A review and comparison of the nematode assemblages of the Australian golden bandicoot, Isoodon auratus, the quenda, I. fusciventer and southern brown bandicoot, I. obesulus (Peramelidae), from material held in the south Australian museum.

A total of 333 vials of nematodes collected from three species of Isoodon (representing three individuals of I. auratus, 63 of I. fusciventer and 92 of I. obesulus) held in the Australian Helminthological Collection of the South Australian Museum were examined. Nematodes were identified and the nematode assemblages of the three hosts were compared with each other and with the assemblage of Isoodon macrourus. Two fully identified species were recovered from I. auratus, eight from I. fusciventer and 14 from I. obesulus. None of the species occurred in all three hosts; Labiobulura inglisi (Subuluridae), Peramelistrongylus skedastos (Dromaeostrongylidae) and Asymmetracantha tasmaniensis (Mackerrastrongylidae) all occurred in I. fusciventer and I. obesulus. Only Pe. skedastos was also found in I. macrourus. Sorensen's index of similarity, 27.2 %, showed that I. fusciventer and I. obesulus did not have similar nematode communities and neither were their communities similar to that of I. macrourus, 17.1 % and 39.0 % respectively. Labiobulura inglisi and Linstowinema inglisi were the dominant nematodes in the assemblage of I. fusciventer and La. inglisi was dominant in I. obesulus. The two hosts had nematode assemblages with unique species profiles; one species of Linstowinema in I. fusciventer, three in I. obesulus; a species of Physaloptera in I. obesulus, none in I. fusciventer; four species of strongylid; Asymmetracantha tasmaniensis the most prevalent in I. fusciventer, Peramelistrongylus skedastos the most prevalent in I.obesulus. The size of the geographic range is a probable determinant of the species richness of the nematode assemblages.

A review of the nematode assemblage of the Australian bandicoot, Isoodon macrourus (Peramelidae), from material held in the South Australian Museum with the description of Sprattellus cassonei n. sp. (Mackerrastrongylidae).

A total of 235 vials of nematodes held in the Australian Helminthological Collection of the South Australian Museum from 125 individuals of Isoodon macrourus were examined. The nematode assemblage of I. macrourus, comprising 12 families, including 16 genera and 23 identified species, was compared with the sympatric bandicoot species Perameles nasuta, 20 identified species (Sorensen's index of similarity 0.56) and P. pallescens, 12 identified species (Sorensen's index 0.51). Sprattellus cassonei n. sp. is distinguished from its congeners by having a synlophe with 7-8 ridges with the anterior ventral ridges interrupted, the morphology of the dorsal ray and the branching of the spicule tips. A single male specimen identified as Linstowinema sp. 1. is characterised by seven circles of body hooks, the oesophagus terminating at the level of the seventh circle and robust scale-like spines on the posterior ventral body. A complete description of the species will require additional material, including females. Difficulties in identifying individuals of the genus Mackerrastrongylus to species level are discussed. Overall similarities in the nematode assemblages of the three bandicoot hosts are likely due to shared relationships and similar behaviours.

Nematodes from the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii (Boitard)), with the description of Sarcophiloxyuris longus n. gen. and n. sp. (Oxyuridae).

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii (Boitard)) is an endangered carnivorous marsupial, limited to the islands of Tasmania in southern Australia. The parasites of the Tasmanian devil are understudied. This study aimed to increase the knowledge of the nematode fauna of Tasmanian devils. Ten Tasmanian devils were examined for parasites from northern and southern Tasmania. Nematodes that were collected were morphologically characterized as two separate species. Molecular sequencing was undertaken to verify the identity of these species. A new genus and species of oxyurid nematode was collected from a single Tasmanian devil from the northern part of Tasmania. The nematode is differentiated from oxyurids described from other Australian amphibians, reptiles and marsupials by the characters of the male posterior end - that is, in having three pairs of caudal papillae, two pairs peri-cloacal, one large pair post-cloacal, a long tapering tail, a stout spicule and a gubernaculum and accessory piece, as well as its much larger overall size. Molecular sequencing was unsuccessful. The remaining nematodes collected from the Tasmanian devil in this study were all identified as Baylisascaris tasmaniensis Sprent, 1970, through morphology and molecular sequencing. This paper presents the first description of a new genus and species of oxyurid nematode from the Tasmanian devil, Sarcophiloxyuris longus n. gen., n. sp. The need to undertake more sampling of the parasites of endangered hosts, such as the Tasmanian devil, to assist with a better understanding of their conservation management, is discussed.

