Redescription of Echinocoleus hydrochoeri (Travassos, 1916) (Nematoda: Trichuridae) from Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris Linnaeus, 1766 (Rodentia: Caviidae) from Argentina.

Twenty-eight Capillariinae species have been recorded in rodents; 1 of these species was reported from a caviomorph rodent, Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris (capybara), and placed in the genus Echinocoleus by Moravec (1982). However, both original description and subsequent contributions of Echinocoleus hydrochoeri are poor and incomplete. In this paper, this species is redescribed, and a new geographical distribution is reported. The redescription is based on morphologic and morphometrical features; intestine ends in a cloaca beside ejaculatory duct, caudal bursa composed of 2 large ventrolateral lobes with a fleshy internal part and a membranous external part (they are not united dorsally with a membrane), 1 pair of caudal papillae, terminal part of cylindrical cirrus ornamented with thin and thick spines (and particular pattern distribution), sclerotized spicule in male, and vulvar appendage in female, and 3 bacillary bands (1 ventral and 2 lateral). Generic and specific analyses were performed to establish new standards for future studies on the systematic position of Capillariinae species. This study presents new morphological information and a new record of a capillariid species from Argentina.

First report of Eucoleus boehmi (syn. Capillaria boehmi) in dogs in north-western Italy, with scanning electron microscopy of the eggs.

Dogs can be infected by several nematodes of the Trichuridae family. Trichuridae eggs are all similar, barrel shaped with polar plugs, and misdiagnosis among different species can occur. The most common species is Trichuris vulpis, while the respiratory parasites Eucoleus boehmi (syn. Capillaria boehmi) and Eucoleus aerophilus (syn. Capillaria aerophila) are rarely observed in pets. E. boehmi is reported for the first time in this study in north-western Italy with other Trichuridae. Dog faecal samples (270) were examined by flotation. E. boehmi (2.2%), E. aerophilus (4.4%) and T. vulpis (12.2%) were found; identification was done with measurements and through observation of morphological characters already known. The specific identification of E. boehmi was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy: its egg shell shows a dense network with a fine mesh, surrounding small pits, on the contrary E. aerophilus eggs present a thick mesh with wide depressions, while T. vulpis eggs surface is smooth.

A new Huffmanela species (Nematoda: Trichosomoididae) parasitizing atherinid fishes in north Patagonian Gulfs, Argentina.

Huffmanela moraveci n. sp. (Nematode: Trichosomoididae) is described from the skin of fins and gills of the silversides Odontesthes smitti Lahille, 1949, and Odontesthes nigricans Richardson, 1848 (Pisces: Atheriniformes), from southwestern Atlantic coast, on the basis of the morphology of adults and eggs found in the host tissues. Huffmanela moraveci n. sp. can be distinguished from Huffmanela carcharini, H. banningi, H. japonica, H. mexicana, H. paronai, H. schouteni, H. shikokuensis, H. branchialis, H. filamentosa, H. ossicola, and H. lata by the size and shape of the eggs. The adult stage of H. moraveci n. sp. can be differentiated from H. hufmani and H. canadensis by the position of the nerve ring and by the total esophagus length/body length ratio. Huffmanela moraveci n. sp. also differs from H. huffmani by the presence of bacillary bands and by the body length. This is the first report of a species of Huffmanela in South America, the first report of a species of Huffmanela with Odontesthes spp. as host, and the third known adult form in the genus.

[Morphological characteristics of the shell of the ova of Capillariidae (Nematoda, Capillariidae)]. / Morfologicheskie osobennosti skorlupy iaits Kapilliariid (Nematoda, Capillariidae).

Peculiarities of the surface architectonics of the egg shell in 18 species of capillariids (Nematoda, Capillariidae) were studied. Capillariids were found in mammals of 5 orders: Insectivora, Chiroptera, Muridae, Carnivora and Arctiodactyla. A correlation between the structure of the external surface of egg shell of these nematodes on one hand, and localization in the organism of the definitive host and its biology on the other, was established. On the basis of these characters capillariids of the genera Capillaria, Eucoleus, Calodium, Liniscus, Thominx and Scrjabinocapillaria were arranged into 6 groups: 1 - the genus Capillaria (luman of the stomach and gut), 2 - the genus Eucoleus (mucous membrane of oesophagus and stomach), 3 - the genus Calodium (parenchima of the liver), 4 - the genus Liniscus (urinary bladder), 5 - the genus Thominx (lungs), 6 - the genera Thominx and Scrjabinocapillaria (lumen of the stomach). The classification suggested makes more precise and supplements the known systems of nematodes of the fam. Capillariidae.