Gastrointestinal helminths of Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus from the Western Mediterranean.

The gastrointestinal helminth fauna of 17 Risso's dolphins Grampus griseus (Cuvier, 1812) from the Western Mediterranean was analysed. Five helminth species were found. Adults and juveniles of Hadwenius delamurei were collected from the duodenum of 7 animals. Adults were located significantly more anteriorly than juveniles, which is compatible with a previous hypothesis that species of Hadwe- nius undergo an ontogenetic migration towards the anterior duodenum. Eggs from Pholeter gastrophilus appeared in 1 small cyst in the main stomach. Adults of Tetrabothrius forsteri and Trigonocotyle globicephalae were collected from the duodenum of 1 and 4 individuals, respectively. Metaces- todes, Scol…

REDESCRIPTION OF ALLENCOTYLA MCINTOSHI PRICE, 1962 (MONOGENEA), WITH AN EMENDED DIAGNOSIS OF ALLENCOTYLA PRICE, 1962

The original description of the type species of Allencotyla, A. mcintoshi Price, 1962, was based on 5 specimens collected from 1 amberjack Seriola lalandi in Florida. In this study, A. mcintoshi is redescribed based on new specimens collected from juvenile greater amberjacks S. dumerili captured off the Spanish Mediterranean coast and maintained in experimental culture tanks. Except for a slightly smaller size, individuals of S. dumerili were morphologically similar to the type specimens. However, reexamination of the type material and examination of the new specimens revealed the following discrepancies with respect to the original description: (1) the vaginal pore is unarmed and covered w…

Corrigendum to “Uncovering deep mysteries: The underwater life of an amphibious louse” [Journal of Insect Physiology 71 (2014) 164–169]

Status of Corynosoma (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) based on anatomical, ecological, and phylogenetic evidence, with the erection of Pseudocorynosoma n. gen.

The possession of genital spines has been considered as a key taxonomic trait to differentiate Corynosoma from other genera of the Polymorphidae. However, Corynosoma currently consists of 2 groups of species with clear ecological and morphological divergences: the "marine" group (with ca. 30 species) infects mammals and piscivorous birds in the marine realm, whereas the "freshwater" group (with ca. 7 species) infects waterfowl in continental waters. Species from these groups differ in shape of body and neck, trunk spination, lemnisci length and shape, testes arrangement, and number and shape of cement glands. We tested whether species from these 2 groups formed a monophyletic assemblage bas…

Gastrointestinal helminths of cuvier’s beaked whales, ziphius cavirostris, From the Western Mediterranean

We examined the gastrointestinal helminth fauna of 2 Cuvier's beaked whales, Ziphius cavirostris, stranded on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Information regarding intestinal parasites of this species is provided for the first time. Six helminth taxa were identified. Thirty type II larvae of the nematode Anisakis sp. were found in the stomach and the intestine of both hosts; 2 type I larvae of Anisakis sp. were found in the intestine of 1 host. One juvenile of the acanthocephalan Bolbosoma vasculosum was found in the intestine; the metacestode Scolex pleuronectis was found mainly in the terminal colon and the anal crypts of both hosts; adult cestodes of Tetrabothrius sp., which may represe…

Balaenophilus manatorum (Ortíz, Lalana and Torres, 1992) (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) from loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, from Japan and the western Mediterranean: amended description and geographical comparison.

The ectoparasitic harpacticoid copepod, Balaenophilus manatorum (Ortiz, Lalana and Torres, 1992) (syn. Balaenophilus umigamecolus Ogawa, Matsuzaki and Misaki, 1997), has been reported on 3 species of marine turtles from the Pacific and the Mediterranean and from the West Indian manatee off Cuba in the Caribbean. The 3 available descriptions of this species were made using light microscopy. In this paper, we provide an amended description of B. manatorum using scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) for specimens in the collection from which B. umigamecolus was originally described. This material was collected from 1 loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, from Japan. The use of SEM allowed us …

Epidemiology of tattoo skin disease in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the Sado estuary, Portugal