Helminths of the mallard Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 from Austria, with emphasis on the morphological variability of Polymorphus minutus Goeze, 1782.

The mallard Anas platyrhynchos is the most abundant water bird species in Austria, but there is no record of its helminth community. Therefore, this work aimed to close that gap by recording and analysing the parasite community of a large number of birds from Austria for the first time. A total of 60 specimens shot by hunters in autumn were examined for intestinal parasites. The following taxa were recovered (prevalence given in parentheses): Cestoda: Diorchis sp. (31.7%) and Fimbriarioides intermedia (1.7%); Acanthocephala: Filicollis anatis (5%), Polymorphus minutus (30%) and one cystacanth unidentified (1.7%); Trematoda: Apatemon gracilis (3.3%), Echinostoma grandis (6.7%), Echinostoma revolutum (6.7%) and Notocotylus attenuatus (23.3%); Nematoda: Porrocaecum crassum (1.7%) and one not identified (1.7%). The frequency distribution of parasites showed a typical pattern in which 39 birds (65%) were either not parasitized or were harbouring up to five worms, whereas more intense infestations occurred in a lesser number of hosts. Compared to other studies from central and eastern Europe, an extremely depauperate helminth community, particularly of the cestodes and nematodes, was found. Polymorphus minutus was observed as having highly variable morphology and, therefore, molecular genetic characterization by DNA barcoding was carried out. Species identification was confirmed by comparing data with the reference cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene sequence from P. minutus available in GenBank.

A new species of Pseudoacanthocephalus (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) from the guttural toad, Sclerophrys gutturalis (Bufonidae), introduced into Mauritius, with comments on the implications of the introductions of toads and their parasites into the UK.

Pseudoacanthocephalus goodmani n. sp. is described from faecal pellets collected from Sclerophrys gutturalis (Power, 1927), the guttural toad. The species is characterized by a suite of characters, including a proboscis armature of 14-18 longitudinal rows of 4-6 hooks with simple roots, lemnisci longer than the proboscis receptacle, equatorial testes, a cluster of elongated cement glands and eggs without polar prolongations of the middle membrane 72.6-85.8 long. The toad had been accidentally translocated from Mauritius to the UK in a tourist's luggage and survived a washing machine cycle. The guttural toad was introduced into Mauritius from South Africa in 1922 and the cane toad, Rhinella marina (Linneaus, 1758), from South America, between 1936 and 1938. It seems most likely, therefore, that P. goodmani was introduced, with the guttural toad, from South Africa. The cane toad is host to the similar species, Pseudoacanthocephalus lutzi, from the Americas, but P. lutzi has not been recorded from places where the cane toad has been introduced elsewhere. Clearly, the guttural toad is a hardy and adaptable species, although it seems unlikely that it could become established in Northern Europe. Nevertheless, any accidental translocation of hosts poses the potential risk of introducing unwanted pathogens into the environment and should be guarded against.

The first report of cerebral, pulmonary and gastrointestinal angiostrongyliasis in the water rat Hydromys chrysogaster from Queensland, Australia.

We describe the first case of angiostrongyliasis in a water rat, Hydromys chrysogaster, a large rodent adapted to aquatic life, which is endemic to Australia, New Guinea and adjacent islands.

Occurrence of Contracaecum bancrofti larvae in fish in the Murray-Darling Basin.

There is a paucity of information on the diversity and occurrence of freshwater fish parasites in Australia. This study investigates the distribution and occurrence of a parasitic nematode of the genus Contracaecum in freshwater fish from south-eastern Australia. Fish (n = 508) belonging to nine species and eight families were collected from eight wetlands associated with the Murrumbidgee River floodplain in the southern Murray-Darling Basin and subjected to laboratory examination. Third-stage nematode larvae were found in eight of the nine fish species. The exception was the fly-specked hardeyhead (Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum), although only one specimen of this species was examined. Nematode larvae were identified as Contracaecum bancrofti using a combined morphological and molecular approach. The parasite was most prevalent in weather loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus; 34.8%) and Australian smelt (Retropinna semoni; 21.4%), followed by carp (Cyprinus carpio; 9.5%), of which the former and latter are non-native species. Contracaecum prevalence differed between locations, with Two Bridges having the highest number of infected fish. This may be due to the higher number of suitable host species collected at these localities. Contracaecum spp. are parasites with low host specificity that have also been reported in Australian marine fish, humans and piscivorous birds. The high parasite prevalence in the two abundant non-native fish species in the region suggests that they act as a suitable host for this endemic parasite, resulting in the increase in the parasite population. It would be interesting to study host-parasite interactions in this area, especially if introduced fish populations declined dramatically in the attempt to eradicate them or control their population.

