Concepts in Animal Parasitology, Chapter 64: Phthiraptera (Order): Lice

Chapter 64 in Concepts in Animal Parasitology on lice, order Phthiraptera, by Lajos Rózsa and Haylee J. Weaver. 2024. S. L. Gardner and S. A. Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap06

Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases: Implications of Climate Change and Human Behavior

Soil-transmitted helminthiases (STHs) collectively cause the highest global burden of parasitic disease after malaria and are most prevalent in the poorest communities, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Climate change is predicted to alter the physical environment through cumulative impacts of warming and extreme fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, with cascading effects on human health and wellbeing, food security and socioeconomic infrastructure. Understanding how the spectrum of climate change effects will influence STHs is therefore of critical importance to the control of the global burden of human parasitic disease. Realistic progress in the global control of STH in a changing climate requires a multidisciplinary approach that includes the sciences (e.g. thermal thresholds for parasite development and resilience) and social sciences (e.g. behavior and implementation of education and sanitation programs)

Concepts in Animal Parasitology, Part 5: Ectoparasites

Part V: Ectoparasites, chapters 60-67, pages 732-841, in Concepts in Animal Parasitology. 2024. Scott L. Gardner and Sue Ann Gardner, editors. Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States; part V doi: 10.32873/unl.dc.ciap075 Platyhelminthes Chapter 60: Monogenea (Class) by Griselda Pulido-Flores, pages 733-742 Chapter 61: Transversotremata (Suborder): Ectoparasitic Trematodes by Scott C. Cutmore and Thomas H. Cribb, pages 743-746 Hirudinia Chapter 62: Hirudinia (Class): Parasitic Leeches by Alejandro Oceguera-Figueroa and Sebastian Kvist, pages 747-755 Arthropoda Chapter 63: Siphonaptera (Order): Fleas by Marcela Lareschi, pages 756-770 Chapter 64: Phthiraptera (Order): Lice by Lajos Rózsa and Haylee J. Weaver, pages 771-789 Chapter 65: Triatominae (Subfamily): Kissing Bugs by numerous authors cited from open access sources, compiled by Sue Ann Gardner, pages 790-797 Chapter 66: Acari (Order): Ticks by Darci Moraes Barros-Battesti, Valeria Castilho Onofrio, and Filipe Dantas-Torres, pages 798-835 Chapter 67: Acari (Order): Mites by David Evans Walter, Gerald W. Krantz, and Evert E. Lindquist, pages 836-84

Biodiversity of the parasite fauna of the rodent genera Zyzomys Thomas, 1909 and Pseudomys Gray, 1932 from northern Australia

This study of the parasite fauna of five Australian rodents (Muridae: Hydromyinae: Conilurini) was undertaken to increase the knowledge of Australian parasite biodiversity. Trapping for Zyzomys argurus (Thomas, 1889), Pseudomys delicatulus (Gould, 1842), P. desertor Troughton, 1932, P. gracilicaudatus (Gould, 1845) and P. hermannsburgensis (Waite, 1896) (Rodentia: Muridae) was carried out at 16 locations in Queensland between 2004 to 2006. A total of 51 rats were captured and examined for parasites. In addition, 119 rats, from collections in the Queensland Museum and the University of Sydney, were examined. Finally, 57 samples of parasites collected from the above hosts and deposited at the Australian National Wildlife Collection (CSIRO) were identified. From these five rodent species, 15 species of ectoparasites and 17 species of endoparasites were recorded. Fifteen new host records and 14 new locality records were found. The ectoparasites comprised four species of Laelaps Koch, 1836 (Parasitiformes: Laelapidae), four species of chiggers (Acariformes: Trombiculidae), two species of fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae, Pygiospyllidae) and two species of ticks (Parasitiformes: Ixodidae). Three new species of lice (Anoplura: Hoplopleuridae) were discovered. The 17 endoparasites, all helminths, comprised fourteen species of nematode and three species of cestode. There were 11 species of oxyurids (Nematoda: Oxyuridae, Heteroxynematidae), including 10 new species of Syphacia, two species of Odilia (Nematoda: Heligmonellidae), and one species of Nippostrongylus (Nematoda: Heligmonellidae). Three species of cestodes (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae, Taeniidae, Davaineidae) were collected. There were no trematodes or acanthocephalans found in any of the rodents examined. No protistan parasites were found in tissue and blood samples taken from the rodents. The mean species diversity of parasites for each host rodent species was consistently low, with values of Simpsons Reciprocal Index ranging from 1.00 1.53. Possible factors contributing to this low diversity include habitat preferences, dietary ecology and social structure. There was no significant relationship found between host body weight and abundance of ectoparasites, or host body weight and species richness of helminths. The index of discrepancy (D) was used to evaluate the distribution of parasite species across host populations. Most parasites were found to have aggregated distributions within the host populations. The exception to this was two of the four species of laelapid mite, with values <5, indicating that they were common across host populations. The phylogenetic relationships of the Syphacia species occurring in the Australian bioregion were investigated using morphological characters. Relatively low resolution of the trees produced indicated that there may be a high degree of similarity between species. Two main clades were identified- a clade of genera of Syphaciini from Borneo was shown to be basal to the clade of species of Syphacia examined. Within the clade of the genus Syphacia, the new species identified in this study formed a single cluster on trees. There was no evidence, however, for strict coevolution of these worms and their hosts. Overall, the research presented here adds considerable knowledge to the previous paucity of information of the parasites of Australian native rodent species. This was achieved by contributing new host records, locality records and identifying and describing several new species. The relationships between conilurin rodents and their parasites suggests that coevolution plays a large part in the speciation of parasites, and that minimal host switching has occurred in the helminths of the conilurins of northern Australia

