. Puddle ducks (Anatinae) change mainly to vegetable foods at an early age. Loss of helminth parasite species and abundance in the fall migration has been reported for puddle ducks. This change in food has been hypothesized to cause some of the parasite loss. Nothing was known about helminth community dynamics in wintering buffleheads, including possible loss of helminths evident in puddle ducks. Helminth communities of the buffleheads were compared between wintering localities in the Chihuahua Desert of Texas and Mexico and to results from a nesting locality in Manitoba, Canada. There were no significant differences for average helminth species richness, prevalence, or abundance between the nesting and wintering grounds. Replenishment of helminths occurred in wintering buffleheads, and abundance of some helminth species increased significantly over time. The majority of helminth life cycles were indirect. These results were mostly related to the bufflehead's continued ingestion of invertebrate foods. Seven of the 41 helminth species present in buffleheads were in common to the 3 localities. Helminth community similarities between Manitoba and Texas and Manitoba and Mexico were much lower than similarity between Texas and Mexico. The dissimilarities were mostly attributable to differences in habitats but may also indicate loss of helminth species with subsequent infections with other species. The component community of the bufflehead from the Chihuahua Desert in Texas (n = 41) consisted of 23 species of helminths (10 species of cestodes, 7 trematodes, 4 nematodes, and 2 acanthocephalans) for a total of 4,008 individual specimens. Cestodes accounted for 69% of the total abundance. The component community of B. albeola from the Chihuahua Desert in Mexico (n = 26) consisted of 18 species of helminths (7 species of cestodes, 5 trematodes, 4 nematodes, and 2 acanthocephalans) for a total of 4,345 individual specimens. Cestodes accounted for 83% of the total abundance. The bufflehead shared 10 helminth species with other species of waterfowl utilizing habitats in the Chihuahua Desert. A checklist of all helminth parasites reported for buffleheads includes 27 identified to genera, 40 to species, and 12 species from buffleheads from the Chihuahua Desert in common with buffleheads from other localities.

Metazoan parasites of lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes (Charadriiformes) from southwestern United States and Alaska with a checklist of parasites reported from this host.

In total, 30 lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes (Charadriiformes), 24 from southwestern United States and 6 from Alaska, were examined for metazoan parasites. Ten species of helminths (4 cestodes, 4 trematodes, and 2 nematodes), and 5 species of ectoparasites were collected. Cestodes were the most prevalent and abundant taxon. The dominant cestode was an undescribed species of Choanotaenia. The cestode Kowalewskiella totani was the only helminth recovered from Alaskan hosts, and it was also present in birds from the southwest. It appears to be a specialist in lesser yellowlegs. The mallophagans Quadraceps falcigerus and Actornithophilus totani and the nasal mite Colinoptes cubanensis were common to birds from both geographic regions. Characteristics of the helminth community from the southwest and ectoparasite communities of this region and Alaska were low mean species richness, low mean abundance, medium diversity, and uneven distribution of parasites.

Helminth parasites in six species of shorebirds (Charadrii) from the coast of Belize.

Thirteen species of helminth parasites were recovered from six species of charadriid shorebirds (Aves: Charadriiformes) from Belize: the ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres, the snowy plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, the semipalmated plover, C. semipalmatus, the killdeer, C. vociferus, the white-rumped sandpiper, Calidris fuscicollis, and the black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola. Cestode species were predominant (N = 8), followed by trematode species (N = 3) and acanthocephala (N = 2). The trematode, Paramaritremopsis solielangi infected four of the six species of hosts. The cestodes, Nadejdolepis litoralis and N. paranitidulans infected three and two host species respectively. Helminth parasite species were contagious (clumped) and not evenly distributed among hosts. Twelve of the 13 species were generalists. The one specialist Microphallus kinsellae was recovered from one C. fuscicollis. Three of the four types of feeding guilds were present and in approximately the same number. All but M. kinsellae have been reported from other species of hosts, mostly from Eurasia and North America.

Helicoductus thulakoceras n. g., n. sp. (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) a parasite of Charadrius marginatus (Aves: Charadrii) from South Africa.

