South American species of Paragordius Camerano, 1897 (Gordiida, Nematomorpha), with redescription of Paragordius minusculus and a description of a new species

Paragordius is a genus of Gordiida with a worldwide distribution, but with a scarce specific diversity. Sixteen species of the genus Paragordius have been described so far. In many cases, as with the other genera of Gordiida, the original descriptions of the species are insufficient due to the limitations of the techniques employed. In this work the holotypes of P. minusculus and P. esavianus are redescribed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a new species of Paragordius is described, the distribution for P. esavianus and P. varius is enlarged and a new host record of P. esavianus is presented.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

A new species of Hammerschmidtiella Chitwood, 1932 (Nematoda, Thelastomatidae) parasite of the brown cockroach Periplaneta brunnea Burmeister, 1838 (Blattodea, Blattidae) from Argentina

A new species of the genus Hammerschmidtiella, H. eltalaensis sp. nov. parasitizing a brown cockroach Periplaneta brunnea Burmeister from El Tala river, Catamarca, Argentina, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by having the cuticle striated, without lateral alae, mouth with three toothed lips and eight labial papillae, amphids small and pore shaped, buccal capsule short, wide, with four mobile teeth, oesophagus with metacorpus valvate, isthmus cylindrical and thin surrounded by nerve ring, and a rounded basal bulb heavily muscled and valvate, the vulva is slightly protruding and lies in the anterior third of the body, didelphic, prodelphic, eggs small and elongate, the male with one spicule, without gubernaculum, the genital papillae arranged in one pair of small preanal papillae, and two postanal papillae, one pair is the base of the tail appendage. Tail appendage very long, thin, and reaching almost one third of the length of the body in the female. In the male the posterior end of the body abruptly truncated posterior to anus with spine-like long tail appendage.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

Neyraiella distinctus n. sp. (Oxyurida, Blattophilidae) parasite of nymphs of Gryllodes laplatae sauss (Orthoptera, Gryllidae) in Argentina

Neyraiella distinctus n. sp. was found parasitizing nymphs of the cricket Gryllodes laplatae Sauss in City Bell, Argentina. This species was characterized by having the excretory pore in the posterior end of the basal bulb, vulva protruding with one lip well developed in the 1/3 end of the body, anus of the female with wings, male with a single spicule without any sculpture, gubernaculum and bursa are absent, six pairs of genital papillae arranged in two preanal pairs, one adanal pair and three postanal pairs, and the tail appendage in both sexes was short and conic

A new species of Protrellus Cobb, 1920 (Nematoda, Thelastomatidae) parasite of the field cockroach Blatella vaga Hebard, 1919 (Blattodea, Blattidae) from Catamarca, Argentina

A new species of the genus Protrellus, P. blatta sp. nov. parasitizing a field cockroach Blatella vaga Hebard, 1919, from El Tala river, Catamarca, Argentina, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by having the mouth opening circular, the buccal capsule with eight very small teeth, the nerve ring around oesophageal corpus, the excretory pore anterior to vulva, the vulva anterior to base of oesophagus, didelphic, the posterior ovary reflexed anterior to rectum, about one third of a body length from posterior end, the egg ellipsoidal, colourless, bearing a lateral cuticular crest, tail conical, with long filiform projection, the male with testis single, outstretched, one spicule, very small, short and straight, gubernaculums absent, the genital papillae arranged in three pairs of ventrolateral papillae, of which the first pair are close together and preanal position, two pairs postanal, tail conical and short, less than one twentieth of total body. A taxonomic key of Protrellus species is given.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

Neyraiella distinctus n. sp. (Oxyurida, Blattophilidae) parasite of nymphs of Gryllodes laplatae sauss (Orthoptera, Gryllidae) in Argentina

Neyraiella distinctus n. sp. was found parasitizing nymphs of the cricket Gryllodes laplatae Sauss in City Bell, Argentina. This species was characterized by having the excretory pore in the posterior end of the basal bulb, vulva protruding with one lip well developed in the 1/3 end of the body, anus of the female with wings, male with a single spicule without any sculpture, gubernaculum and bursa are absent, six pairs of genital papillae arranged in two preanal pairs, one adanal pair and three postanal pairs, and the tail appendage in both sexes was short and conic.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

South American species of Paragordius Camerano, 1897 (Gordiida, Nematomorpha), with redescription of Paragordius minusculus and a description of a new species

Paragordius is a genus of Gordiida with a worldwide distribution, but with a scarce specific diversity. Sixteen species of the genus Paragordius have been described so far. In many cases, as with the other genera of Gordiida, the original descriptions of the species are insufficient due to the limitations of the techniques employed. In this work the holotypes of P. minusculus and P. esavianus are redescribed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a new species of Paragordius is described, the distribution for P. esavianus and P. varius is enlarged and a new host record of P. esavianus is presented.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Scanning electron microscopy of Spinochordodes tellinii (Camerano, 1888), (Gordiacea, Nematomorpha)

There are many species of Nematomorpha which are deficiently described and therefore pose doubts about their actual taxonomic position. This is the case with Spinochordodes tellinii (Camerano, 1888), which was transferred to four different genera and has been recently considered as species incertae sedis. A female of Spinochordodes tellinii is redescribed in this work under light microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Cuticle details, shapes and areolar distribution and the features as well as the location of spiniform structures are analysed. The systematic position is discussed.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Una experiencia con los kuna

Me encuentro en la difícil tarea de materializar en palabras una experiencia única. De transmitir sensaciones y vivencias cargadas de magia que desestructuraron en gran medida lo que hasta ese momento formaba parte de mi vida. Es así como puedo definir mi experiencia con los indios Kuna. Tuve la oportunidad de convivir con ellos dos meses, invitada por investigadores de la Universidad de Miami, para realizar estudios sobre ectoparasitosis que afectan a esta comunidad india.Fundación Museo La Plat

Una experiencia con los kuna

Me encuentro en la difícil tarea de materializar en palabras una experiencia única. De transmitir sensaciones y vivencias cargadas de magia que desestructuraron en gran medida lo que hasta ese momento formaba parte de mi vida. Es así como puedo definir mi experiencia con los indios Kuna. Tuve la oportunidad de convivir con ellos dos meses, invitada por investigadores de la Universidad de Miami, para realizar estudios sobre ectoparasitosis que afectan a esta comunidad india.Fundación Museo La Plat

Effect of extreme temperature on egg development, larval and adult survival of Chordodes nobilii Camerano, 1901 (Gordiida, Nematomorpha)

On the basis of experimental studies we analyzed the effect of extreme temperatures on the aquatic free-living phases of the life cycle of Chordodes nobilii (Gordiida, Nematomorpha). Bioassays were performed with eggs, larvae, and adults. Eggs and larvae were exposed to 3°C below zero and 40.5°C; adults were exposed to 3°C below zero and to 38.5°C and 40.5°C. The results showed that egg development was inhibited in both tests. Exposed larvae showed a decrease in their infective capacity, which resulted almost null at 40.5°C. Adults exposed to 38.5°C showed mortality ≤10%, at 40.5°C the mortality was 100% and the adult's mortality at 3°C below zero was 89%. Results indicate that free living stages of Chordodes nobilii are susceptible to extreme temperatures.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse