A New Genus and Two New Species of Unarmed Hymenolepidid Cestodes (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) from Geomyid Rodents in Mexico and Costa Rica

Two new cestodes of the family Hymenolepididae are described from two species of rodents of the family Geomyidae collected in Mexico and Costa Rica. One new species of Hymenolepis is described from Cratogeomys planiceps Merriam 1895 from near Toluca, Mexico and another that we allocate to a new genus is described from Heterogeomys heterodus (Peters, 1865) from near Irazú Volcano, Costa Rica. Hymenolepis s. str. includes those Hymenolepididae with an apical organ, with no hooks on suckers or apical organ, and three testes. Hobergia irazuensis n. gen., n. sp. includes a hymenolepidid with an apical organ, unarmed scolex, small pockets termed foveolae, in which the suckers completely retract, and extremely bi-lobed ovary. Multivariate morphometric analysis showed good separation of these species from all other hymenolepidids possessing an apical organ and lacking a well developed rostellum and rostellar hooks in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions

A New Genus and Two New Species of Unarmed Hymenolepidid Cestodes (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) from Geomyid Rodents in Mexico and Costa Rica

Two new cestodes of the family Hymenolepididae are described from two species of rodents of the family Geomyidae collected in Mexico and Costa Rica. One new species of Hymenolepis is described from Cratogeomys planiceps Merriam 1895 from near Toluca, Mexico and another that we allocate to a new genus is described from Heterogeomys heterodus (Peters, 1865) from near Irazú Volcano, Costa Rica. Hymenolepis s. str. includes those Hymenolepididae with an apical organ, with no hooks on suckers or apical organ, and three testes. Hobergia irazuensis n. gen., n. sp. includes a hymenolepidid with an apical organ, unarmed scolex, small pockets termed foveolae, in which the suckers completely retract, and extremely bi-lobed ovary. Multivariate morphometric analysis showed good separation of these species from all other hymenolepidids possessing an apical organ and lacking a well developed rostellum and rostellar hooks in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions

Helminth and Protozoan Parasites of Subterranean Rodents (Chordata, Mammalia, Rodentia) of the World

Published studies and ten new unpublished records included herein reveal that approximately 174 species of endoparasites (helminths and protozoans) are known from 65 of 163 species of rodents that occupy the subterranean ecotope globally. Of those, 94 endoparasite species were originally described from these rodents. A total of 282 host-parasite associations are summarized from four major zoogeographic regions including Ethiopian, Palearctic/Oriental, Nearctic, and Neotropical. Thirty-four parasite records from the literature have been identified to only the level of the genus. In this summary, ten new records have been added, and the most current taxonomic status of each parasite species is noted. Interestingly, there are no data on endoparasites from more than 68% of described subterranean rodents, which indicates that discovery and documentation are at an early stage and must continue

Conservation Status and Natural History of \u3ci\u3eCtenomys\u3c/i\u3e, Tuco-Tucos in Bolivia

The genus Ctenomys consists of about 70 species and in addition to the Geomyidae of the Nearctic, Neotropical tuco-tucos represent a well-documented case of diversification in the subterranean biotype. Here we will: i) Provide an updated summary of the natural history of the 12 species of extant tuco-tucos from Bolivia; ii) Update information on distributions of each species; and iii) Using ecological niche modeling, evaluate recent and projected habitat transformation or habitat degradation within the known range of each species to provide a preliminary assessment of the preservation or conservation status of ctenomyids within Bolivia. We follow Gardner et al. (2014) and combine species summaries with both updated published and new data to compile a complete list of known extant species of tuco-tucos from Bolivia. Occurrence data for Ctenomys in Bolivia and surrounding areas were extracted from the database Arctos and GBIF. All individual specimen-based locality records were checked and georeferenced by referring to original museum collection records. We created species distribution models for the species with enough locality records using climate and soil data, while for the rest of the species we estimated the ranges based on the known occurrence localities. Finally, we quantified the amount of large-scale habitat conversion occurring within each species range, as well as the potential effect of climatic change on species distribution. Here we present information regarding the biology of tuco-tuco (Ctenomys) species known to occur in Bolivia, including unpublished natural history data such as habitat association, interactions and activity patterns gathered by the authors through extensive field work. Besides this, we estimated the current distribution of Ctenomys species, quantified large-scale habitat transformation within each species range and assessed the potential effect of climatic change on five tuco-tuco species. We found that the habitats within the ranges of C. boliviensis and C. steinbachi have experienced significant land-cover conversions in recent years. We also show that C. opimus, as well as the above mentioned species are expected to undergo range contractions resulting from climatic change by 2070. Our review shows that there is a dearth of information regarding natural history, taxonomy and distribution for many Bolivian tuco-tuco species. Nonetheless, the information presented here can be a tool for directing and focusing field studies of these species. This is of great importance if we take into account that most of the Bolivian tuco-tucos are subject to one or several conservation/preservation threats. These include: Habitat destruction via land use or climatic changes in conjunction with geographic ranges of Ctenomys that are small in areal extent and which in many cases are not adequately covered by protected areas. Appended data Supplement 1 Spreadsheet with all values and definitions used in the ecological niche models for the current paper: Conservation status and Natural History of Ctenomys, Tuco‐Tucos in Bolivia. Supplement 2 Spreadsheet with all individual specimen data used in the ecological niche models for the current paper: Conservation Status and Natural History of Ctenomys, Tuco‐Tucos in Bolivia