The authors describe and illustrate Helicoductus thulakoceras n. g., n. sp., a parasite of Charadrius marginatus (Aves: Charadrii) from South Africa. This hymenolepidid cestode is 1.5-3 mm long, with a rostellum armed with 10 diorchoid hooks 75-80 microm long (mean 77 microm) and anomalous terminal genital ducts. One spine (10-15 microm long) is inserted at the ventral extremity of the male genital pouch. An invaginated cirrus is absent. A non-retractable and non-invaginable external tube, 25-30 x 4-2.5 microm, appears as a spiral, sclerotinised, spinous canal, which is non-retractable, non-invaginable and directed dorso-ventrally from the genital pouch to a second ventral canal parallel with the male genital pouch; the second canal is thin and spine-like (15-20 x 1.5 microm) with a thick hyaline muff. These peculiar anatomical structures are discussed. They are considered to justify the erection of a new genus.

[Three new Nadejdolepis Spasskii & Sasskaya, 1954 (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) parasites of Charadrii (Aves) from Tasmania]. / Trois nouveaux Nadejdolepis Spasskii & Sasskaya, 1954 (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) parasites de Charadrii (Aves) de Tasmanie.

Three species of Nadejdcolepis from Tasmania, Australia, are described and illustrated. N. burgessi n. sp., a parasite of Charadrius ruficapillus, is 4-6 mm long, with rostellar nitiduloid hooks 63-66 microm long, a short evaginated cirrus 13-16 microm long with a short collar of thin spines 1 microm long, a narrow and tubular sclerotinoid vagina 40-50 long and 3-4 microm in diameter with a little ampulla 3-5 microm in diameter at the proximal end, and a membranous atrial segment with smooth, short (1 microm) and compact spines which are sometimes difficult to observe. N. smithi n. sp., a parasite of 40-50 long and 3-4 microm in diameter with a little ampulla 3-5 microm in diameter at the proximal end, and a membranous atrial segment with smooth, short (1 microm) and compact spines which are sometimes difficult to observe. N. smithi n. sp., a parasite of C. ruficapillus and Arenaria interpres, is 2-3.5 mm long, with rostellar nitiduloid hooks 90-98 microm long, a short evaginated cirrus (13 x 6.5 microm) with a short collar of thin 'bristles' of decreasing length (2-3 microm) and prolonged by a short and thin stylet, a sclerotinoid and conical vagina of 20 x 6 microm, with an ovoid ampulla 6-7 x 4-9 at its slender end, and a membranous atrial segment like that of the preceding species. N. kinsellai n. sp., a parasite of C. ruficapillus is 25-40(?) mm long, with rostellar nitiduloid hooks 89-93 microm long, a fusiform genital atrium 100 x 30 microm long with a very narrow pore, and a very long narrow cirrus-sac, which is cylindrical (not fusiform), has its aporal extremity lying in the preceding proglottis and has a slender uninterrupted wall without helicoid fibres. The poral extremity of the cirrus-sac is fastened by a long transverse muscle. An evaginated cirrus was not observed. The invaginated ejaculatory canal has two successive types of spines: a subterminal short portion (20-25 microm) with thick spines, followed by a long portion (100-120 microm) with numerous thin and compact 'bristles' 5 microm long. There is a very long convoluted spermatic duct (400-500 microm). The membranous tubular vagina is long (400-450 microm), thick-walled but not muscular and convoluted anterior to the distal part of the cirrus-sac; a chitinoid chamber, copulatory segment and sphincter are absent. Nadejdolepis species parasitic in Charadrii are reviewed. None of the species previously reported presents anatomical features similar to the three new species. N. kinsellai has morphological characters which differ in detail from other species in the genus. Hymenolepis (Hymenolepis) mudderbugtenensis Deblock & Rosé, 1962 is transferred to the genus Nadejdolepis.

[From some Hymenolepididae (Cestoda)of Alaskan Charadrii birds, where Nadejdolepis bealli n.sp., is a parasite of Calidris alpina]. / De quelques Hymenolepididae (Cestoda) d'oiseaux Charadrii d'Alaska, dont Nadejdolepis bealli n. sp., parasite de Calidris alpina.