A review of the Acanthocephala parasitising freshwater fishes in Australia.

The acanthocephalan fauna of Australian freshwater fishes was documented from field surveys, a literature survey and examination of specimens registered in Australian museums. From the 4030 fishes, representing 78 of the 354 Australian freshwater fish species (22%), examined for infection seven species of acanthocephalan were recovered. These species comprised five endemic species, three in endemic genera, two species in cosmopolitan genera, one species not fully identified and 1 putative exotic species recovered from eight species of fish. Of these Edmonsacanthus blairi from Melanotaenia splendida, was the only acanthocephalan found at a relatively high prevalence of 38·6%. These findings are indicative of a highly endemic and possibly depauperate acanthocephalan fauna. Species richness was higher in the tropical regions than the temperate regions of the country. Exotic acanthocephalan species have either not been introduced with their exotic hosts or have been unable to establish their life cycles in Australian conditions. Consequently, acanthocephalans have not yet invaded endemic Australian fish hosts.

Morphological and molecular characterization of two new species of Andracantha (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) from New Zealand shags (Phalacrocoracidae) and penguins (Spheniscidae) with a key to the species.

Two new species of Andracantha (Polymorphidae) are described from the intestine of the shags Leucocarbo chalconotus (Gray) and Phalacrocorax punctatus (Sparrman), and the penguin Eudyptula minor (Forster) from southern South Island, New Zealand. Andracantha leucocarboi n. sp. is distinguished from its congeners by having no genital or ventral trunk spines, but possessing a scattering of small spines between the anterior fields of spines. This is the first record of a species of Andracantha from a penguin. Circumbursal papillae are illustrated in a scanning electron micrograph for the first time in the polymorphids. Andracantha sigma n. sp. is distinguished by the sigmoid shape of its largest proboscis hook, hook VIII, and having the ventral field separated from the posterior disc field by an aspinous gap. A Maximum Likelihood tree from cox1 and large ribosomal subunit (LSU) data shows A. leucocarboi n. sp. to be more closely related to A. gravida than A. sigma n. sp. and the genus Andracantha as sister to Corynosoma spp. Genetic distances between species of Andracantha are comparatively large. A key to the species of Andracantha is provided.

The gastrointestinal helminths of Rattus niobe (Rodentia: Muridae) with descriptions of two new genera and three new species (Nematoda) from Papua New Guinea and Papua Indonesia.

Cestodes, to be identified elsewhere, the acanthocephalan Moniliformis moniliformis and 15 species of nematode including 2 new genera, a new species and 2 putative new species from the families Heligmonellidae and Oxyuridae, as well as juveniles and a putative heligmonellid that could not be fully identified, were collected from the digestive tracts of 34 Rattus niobe (Muridae: Murinae: Rattini) from Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The ascaridid, Toxocara mackerrasae, the chabertiid Cyclodontostomum purvisi, the heterakid Heterakis sp., the spirurids Protospirura kaindiensis and P. muricola the subulurid Subulura andersoni and the trichurids Eucoleus sp. and Trichuris muris have been reported previously from endemic Rattus spp. Syphacia (Syphacia) niobe n. sp. was distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters including a round cephalic plate, the lack of cervical and lateral alae, a longer male tail and an attenuated female tail. Nugininema titokis n. gen., n. sp. differs from all other genera in the Heligmonellidae in the characters of the synlophe, 10-17 ridges orientated subfrontally at mid body and 2 right ventral ridges hypertrophied anteriorly. Rodentanema aenigma n. gen., n. sp. differs from all other genera in the Heligmonellidae in the characters of the synlophe 6-7 ridges at mid body not symmetrical in relation to frontal axis. Species richness of the nematode assemblage was similar to that reported for Rattus leucopus in Papua New Guinea, with about 90% of possible species found as indicated by bootstrap analysis. Species composition included 6 species unique to R. niobe and 7 species reported from at least one other species of Rattus indigenous to New Guinea, as well as juvenile worms, probably ascaridids.

Bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and house mice (Mus musculus musculus; M. m. domesticus) in Europe are each parasitized by their own distinct species of Aspiculuris (Nematoda, Oxyurida).

The molecular phylogeny and morphology of the oxyuroid nematode genus Aspiculuris from voles and house mice has been examined. Worms collected from Myodes glareolus in Poland, Eire and the UK are identified as Aspiculuris tianjinensis, previously known only from China, while worms from Mus musculus from a range of locations in Europe and from laboratory mice, all conformed to the description of Aspiculuris tetraptera. Worms from voles and house mice are not closely related and are not derived from each other, with A. tianjinensis being most closely related to Aspiculuris dinniki from snow voles and to an isolate from Microtus longicaudus in the Nearctic. Both A. tianjinensis and A. tetraptera appear to represent recent radiations within their host groups; in voles, this radiation cannot be more than 2 million years old, while in commensal house mice it is likely to be less than 10,000 years old. The potential of Aspiculuris spp. as markers of host evolution is highlighted.

Gastrointestinal helminths (Cestoda, Chabertiidae and Heligmonellidae) of Pogonomys loriae and Pogonomys macrourus (Rodentia: Muridae) from Papua Indonesia and Papua New Guinea with the description of a new genus and two new species.

Pieces of cestode, not indentified further, and 12 species of nematode including 1 new genus, 3 new species and 7 putative new species from the Families Chabertiidae and Heligmonellidae were collected from the digestive tracts of 16 Pogonomys loriae and 19 P. macrurous (Murinae: Hydromyini) from Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The chabertiid Cyclodontostomum purvisi and the heligmonellid Odilia mackerrasae have been described previously from endemic murids. Hasanuddinia pogonomyos n. sp. can be distinguished from its congeners by the number of ridges in the synlophe, length of spicules and having a vagina with a dorsal diverticulum. Odilia dividua n. sp. is larger than its congeners, has a longer oesophagus, relatively shorter spicules and larger eggs. Pogonomystrongylus domaensis n. gen., n. sp. differs from all other genera in the Heligmonellidae in the characters of the synlophe, 7-10 ridges oriented sub frontally with a single left ventral ridge hypertrophied. Species richness of the nematode assemblages of P. loriae and P. macrourus are comparable to those of Abeomelomys sevia, Chiruromys vates and Coccymys rummleri when numbers of hosts examined are considered. Species composition was distinctive with 12, including the 7 putative species, of 14 species presently known only from species of Pogonomys. Similarities between the nematode fauna of endemic rodent hosts from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea were noted.

A review of the genus Neoechinorhynchus (Acanthocephala:Neoechinorhynchidae) from Australia with the description of two new species.

Abstract Eight species of Neoechinorhynchus were reported from Australian waters. Neoechinorhynchus vittiformis n. sp. is described from Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw). It can be distinguished from all its congeners by the following combination of characters: long cylindrical trunk without cuticular plaques, globular proboscis, proboscis armature with the anterior circle of hooks larger with simple roots and the middle and posterior hooks the same size and smaller, short neck, lemnisci nearly equal, almost reaching the anterior testis which is more than half the length of the posterior testis. Neoechinorhynchus (Neoechinorhynchus) bryanti n. sp., described from Liza subviridis (Valenciennes), also with an elongated trunk, can be distinguished from its congeners by the combination of a wider anterior trunk without cuticular plaques, a relatively long conical neck, a subglobular proboscis having anterior hooks with manubria, the hooks becoming gradually smaller posteriorly, the lemnisci not reaching level of testes and the anterior testis being longer than posterior testis. Neoechinorhynchus sp. resembled Neoechinorhynchus aldrichettae Edmonds, 1971 but had a rectangular-shaped proboscis with larger anterior hooks. New host and locality records were presented for N. aldrichettae, Neoechinorhynchus (Hebesoma) agilis (Rudolphi) and Neoechinorhynchus tylosuri Yamaguti, 1939 . No additional specimens of either Neoechinorhynchus ningalooensis Pichelin and Cribb, 2001 or the species inquirenda, Neoechinorhynchus magnus Southwell and Macfie, 1925, were available for study. Of the 8 putative species listed here, 5 (N. [N.] bryanti, N. magnus , N. ningalooensis, N. vittiformis, and Neoechinorhynchus sp.) are endemic to Australian waters. By comparison with the North American fauna the Australian fauna was considered impoverished. The morphological and zoogeographical similarities within the group of 8 long, slender neoechinorhynchid species found in the African, Indo Malayan, and Western Pacific Regions, including the 3 found in Australia, may reflect a degree of evolutionary affinity.

Nematodes from the caecum and colon of Pogonomys (Muridae: Anisomyini) from Papua New Guinea with the descriptions of a new genus of Oxyuridae (Nematoda: Oxyurida) and a new species of Trichuridae (Nematoda: Enoplida).

Nematodes, comprising 2 species, a new genus from the family Syphaciidae and a new species from the family Trichuridae were collected from the lower digestive tracts of 4 species of Pogonomys; P. championi, Flannery (12 individuals), P. loriae, Thomas (14 individuals), P. macrourus, (Milne Edwards) (19 individuals) and P. sylvestris, Thomas (27 individuals) from Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Pogonomicola rugala n. gen., n. sp. differs from all other genera in the Sypaciidae in having cervical alae with numerous folds and a single weakly defined mamelon. Trichuris germani n. sp. differs from all congeners, including the cosmopolitan T. muris, the only other trichurid reported from the region, by the lengths of the spicules and vagina, the ratio of anterior to posterior body length and the number of convolutions of the testis. The genus Pogonomys, with four species from four nematode families had a relatively rich helminth fauna in the lower digestive tract compared to other ansomyins studied. The Oxyuridae, with three genera comprising 5 species was the dominant group found in the lower digestive tract of the Anisomyini, indicating the possibility that the isolation of the old endemic rodents in New Guinea has been associated with a period of coevolution between anisomyin hosts and their syphaciine parasites.

Parasite assemblages of Australian species of Pseudomys (Rodentia: Muridae: Murinae).

The parasite fauna of many Australian rodents is poorly known. The ectoparasite and helminth faunas of Pseudomys delicatulus, Pseudomys desertor, Pseudomys gracilicaudatus, and Pseudomys hermannsburgensis were determined and compared. In total, 12 species of arthropods, 2 cestodes, and 13 nematodes were found. Species richness of parasites was highest in P. hermannsburgensis and lowest in P. desertor. Despite the sampling effort, the number of parasite species discovered did not reach an asymptote for any of the host species, indicating that the full parasite fauna was not examined. Helminth species richness was highest in the insectivorous P. hermannsburgensis and lower in the obligate herbivores. The structure of parasite component communities was influenced by the social structure of the host species, not surprisingly, with the most highly social species having the highest richness of parasites. Habitat preferences also provided contrast between the helminth component communities, with heligmonellid nematodes occurring in damp woodlands and dominating the parasite fauna of P. gracilicaudatus. Oxyurid nematodes dominated the component communities of the 3 other species, all of which inhabit drier habitats.

The gastrointestinal helminths of Lorentzimys nouhuysi (Rodentia: Muridae) with descriptions of two new genera and three new species (Nematoda) from Papua New Guinea.

Helminths, 3 cestode and 8 nematode species, including 2 new genera, 5 new species, and 1 putative new species, of nematode were collected from the digestive tracts of 23 Lorentzimys nouhuysi (Murinae; Hydromyini) from Papua New Guinea. Odilia wauensis n. sp. (Heligmonellidae) most closely resembles Odilia mallomyos Hasegawa and Syafruddin, 1994, but differs from this species in the detail of the synlophe ridges, the length and tip shape of the spicules, the absence of a gubernaculum, and the size of the eggs. Papuastrongylus kishinamiae n. gen., n. sp. differs from all other genera in the Herpetostrongylidae in the form of the synlophe and spicules, the lack of a gubernaculum, and in being monodelphic. Syphacia lorentzimyos n. sp. and Syphacia mamelonitenuis n. sp. (Oxyuridae) differ from all other species in having a circular cephalic plate and from each other in that S. mamelonitenuis lacks lateral alae. Lorentzicola woolleyae n. gen., n. sp. differs from all other genera in the Oxyuridae (Syphaciini) in having the peribuccal wall with denticles, a simple esophagus, and males with 3 mamelons of the Syphacia type. The helminth assemblage of L. nouhuysi did not resemble that of any other hydromyin rodent from the region studied thus far.