The Ecological Niche of \u3ci\u3eEchinococcus multilocularis\u3c/i\u3e in North America: Understanding Biotic and Abiotic Determinants of Parasite Distribution with New Records in New Mexico and Maryland, United States

English abstract: Understanding the factors shaping the niche of parasites and its expression over geographical space and through time continues to be a modern scientific challenge with the results of research in this area directly influencing both theoretical and applied biology. This is especially important for proactive management of zoonotic parasites such as Echinococcus multilocularis, the etiologic agent of alveolar echinococcosis. Echinococcus multilocularis has a Holarctic distribution; with its geographic range and prevalence increasing recently in areas of the western Palearctic, while its distribution dynamics are poorly understood in the Nearctic. In this paper, we use an ecological niche modeling (ENM) approach to: i) estimate the current spatial distribution of suitable conditions for the parasite in the Nearctic. ii) Evaluate the abiotic and biotic factors influencing the species distribution. iii) Assess the potential impact of climatic change on the distribution of this species in the Nearctic. Additionally, we report two new occurrence records of this parasite that significantly expands its known geographic range. We reviewed the occurrence records of E. multilocularis for the Nearctic. This was complemented by two new records of the species from Maryland and New Mexico identified using morphology and multivariate morphometrics of the rostellar hooks. From these data we created two ENMs using the software Maxent. The first ENM included climatic variables, while the second included the same abiotic data plus biotic information consisting of four host community-related data sets. We evaluated model performance and variable importance to explore the relation of these variables to the parasite niche. Finally, we projected the resulting niche model onto future climate change scenarios. We found that an important portion of the Nearctic has suitable conditions for E. multilocularis with adequate habitat in the West and East of the continent where the parasite has not been detected. We also found that the proposed biotic variables improve the model performance and provide unique information, while the most critical abiotic variable was related to the amount of solar radiation. Finally, under the future emission scenarios explored, the distribution of suitable habitat for the parasite is predicted to increase by 56% to 76%. We obtained a robust model that provides detail on the distribution of suitable areas for E. multilocularis, including areas that have not been explored for the presence of the parasite. The host community variables included in this study seem a promising way to include biotic data for ecological parasite niche modeling. Resumen español: El estudio de los factores que moldean el nicho de los parásitos y como este se expresa en la distribución espacial y temporal de estos organismos es un reto de importancia para la biología aplicada y teórica. Esta información puede ser de especial importancia para parásitos zoonóticos tales como Echinococcus multilocularis, el cestodo causante de echinococcosis alveolar. Este parasito presenta una distribución Holártica, con un incremento reciente en rango geográfico y prevalencia documentados en Asia y Europa, mientras que en el Neártico, se desconoce la dinámica de distribución de la especie. En este estudio usamos modelos de nicho ecológico para: i) estimar la distribución actual de hábitat para la especie en Norteamérica. ii) Evaluar el efecto de factores bióticos y abióticos sobre la distribución de este parasito. iii) Evaluar el impacto potencial del cambio climático sobre su distribución. Adicionalmente, reportamos dos nuevos registros para la especie. En este trabajo revisamos los registros de ocurrencia de E. multilocularis en el Neártico. Esta información es complementada con dos nuevos registros provenientes de Maryland y Nuevo México identificados a partir de análisis morfológicos y morfométricos. Empleando el software Maxent, creamos dos modelos de nicho a partir de estos registros. El primer modelo se basó únicamente en variables abióticas, mientras que el segundo además de incluir las variables abióticas incluyó variables bióticas relacionadas con la comunidad de hospederos potenciales. Evaluamos el desempeño de cada modelo y la contribución de cada variable para explorar la relación de estas con el nicho del parásito. Finalmente, proyectamos los modelos al futuro bajo dos escenarios de emisiones de CO2. Encontramos que existen condiciones adecuadas para la especie en una porción importante del área de estudio, con áreas predichas al Este y Occidente del continente donde no se ha registrado el parásito. La inclusión de las variables bióticas resulta en modelos con mejor desempeño, así mismo, se evidencio que estas variables presentan información única no contenida en otras capas. La radiación solar fue la variable abiótica de mayor importancia. Finalmente, bajo los escenarios de cambio climático explorados, el área de hábitat adecuado para el parasito presenta un importante aumento de entre el 56% y 76%. En este trabajo obtuvimos un modelo robusto y detallado de la distribución de las condiciones ambientales adecuadas para E. multilocularis, el cual incluye zonas donde no ha sido reportada la presencia del parásito. Las variables relacionadas con la comunidad de hospederos incluidas en este trabajo parecen ser una manera prometedora de incluir información biótica en modelos de nicho de simbiontes