Nadejdolepis bealli n. sp. a parasite from Calidris alpina in Alaska (USA), is described and illustrated. It is 3-4 cm long and has: rostral nitiduloid hooks 95-96 microm long, with the blade a little longer than the handle; three testes in a symmetrical triangle; a cirrus-sac 175 microm long, not crossing the median line; a cirrus borne on an unarmed basal bulb, 25 microm long when evaginated, and armed with numerous, compact and very thin spines 1 microm long; a short (25 microm) membranous and tubular vagina with neither a sclerotinoid section nor a sphincter; and a pyriform seminal receptacle. The species is differentiated from the other species of the genus with rostral hooks of comparable length by the configuration of the male and female genital ducts; they have no equivalent particularly in the shortness of the evaginated cirrus and the type of spines with which it is armed. Mention is also made of the presence of Nadejdolepis paranitidulans (Golikova, 1959) and Wardium amphitricha (Rudolphi, 1819) from the same host in Alaska.

[Three Nadejdolepis Spasskii & Spasskaya, 1954 (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) parasites of Charadrii (Aves) of Belize]. / Trois Nadejdolepis Spasskii & Spasskaya, 1954 (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) parasites de Charadrii (Aves) du Bélize.

Three Nadejdolepis from Belize, Central America, represent new geographical records (1) Nadejdolepis paranitidulans (Golikova, 1959) (rostellar hooks 40-44 microm long) from Charadrius alexandrinus; (2) N. arenariae (Cabot, 1969) n. comb. (rostellar hooks 89 microm long) from Arenaria interpres; and (3) N. litoralis (Webster, 1947) (rostellar hooks 81-85 microm long) from Calidris fuscicollis (new host record). Additional descriptions, illustrations and information pertaining to these species are included. In addition, N. saguei Rysavy. 1967 is considered a synonym of N. litoralis (Webster, 1947). N. morenoi Rysavy, 1967 (rostral hooks 80 microm long) needs to be redescribed to confirm its validity. Two species of Nadejdolepis are transferred to the genus Microsomacanthus Lopez-Neyra, 1942 because their rostellar hooks are more diorchoid than nitiduloid, becoming M. cambrensis (Davies, 1939) comb. and M. alaskensis (Deblock & Rausch, 1967) n. comb.

[Wardium longosacco (Joyeux & baer, 1939) n. comb. (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) parasite of Charadrius marginatus (Aves: Charadrii) of South Africa]. / Wardium longosacco (Joyeux & Baer, 1939) n. comb. (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) parasite de Charadrius marginatus (Aves: Charadrii) d'Afrique du sud.

The authors describe and illustrate Wardium longosacco (Joyeux & Baer, 1939) n. comb. (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) collected from Charadrius marginatus from South Africa. The species with a strobila 7 cm long is characterised by one crown of ten aploparaksoid hooks 27-30 microm long, a simple genital atrium, a long evaginated cirrus (120 microm) which is glabrous, regularly cylindrical and slender (12-6.5 microm in diameters) and a simple, tubular, membranous vagina. The species Hymenolepis clandestina sensu Deblock (1964) nec (Krabbe, 1869) is a synonym of W. longosacco (Joyeux & Baer, 1939) n. comb.

Paramaritremopsis solielangi n. sp. and Microphallus kinsellai n. sp. (Digenea: Microphallidae) parasites of Charadrii (Aves) of Belize (Central America). / Paramaritremopsis solielangi n. sp. et Microphallus kinsellai n. sp. (Digenea: Microphallidae) parasites de Charadrii (Aves) du Bélize (Amérique centrale).

The authors describe and illustrate two trematodes from Belize (Central America): Paramaritremopsis solielangi n. sp. from the small intestine of Arenaria interpres is characterised by a body length of 478 microm, two short and pre-acetabular caeca, part of the uterus in close association with the cirrus-sac and left caecum, vitelline glands in the shape of a horseshoe, a short pre-ovarian cirrus-sac containing a long, cylindrical, voluminous and unarmed cirrus (size when evaginated: 150 x 20-30 microm) and Microphallus kinsellai n. sp. from the caeca of Actitis macularia characterised by a body length of 370 microm and a phallus which is 30 microm in diameter and asymmetrical (basically a pad with a moderately developed accessory lobe) and a straight ejaculatory canal. Levinseniella carteretensis is another microphallid recovered from Arenaria interpres. The term of "phallus" is proposed to name the male copulatory organ which characterizes the Microphallinae.

[Megistospermaticus kenyensis n. comb. for Microphallus kenyensis Canaris, 1971 (Digenea : Microphallidae)]. / Megistospermaticus kenyensis n. comb. pour Microphallus kenyensis Canaris, 1971 (Digenea: Microphallidae).