Phylogeny and biogeography of species of \u3ci\u3eSyphacia\u3c/i\u3e Seurat, 1916 (Nemata : Oxyurida : Oxyuridae) from the Australian Bioregion

Pinworm nematodes of the genus Syphacia (Nemata : Oxyurida : Oxyuridae) have a global distribution, and infect the caecum of rodents. Within the Australian Bioregion, 17 species of Syphacia infect a range of rodent hosts. Pinworms are traditionally thought to have coevolutionary relationships with their hosts, but the evolution and dispersal of Australian rodents and their helminths remains unclear. This combination of factors allowed us to investigate the likely relationships of Australian Syphacia species based on phylogenetic analysis, overlaid with the ecology and relationships of host species. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis using morphological characters of the species of Syphacia from the Australian Bioregion in order to examine the relationships between species, and to investigate how host evolution and phylogeny could inform (or be informed) by parasite phylogeny. Application of the taxon pulse theory of parasite speciation by matching host species to parasites shed some light on the timing of speciation of rodent hosts. We found that species of Syphacia had reasonably close host–parasite relationships, with additional evidence for ecological fitting or host switching occurring. Evidence provided here suggests strongly that most elements of the Stockholm Paradigm are at play in structuring the relationships we observe in this pinworm–mammal system

Syphacia (Syphacia) abertoni n. sp. (Nematoda: Oxyuridae) From Zyzomys argurus (Thomas) (Rodentia: Muridae) from Northern Australia

Volume: 130Start Page: 206End Page: 21

Contrasting diversity dynamics of phoretic mites and beetles associated with vertebrate carrion

Carrion is an ephemeral and nutrient-rich resource that attracts a diverse array of arthropods as it decomposes. Carrion-associated mites often disperse between animal carcasses using phoresy, the transport of one species by another. Yet few studies hav

An annotated checklist of Acanthocephala from Australian fish

Thirty one genera, comprising 58 named species, 15 undetermined species and nine species known only as cystacanths from paratenic fish hosts were found infesting 144 marine, esturine and freshwater species of fish from Australian and Australian Antarctic waters. Host habitats are given and the distribution and records of the acanthocephalans are given. A key to these parasites at the generic level is provided

A Survey of Ectoparasite Species on Small Mammals during Autumn and Winter at Anglesea, Victoria

Volume: 125Start Page: 205End Page: 21

Effects of fire on vegetation and arthropods in a coastal heath, south-east Queensland

Fire is an important part of many Australian ecosystems, and determining how it affects different vegetation communities and associated fauna is of particular interest to land managers. Here, we report on a study that used sites established during a 39-year fire experiment in coastal heathland in southeastern Queensland to compare arthropod abundance and vegetation in 1.5-2.6 ha sites that were (i) long unburnt, (ii) burnt every 5 years and (iii) burnt every 3 years. We found that the abundance of ants was more than four times higher in the frequently burnt sites compared to long unburnt sits. Moreover, long unburnt sites had greater dominance of Xanthorrhoea johnsonii and Caustis recurvata, whereas burnt sites had greater cover of Lomandra filiformis, Leucopogon margarodes and Leucopogon leptospermoides. Our findings show that frequent fire can alter vegetation structure and composition, and this is matched by an increase in the relative dominance of ants in the arthropod community