Before the Pandemic Ends: Making Sure This Never Happens Again

Introduction On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Global Health Emergency of international concern attendant to the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2, nearly two months after the first reported emergence of human cases in Wuhan, China. In the subsequent two months, global, national and local health personnel and infrastructures have been overwhelmed, leading to suffering and death for infected people, and the threat of socio-economic instability and potential collapse for humanity as a whole. This shows that our current and traditional mode of coping, anchored in responses after the fact, is not capable of dealing with the crisis of emerging infectious disease. Given all of our technological expertise, why is there an emerging disease crisis, and why are we losing the battle to contain and diminish emerging diseases? Part of the reason is that the prevailing paradigm explaining the biology of pathogen-host associations (coevolution, evolutionary arms races) has assumed that pathogens must evolve new capacities - special mutations – in order to colonize new hosts and produce emergent disease (e.g. Parrish and Kawaoka, 2005). In this erroneous but broadly prevalent view, the evolution of new capacities creates new opportunities for pathogens. Further, given that mutations are both rare and undirected, the highly specialized nature of pathogen-host relationships should produce an evolutionary firewall limiting dissemination; by those definitions, emergences should be rare (for a historical review see Brooks et al., 2019). Pathogens, however, have become far better at finding us than our traditional understanding predicts. We face considerable risk space for pathogens and disease that directly threaten us, our crops and livestock – through expanding interfaces bringing pathogens and hosts into increasing proximity, exacerbated by environmental disruption and urban density, fueled by globalized trade and travel. We need a new paradigm that explains what we are seeing. Additional section headers: The Stockholm Paradigm The DAMA Protocol A Sense of Urgency and Long-Term Commitment Reference

Endoparasite Diversity of Subterranean Rodents

Parasite systematics research is as equally essential as other organismal levels of biological research in studying our planet\u27s biodiversity. This dissertation is designed and organized according to the DAMA protocol, first designed by Brooks et al. (2014), and has implemented the first two steps of the protocol: Documentation and Assessment. In this dissertation, I compiled all available endoparasite records of all subterranean rodents from four major zoogeographical regions. I used Wallace\u27s (1876) zoogeographic terminologies. Chapter one consists of chronologically ordered literature reviews with the original host-parasite records. Four checklists were made of the most current taxonomic updates for all subterranean rodent host-parasites from Ethiopian, Palearctic/Oriental, Nearctic and Neotropic regions. The list is comprised of the parasitic taxonomic groups: protozoans, cestodes, nematodes, and acanthocephalans. In the second chapter, I synthesized all the subterranean rodent host-parasite records by utilizing Poulin\u27s synthesis analysis using the bipartite networks to determine multiple critical parameters to quantify and measure the structure and interactions of the participants in host-parasite communities. A total of 65 subterranean hosts, 174 endoparasite species, and 282 interactions were used to create networks. These results were compared among the subterranean groups from different zoogeographical regions. The final chapter includes a new species of tapeworm description from a subterranean host species collected from Mongolia. A genetic distance analysis based on cytochrome-b sequences shows that Arostrilepis batsaikhani n. sp. most closely resembles Arostrilepis microtis Gulyaev and Chechulin 1997 by a high degree of genetic similarity (about 96%) but differs by having larger suckers on the scolex, testes, cirrus spines, and egg size. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted using a total evidence dataset combining continuous and discrete morphological characters with molecular data using maximum parsimony. Furthermore, biogeographic relationships of Arostrilepis were investigated using the first steps in PACT, which optimized the geographic areas onto the phylogenetic tree. The result shows that the biogeographic origin of this tapeworm might have initiated from the Nearctic. This systematic research analysis is an example of the full Stockholm Paradigm dynamic on display

