Jörg Wunderlich (ed.) (2012): Fifteen papers on extant and fossil spiders (Araneae)

This book consists of fifteen papers (considered below as Chapters) on fossil and extant arachnids, mostly spiders. Most papers are written by the editor, two papers in cooperation with Peter Jäger and with Søren Toft, and a single one by Peter Jäger. Chapters 1 and 2 are identification keys to the European genera of the families Zodariidae and Corinnidae, respectively

Review of "Hemoparasites of the Reptilia. Color Atlas and Text" by Sam R. Telford, Jr

Book review of "Hemoparasites of the Reptilia. Color Atlas and Text" by Sam R. Telford, Jr

Review of "Primate Parasite Ecology: The dynamics and study of host-parasite relationships" by Michael A. Huffman and Colin A. Chapman (Eds.)

Book review of "Primate Parasite Ecology: The dynamics and study of host-parasite relationships" by Michael A. Huffman and Colin A. Chapman (Eds.

Taphonomy of fossilized resins: determining the biostratinomy of amber

Comparing the maturity of fossilized resins with that of their enclosing bedrock can provide information on the maturity, relative age and biostratinomy of amber and copal. A method to determine this is presented here with examples of amber and copal from the Dominican Republic. Maturity of the bedrock was determined by vitrinite reflection and that of the fossilized resin by FTIR analysis. Vitrinite oxidation values showed maturity states corresponding to lignite and sub-bituminous coal ranks. While the samples from some mines demonstrated that the maturities of the rock and fossilized resin were syngenetic, other samples indicated that recycling of the amber may have occurred. Darkening of the amber (from yellow to red) was correlated with increased oxidation / weathering. This method can be a useful tool for understanding the biostratinomy of fossilized resins

Palaeoplethodon hispaniolae gen. n., sp. n. (Amphibia: Caudata), a fossil salamander from the Caribbean Palaeodiversity 8: 21–29; Stuttgart 30 December 2015.

A salamander hatchling, Palaeoplethodon hispaniolae gen. n., sp. n. (Amphibia: Caudata), is described from Dominican Republic amber. While physical features align the fossil with members of the family Plethodontidae, the short forelimb with the foot lacking distinct digits and the long hind limb with elongated foot and strongly fused digits, as well as its presence in 15–40 mya Dominican amber, distinguish the fossil from previously described salamanders. The apparent 13–14 costal grooves and strongly webbed digits are characters shared with members of the extant plethodontid genus Bolitoglossa PETERS, 1879, the most speciose genus of Neotropical salamanders. This is the first salamander recovered from any amber source and the first undisputed salamander reported from the Caribbean region

Nematode Parasites and Associates of Ants: Past and Present

Ants can serve as developmental, definitive, intermediate, or carrier hosts of a variety of nematodes. Parasitic ant nematodes include members of the families Mermithidae, Tetradonematidae, Allantonematidae, Seuratidae, Physalopteridae, Steinernematidae, and Heterorhabditidae. Those nematodes that are phoretically associated with ants, internally or externally, are represented by the Rhabditidae, Diplogastridae, and Panagrolaimidae. Fossils of mermithids, tetradonematids, allantonematids, and diplogastrids associated with ants show the evolutionary history of these relationships, some of which date back to the Eocene (40 mya)

THE OLDEST ANTS ARE CRETACEOUS, NOT EOCENE: REPLY

Our study of the Hat Creek amber (Poinar et al. 1999) was undertaken to determine the range of the biota in the resin, to identify the plant that produced the resin, and to assess the future implications of these significant deposits. The study was in no way "compromised” by providing an alternative interpretation of the systematic position of the genus Sphecomyrma Wilson and Brow

Halophilanema prolata n. gen., n. sp. (Nematoda: Allantonematidae), a parasite of the intertidal bug, Saldula laticollis (Reuter)(Hemiptera: Saldidae) on the Oregon coast

This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by BioMed Central and can be found at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/.Background: It is rare to find terrestrial nematode lineages parasitizing arthropods inhabiting the intertidal or\ud littoral zone of the oceans. During an ecological study along the Oregon dunes, an allantonematid nematode\ud (Tylenchomorpha: Allantonematidae) was discovered parasitizing the intertidal shore bug, Saldula laticollis (Reuter)\ud (Hemiptera: Saldidae). This shore bug is adapted to an intertidal environment and can survive short periods of\ud submergence during high tides. The present study describes the nematode parasite and discusses aspects of its\ud development, ecology and evolution.\ud Methods: Adults and last instar nymphs of S. laticollis (Hemiptera: Saldidae) were collected from the high intertidal\ud zone among clumps of Juncus L. (Juncaceae) plants at Waldport, Oregon on October 3, 2011. The bugs were\ud dissected in 1% saline solution and the nematodes killed in 1% Ringers solution and immediately fixed in 5%\ud formalin (at 20°C). Third stage juveniles removed from infected hosts were maintained in 1% saline solution until\ud they matured to the adult stage, molted and mated.\ud Results: Halophilanema prolata n. gen., n. sp. (Nematoda: Allantonematidae) is described from last instar nymphs\ud and adults of the intertidal bug, Saldula laticollis on the Oregon coast. The new genus can be distinguished from\ud other genera in the Allantonematidae by a stylet lacking basal knobs in both sexes, an excretory pore located\ud behind the nerve ring, ribbed spicules, a gubernaculum, the absence of a bursa and the elongate-tubular shape of\ud the ovoviviparous parasitic females. Studies of the organogenesis of Halophilanema showed development to third\ud stage juveniles in the uterus of parasitic females. Maturation to the free-living adults and mating occurred in the\ud environment. The incidence of infection of S. laticollis ranged from 0% to 85% depending on the microhabitat in\ud the intertidal zone.\ud Conclusions: Based on the habitat and morphological characters, it is proposed that Halophilanema adapted a\ud parasitic existence fairly recently, evolutionarily speaking. It was probably a free-living intertidal or shore nematode\ud that fed on microorganisms, especially fungi, in the intertidal habitat and became parasitic after saldids entered the\ud environment. Halophilanema represents the first described nematode parasite of an intertidal insect

A New Genus of Fleas with Associated Microorganisms in Dominican Amber

A flea preserved in Dominican amber is described as Atopopsyllus cionus, n. gen., n. sp., (Atopopsyllini n. tribe, Spilopsyllinae, Pulicidae). The male specimen has two unique characters that have not been noted in previous extant or extinct fleas, thus warranting its tribal status. These characters are 5-segmented maxillary palps and cerci-like organs on abdominal T. X. Additional characters are the absence of ctenidia, very small eyes, a lanceolate terminal segment of the maxillary palps, legs with six notches on the dorsal margin of the tibiae, five pairs of lateral plantar bristles on the distitarsomeres and nearly straight ungues with a wide space between the basal lobe and tarsal claw. Trypanosomes and coccobacilli in the rectum and coccobacilli on the tip of the epipharynx of the fossil are depicted and briefly characterized.Keywords: fossil flea, n. sp., n. gen., Atopopsyllus cionus, five-segmented maxillary palps, associated microorganism