We report on the epidemiology of tattoo disease in a community of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the Sado estuary, Portugal. The presence of tattoos (T++) and tattoo-like (T+) lesions was examined in 586 photographic records of 35 dolphins taken from 1994 to 1997. Images were rated into 3 categories: good (GI), average (AI) and poor (PI). Dolphins positive for T++ lesions were observed in 19 GI. Dolphins with T+ lesions were seen in 39 GI, 23 AI and 6 PI. For statistical analysis the dolphins were divided into 2 age classes (immature and adult) and the data grouped into 2 periods (1994-1995 and 1996-1997). Minimum prevalence of T++ lesions in 32 dolphins was 21.9% in 1994-1995 …

Establishing the relative importance of sympatric definitive hosts in the transmission of the sealworm, Pseudoterranova decipiens: a host-community approach

The importance of a given host to a particular parasite can be determined according to three different criteria: host preference, host physiological suitability and host contribution to transmission. Most studies on the sealworm Pseudoterranova decipiens have focussed on the latter factor, but few attempts have been made to develop a quantitative transmission model evaluating the relative importance of each host. The purpose of this study was to propose a flow-chart model to study sealworm transmission within a seal community. The model was applied to hypothetical data of four seal species acting as definitive hosts of P. decipiens sensu stricto in eastern Canada: harp seal Phoca groenlandi…

Reduction and variability of trunk spines in the acanthocephalan Corynosoma cetaceum: the role of physical constraints on attachment

. In this study, we investigated a functional trade-off between trunk attachment and trunk-spine development in the acanthocephalan Corynosoma cetaceum. The worms live attached to the stomach and upper intestine of their cetacean definitive hosts, using the proboscis and spiny foretrunk as the main holdfast; the spiny hindtrunk can also attach by bending ventrally. When the hindtrunk bends, ventral compression generates an anterior fold (AF) and a posterior fold (PF). A morphological analysis based on 7,823 individuals collected from 10 franciscana dolphins, Pontoporia blainvillei, revealed that spines were smaller and more variable in size and occurrence in the folds than on neighboring ar…

Pseudoallencotyla gen. n., a new genus for Allencotyla pricei (Kritsky, Noble et Moser, 1978) (Monogenea: Heteraxinidae), with a key to genera of Heteraxininae.

In this study, we clarify the taxonomic status of Allencotyla pricei based on a re-examination of paratypes and voucher specimens. Four important characters are added to previous descriptions: the vagina is ventral; the cirrus is absent; the eggs are fusiform and have two polar filaments (one about 3.5 times longer than the other); and, there are two flat sclerites at each side of the dorsal trident-shaped sclerite in the clamps. A comparison of A. pricei with species from all the genera of the Heteraxininae, including Allencotyla mcintoshi, indicates that A. pricei has several exclusive characters, i.e., a ventral vagina, vaginal armature, two additional dorsal sclerites in the clamps, a v…

Population Structure and Habitat Selection by Anisakis simplex in 4 Odontocete Species from Northern Argentina

We described the population structure and habitat selection of Anisakis simplex in 46 franciscanas, Pontoporia blainvillei, 8 Burmeister's porpoises, Phocoena spinnipinis, 2 Dusky dolphins, Lagenorhynchus ob- scurus, and 2 common dolphins, Delphinus delphis, caught incidentally in the coastal fisheries of northern Argentina. Prevalence ranged from 50% to 100%, but mean intensities were low (1.0-3.6), suggesting that A. simplex has low recruitment rates to coastal dolphins in this area. Adult nematodes were found exclusively in the main stomach of 64.5% of franciscanas (the first stomach of this species) and the forestomach of 50% of Burmeister's porpoises and Dusky dolphins. Other developme…

Living Together: The Parasites of Marine Mammals

The reader may wonder why, within a book of biology and conservation of marine mammals, a chapter should be devoted to their parasites. There are four fundamental reasons. First, parasites represent a substantial but neglected facet of biodiversity that still has to be evaluated in detail (Windsor, 1995; Hoberg, 1997; Brooks and Hoberg, 2000. Perception of parasites among the public are negative and, thus, it may be hard for politicians to justify expenditure in conservation programmes of such organisms. However, many of the reasons advanced for conserving biodiversity or saving individual species also apply to parasites (Marcogliese and Price, 1997; Gompper and Williams, 1998). One fundame…