Introduction to Zoology Lab, BIOS 112L, Fall 2013, [University of Nebraska-Lincoln]

Syllabus for BIOS 112L Introduction to Zoology Lab, Fall 2013, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Lab Instructor, S. (Sarah) Elizabeth Rácz. Teaching Assistants, Altangerel (Auggie) Tsogtsaikhan and Rachel Valenziano. Goals 1. Give you hands on experience with some of the diverse animal taxa of the planet. 2. Gain a working knowledge of taxonomy, anatomy, and biological vocabulary. 3. Students should gain an understanding of how animals compare and contrast, and how they are adapted to their particular way of life. 4. Get you to think about the natural world. Material needed for lab Notebook - Bound, hardback, & unlined pages for sketches and notes. Photographic Atlas for the Zoology Laboratory, 7th edition, by J. Crawley. Exercises for Zoology Lab, 3rd edition by D. G. Smith. Skills to develop in lab 1. You should become familiar with proper microscopy techniques, dissection techniques, and handling of specimens. 2. You should be able to identify and classify animals into their proper taxonomic groups. 3. You should be able to identify and give the purpose of the major external and internal structures of these animals. [Redacted: Illustration by Peter Schouten]

A New Species of \u3ci\u3eCatenotaenia\u3c/i\u3e (Cestoda: Catenotaeniidae) from \u3ci\u3ePygeretmus pumilio\u3c/i\u3e Kerr, 1792 from the Gobi of Mongolia

From 1999 through 2012, a total of 541 individual rodents (jerboas of the family Dipodidae) were collected from several habitat types, primarily from the Gobi region of Mongolia, and were examined for helminth and protistan parasites. Of those rodents, 25 were identified as Pygeretmus pumilio Kerr, 1792 (Rodentia: Dipodidae), whereas 516 were other species of jerboa from the provinces of Dornogobi, Dundgobi, Omnogobi, Ovorhangai, Bayanhongor, Gobi Altai, and Hovd. During our field work, we collected several cestodes; some of which represented undescribed species, and these new species occurred in 40% of P. pumilio from four separate collecting localities. We designate this new species as Catenotaenia tuyae n. sp. (Cyclophyllidea: Catenotaeniidae), which is characterized by having relatively long and narrow gravid proglottids and an ovary in mature segments that is located antiporally in the anterior portion of the mature proglottids. In addition, the position and the ratio of the genital pore toward the anterior end of the proglottids are unique and the ovary is elongate, being confined to the antiporal part of the mature proglottid. These morphological features serve to differentiate Catenotaenia tuyae from all other species in the genus included in the phylogenetic analysis and are supported by molecular phylogenetic evidence using the 28S ribosomal RNA gene. The intensity of C. tuyae infection in Pygeretmus ranged from 1 to 3 individual cestodes per infected host

Identification of \u3ci\u3eTaenia\u3c/i\u3e Metacestodes from Mongolian Mammals Using Multivariate Morphometrics of the Rostellar Hooks

Parasite diversity in and among various species of mammals within Mongolia is still poorly understood. The current paper focusses on a small part of the results of the Mongolian Vertebrate Parasite Project (MVPP), which entailed a broad-scale biodiversity survey of the vertebrates and their parasites of the Gobi and Altai regions of Mongolia. We report on the prevalence and morphological variation of larval cestodes of the family Taeniidae that occurred in small mammals that were collected from 2009-2012 from various locations in southern Mongolia. From these metacestodes, we studied both large and small rostellar hooks and analyzed both size and shape using univariate and multivariate morphometric statistical methods, specifically principal components analysis (PCA). Of species representing the four mammalian orders collected and examined for parasites, less than 1% of animals examined were infected with larval cestodes of the family Taeniidae. We identified nine species of larval cestodes from this work, including seven species of Taenia, one species of Versteria, and one species of Echinococcus. Principal component analysis of eight characters of hooks from both rows 1 and 2 (large and small hooks, respectively) showed that loadings on PC-I appeared to be mostly a size component with PC-II potentially indicating shape; furthermore, our results indicate that, as blade-length increased guardwidth and handle-length decreased leading to observed differences in overall hook-shape. This work provides an update to the previous studies by GANZORIG (1996-1997) and other mammalogists and parasitologists in Mongolia