The anatomical study of the male genital duct of Microphallus kenyensis Canaris, 1971 is compared with that of the genus Megistospermaticus Deblock & Canaris, 1992. This leads to its transfer to the latter genus, as Megistospermaticus kenyensis n. comb., which retains the same definition.

The metazoan parasite community of migrating greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca, from the Rio Grande Valley, Texas and New Mexico.

Forty-eight migrant greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca, collected from southwestern Texas and southeastern New Mexico were examined for metazoan parasites. Nine helminth and 7 ectoparasite species were collected. Five new host records were recorded. The helminth fauna showed little diversity, little concentration for dominance, and no significant positive or negative associations between species were found. All species of helminths showed a contagious distribution. The component helminth community consisted of 2 core, 3 secondary, and 4 satellite species, and there was no host specialist. A checklist of metazoan parasites reported from greater yellowlegs in North America is included.

Helminth parasites of the American avocet Recurvirostra americana (Aves), from the Salt Lake basin, Utah.

Five species of cestodes and 1 species of trematode, for a total of 4,770 (chi- =79.5) helminths, were obtained from 60 American avocets, Recurvirostra americana, collected from July to September 1985 and 1986 in the Salt Lake basin, Utah. The most prevalent parasite was the cestode Diplophallus coili (95%). It occurred in mature pairs 90% of the time. All species of helminths showed a contagious distribution except for mature D. coili, which had a uniform distribution. This uniform distribution, which is unusual for species of helminths, has been observed for at least 4 species of large tapeworms in the recurvirostrids. The helminth community consisted of 3 specialists, 1 generalist, and 2 of uncertain status. The same specialists have been reported also in R. americana from Texas, Colorado, and Manitoba, Canada.

Metazoan parasites of the mountain beaver, Aplodontia rufa (Rodentia: Aplodontidae), from Washington and Oregon, with a checklist of parasites.

Four species of fleas, 2 species of mites, and the cysticerci of Taenia tenuicollis were collected from mountain beavers, Aplodontia rufa, collected in Washington and Oregon. A summary of the metazoan parasites reported from A. rufa is included.

Helminth parasites of the western sandpiper, Calidris mauri (Aves), from El Paso and Hudspeth counties, Texas.

Fifty western sandpipers, Calidris mauri, from El Paso and Hudspeth counties, Texas, were collected and examined for helminth parasites. Fifty-three helminths (means abundance = 1.06, SD = 2.31) consisting of 4 cestode and 1 nematode species were collected. The helminth community showed low species richness (5), low diversity and evenness (0.05, 0.14), low concentration for dominance (0.19), and all species were contagiously distributed. There were no clearly identifiable core species.

Metazoan parasites of Himantopus mexicanus Muller (Aves) from southwestern Texas, with a checklist of helminth parasites from North America.

Nineteen species of helminths were recovered from 34 of 35 black-necked stilts, Himantopus mexicanus Muller, collected from the Fort Bliss ponds, El Paso County, Texas. New host records are marked with an. The species identified were: Acoleus vaginatus, Davainea himantopodis, Diplophallus polymorphus, Eurycestus avoceti, Hymenolepis himantopodis, Hymenolepis sp. 1, Infula macrophallus, Coacitrema michiganensis, Cyclocoelum lanceolatum, Notocotylus sp., Parastrigea mexicanus, Tanaisia fedtschenkoi, Capillaria sp., C. anatis, C. contorta, C. mergi, Chevreuxia americana, Eustronglydes mergorum, and Splendidofilaria sp. Six species of mallophagan lice and 1 species of nasal mite, Rhinonyssus himantopus, were recovered. Helminths showed little concentration for dominance (0.09), were not very evenly distributed (0.49 +/- 0.08) nor very diverse (0.73 +/- 0.14), and most species were highly aggregated. The helminth community consisted of an unusually large number of core species (10). Three large species of tapeworms exhibited mostly paired infections, were mutually exclusive, and were negatively associated (-1).

Gastrointestinal helminths of the Mexican duck, Anas platyrhynchos diazi Ridgway, from north central Mexico and southwestern United States.