A redescription of Protospirura muricola Gedoelst, 1916 (Nematoda: Spiruridae), a parasite of murid rodents.

The spirurid nematode Protospirura muricola Gedoelst, 1916 is redescribed from Acomys dimidiatus (Desmarest) from the St Katherine Protectorate, Sinai, Egypt. Egyptian material closely resembled specimens of P. muricola from African mammals re-examined in this study, as well as conforming to published reports of this species. P. muricola with two denticles on each lateral lobe of the pseudolabia and six pairs of postanal papillae is closest to P. pseudomuris Yokohata & Abe, 1989, but can be readily distinguished in having the right spicule shorter than the left. The significance of the characteristics of the head and mouth, and of the male spicules, in characterising Protospirura Seurat, 1914 is evaluated. P. muricola, an African parasite of rodents, appears to have spread globally with synanthropic rat final hosts and possibly with the cosmopolitan dermapteran intermediate host Leucophaea maderae (Fabr.).

Acanthocephalus reunionensis n sp (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae), a parasite of Anguilla species (Anguillidae) from Reunion Island.

In a survey of 118 eels Anguilla bicolor, A. marmorata and A. mossambica, (Anguillidae) indigenous to Reunion Island in the Mascarene island group, western Indian Ocean, a new species of acanthocephalan, Acanthocepholus reunionensis n. sp., was found. With a proboscis hook formula of 19 rows of 4-5 hooks, and elongated cement glands arranged in three pairs, this species differs from all other species in the genus. This is the first record of the genus Acanthocephalus occurring in eels from the African Region.

Species of Mediorhynchus (Acanthocephala: Gigantorhynchidae) in Australian birds with the description of Mediorhynchus colluricinclae n. sp..

Four species of Mediorhynchus are identified from Australian birds. New locality records are given for Mediorhynchus alecturae (Johnston and Mawson, 1947) Golvan, 1962 and new host and locality records for M. corcoracis Johnston and Edmonds, 1951. Mediorhychus grandis has been reported from Australian hosts, but this record could not be verified. Two females from Acanthogenys rufogularis and the anterior portion of a single female from a "gull" had characters of proboscis armature, lemnisci, and eggs that precluded them being assigned to any of the presently known species of Mediorhynchus. Mediorhynchus colluricinclae n. sp. was found in pomatostomatids from South Australian localities. A high degree of host specificity is recorded for M. corcoracis and M. colluricinclae. Selection of specific dietary items may be one filter that influences the degree of host specificity encountered.

Profilicollis novaezelandensis n. sp. (Polymorphidae) and two other acanthocephalan parasites from shore birds (Haematopodidae and Scolopacidae) in New Zealand, with records of two species in intertidal crabs (Decapoda: Grapsidae and Ocypodidae).

Profilicollis novaezelandensis n. sp. (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) is described from the South Island pied oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus finschi Martens (Haematopodidae) and the intertidal crab Hemigrapsus crenulatus (Milne Edwards) (Brachyura: Grapsidae) from the South Island of New Zealand. The new species can be distinguished from all the other species of the genus by a combination of the following characters: long neck (13% of total body length for adults) and a subspherical proboscis with 14-16 longitudinal rows of 7-8 hooks. The mud crabs Helice crassa Dana (Grapsidae) and Macrophthalmus hirtipes (Heller) (Ocypodidae) were also harbouring cystacanths and the bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica (Linnaeus) (Scolopacidae) juveniles of P. novaezelandensis. This is the first record of brachyuran decapods as intermediate hosts of Acanthocephala from New Zealand. P. antarcticus is recorded from three crab species (Helice crassa, Hemigraspus crenulatus and Macrophthalmus hirtipes) and two bird species (Haematopus o. finschi and Limosa lapponica) in New Zealand. An unidentified species of Plagiorhynchus was also found in two bird species (H. o. finschi and H. unicolor Forster). P. antarcticus and P. novaezelandensis are the first records of Profilicollis from New Zealand.