Twenty-five species of helminths, recovered from the gastrointestinal tracts of 129 Mexican ducks from Mexico and the United States, were all new host records. The species included: Echinoparyphium recurvatum, Echinostoma revolutum, Hypoderaeum conoideum, Notocotylus attenuatus, Prosthogonimus cuneatus, Zygocotyle lunata, Anomotaenia ciliata, Cloacotaenia megalops, Diorchis bulbodes, Diorchis sp., Drepanidotaenia lanceolata, Echinocotyle rosseteri, Fimbriaria fasciolaris, Fimbriarioides sp., Hymenolepis sp. 1, Hymenolepis sp. 2, Sobolevicanthus gracilis. Corynosoma constrictum, Polymorphus minutus, Amidostomum acutum, Echinuria sp., Epomidiostomum crami, Hystrichis varispinosus, Rusguniella arctica, and Tetrameres sp. Fimbriarioides sp. occurred predominantly in ducks from south-central Chihuahua, Mexico. The distributions for the other 24 species of the helminths were not significantly different among the four collecting areas. The helminth fauna for the 32 complete specimens and 97 intestinal tracts was distributed relatively evenly among the hosts with a calculated mean evenness of 0.77 +/- 0.15 and 0.89 +/- 0.03 respectively. The parasite fauna was more similar to those of the black duck Anas rubripes Brewster of eastern North America (53%), the mallard, Anas platyrhynchos (L.) (49%), and the mottled duck, Anas fulvigula Ridgway, from Florida (45%), than to the green-winged teal, Anas crecca (L.) (36%), the gadwall, Anas strepera (L.) (30%), and the American wigeon, Anas americana Gmelin (26%), collected in the Southwest.

Parasites of waterfowl, from southwest Texas: III. The green-winged teal, Anas crecca.

Seventy of 72 green-winged teal, Anas crecca, from southwest Texas were infected with parasites. Seventeen species of endoparasites were recorded: Notocotylus attenuatus, Zygocotyle lunata, Typhlocoelum sisowi, Echinostoma revolutum, Hypoderaeum conoideum, Dendritobilharzia pulverulenta, Cloacotaenia megalops, Sobolevicanthus gracilis, Sobolevicanthus krabbeella, Gastrotaenia cygni, Amidostomum acutum, Amidostomum anseris, Tetrameres crami, Echinuria uncinata, Corynosoma constrictum, Polymorphus minutus. Also recorded were five species of ectoparasites: Trinoton querquedulae, Anaticola crassicornis, Anatoecous icterodes, Holomenopon setigerum and Epidermoptes sp. and the sacrosporidian, Sarcocystis rileyi. Anatoecous icterodes is a new host record for A. crecca. Sobolevicanthus gracilis, S. krabbeella, T. sisowi, and D. pulverulenta are new records for A. crecca in North America. Sobolevicanthus krabbeella is also a new record for North America. Fall juveniles had greater mean parasite intensity (29) than fall (19) and spring adults (19). Juveniles were infected with fewer species of parasites (17) than adults (20). Simpson's index was very low (0.11) indicating a diverse parasite fauna. Sorenson's index of similarity indicated that the parasite fauna for green-winged teal from southwest Texas was more similar to the shoveler's, Anas clypeata, parasites reported from southwest Texas (55%) than to green-winged teal parasites reported from eastern Canada (41%) and New Brunswick, Canada (21%).

Helminths and ectoparasites of the common snipe (Capella gallinago L.) from Southwest Texas and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado.

Sixty common snipe, (Capella gallinago), collected from Hudspeth County, Texas and 13 collected from Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado were examined for metazoan parasites. The parasites recovered were Cestoda: Amoebotaenia fuhrmanni, Haploparaxis brachyphallos, Haploparaxis crassirostris, Haploparaxis echinovatum, Haploparaxis sp., Hymenolepis calumnacantha, Hymenolepis sp. I, Hymenolepis sp. II; Trematoda: Cyclocoelum mutabile, Echinostoma revolutum, Tanaisia fedtschenkoi; Nematoda: Capillaria contorta, Cosmocephalus capellae, Tetrameres coloradensis; Acanthocephala: Arhythmorhynchus capellae; Mallophaga: Austromenopon duristosum and Rhynonirmus scolopacis. More species of parasites were recovered from fall migrants; (12), than from spring migrants, (10). The cestode Haploparaxis echinovatum was recorded from North America for the first time. The parasite fauna recorded in this study did show some concentration for dominance by Simpson's index (0.33). This parasite fauna was most similar to that reported by Schmidt from snipe collected in Northern Colorado (67%).