Syphacia Longaecauda N. Sp. (Nematoda: Osyuridae) Syphacinea from Melomys SPP. (Muridae: Hydromyinae) from Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya Indonesia

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Protospirura Kaindiensis N. Sp. (Spirura: Spiruridae) and other Helminths from Pseudohydromys (Muridea: Hydromyinae) from Papua New Guinea

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Mangroves - a resource under threat? : An issue for the central Queensland coast

Mangroves - a resource under threat? : An issue for the central Queensland coas

Helminth community structure in rattus leucopus (gray) (muridae) from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Papua

This study describes the helminth community in 28 Rattus leucopus, from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), and compare the community in Australian R. leucopus with those known from two other Australian endemics, R. sordidus and R. fuscipes. In total, 28 parasite species were found: one acanthocephalan, five cestodes, one trematode and 21 namatodes as well as two lots of unidentified spirurid nematode lavae. The diversity of helminths in R. leucopus was high but equitable; the reciprocal of Simpson's Index was 1.75. The distribution of helminth species was not indicative of a core-satelite structure. No species occurred at a prevalence >30% and more than half the species occurred at a prevalence of <10%. Only 10% of the helminth species identified were unique to R. leucopus. Helminth community structures in R. leucopus differed from that observed in R. sordidus and the community in R. fuscipes was markedly different from those in R. leucopus and R. sordidus. Determinants of the diversity of the helminth community in R. leucopus include the time intervals between the three waves of migration of Rattus spp. to Australia, biogeographic factors related to immigration and adaptive radiation of the host genus, and associated with coevolution, speciation and host switching of the helminths

Acanthocephalan Cystacanths from flatfish (Order Pleuronectiformes) in tropical Australian waters

Cystacanths of 4 species of Acanthocephala are reported for the first time from various species of fish belonging to the Order Pleuronectiformes from waters of the western Gulf of Carpentaria and the central coast of Queensland, Australia: Corynosomacetaceum Johnston and Best, 1942 (Family Polymorphidae), Serrasentis of sagittifer (Linton, 1889) and Rhadinorhynchus sp. (Family Rhadinorhynchidae), and Gorgorhynchoides sp. (Family Isthmosacanthidae). Approximately 32% of the 515 individual fish belonging to 24 species were infected with at least l cystacanth. Serrasentis of sagittifer was the most-commonly encountered, infecting a total of 18 species of fish across both regions. Gorgorhynchoides sp. infected 7 fish species in the Gulf of Carpentaria only while Rhadinorhynchus sp. (1 fish species) and C. cetaceum (7 fish species) were only found on the central coast of Queensland. Moat fish were infected with a single cystacanth of any species. There was no relationship between total length of fish and intensity of infection for any species. This paper provides information on parasite infections in fish hosts commonly caught as by-catch and outlines the need for further studies on these fish to be able to determine sustainability of such fish stocks

Profilicollis novaezelandensis n. sp. (Polymorphidae) and two other acanthocephalan parasites from shore birds (Haematopodidae and Scolopacidae) in New Zealand, with records of two species in intertidal crabs (Decapoda : Grapsidae and Ocypodidae)

Profilicollis novaezelandensis n. sp. (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) is described from the South Island pied oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus finschi Martens (Haematopodidae) and the intertidal crab Hemigrapsus crenulatus (Milne Edwards) (Brachyura: Grapsidae) from the South Island of New Zealand. The new species can be distinguished from all the other species of the genus by a combination of the following characters: long neck (13% of total body length for adults) and a subspherical proboscis with 14–16 longitudinal rows of 7–8 hooks. The mud crabs Helice crassa Dana (Grapsidae) and Macrophthalmus hirtipes (Heller) (Ocypodidae) were also harbouring cystacanths and the bar-tailed godwit Limosa lapponica (Linnaeus) (Scolopacidae) juveniles of P. novaezelandensis. This is the first record of brachyuran decapods as intermediate hosts of Acanthocephala from New Zealand. P. antarcticus is recorded from three crab species (Helice crassa, Hemigraspus crenulatus and Macrophthalmus hirtipes) and two bird species (Haematopus o. finschi and Limosa lapponica) in New Zealand. An unidentified species of Plagiorhynchus was also found in two bird species (H. o. finschi and H. unicolor Forster). P. antarcticus and P. novaezelandensis are the first records of Profilicollis from New Zealand

Parasites of the bridled nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata) (Marsupialia :Macropodidae)

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A new species, Pretestis laticaecum, (Trematoda: Cladorchiidae), from Emydura krefftii Gray, 1871 (Pleurodira: Chelidae) from Central Queensland, Australia

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Helminth assemblages of the turtle Emydura macquarii (Pleurodira: Chelidae) Queensland, Australia

The helminth fauna of 76 Emydura macquarii from 3 river systems in central and northern Queensland was examined. Eleven species were found, including 2 nematodes, 6 trematodes, 1 aspidogastrean, 1 cestode, and 1 monogenean. Analysis of helminth diversity showed that the Fitzroy and Ross River turtles had communities of comparable diversity, but the helminth communities in Proserpine River turtles were much less diverse. The helminth communities in all localities were dominated by trematodes. Polystomoides australiensis was the most prevalent, being found in 60% of the Ross River turtles, 57% of the Fitzroy River turtles, and 46% of the Proserpine River turtles. Notopronocephalus peekayi was the most abundant species, with mean abundances of 5.9 in the Ross River turtles and 9.8 in the Fitzroy River turtles. Species richness, Simpson's Reciprocal Index, was highest, 4.68, for the Ross River helminth community, Sorensen's Qualitative Index showed 95% similarity between the Ross River and Fitzroy River communities, although Sorensen's Quantitative Index indicated only 35% similarity between the 2 sites. Host feeding patterns are likely the most important factor affecting species richness of the helminth infracommunities, as the majority of helminth species are transmitted by food-web interactions involving intermediate hosts

The helminth parasites of Melomys cervinipes (Rodentia:Muridae:Hydromyinae)

Melomys cervinipes Gould is one of four melomys species native to Australia. There have been no systematic surveys of parasite distribution and prevalence, or parasite community structure, for any species of Melomys. We present a comprehensive summary of the parasites of M. cervinipes by location in Queensland and northern New South Wales from published records, examination of museum specimens and data from an intensive sampling of hosts from four localities within Central Queensland. An updated list prepared on the basis of these data and other published records is included. New host records include one cestode (Raillietina celebensis), one trematode (Platynosomum australiense) and 21 nematodes. Trichostrongyloid nematodes (Odilia spp.) were the dominant helminth group, with Odilia melomyus (Mawson, 1960) and O. Mackerrasae (Mawson, 1960) being the core components of the helminth community. The structues of this community, with endemic and cosmopolitan elements, appears to have developed through both coevolution of hosts and parasites and host-switching vents. Multidimensional scaling analysis of parasites from four central Queensland localities uggests considerable differences in community composition on a relatively small spatial scale. An island locality had a significantly different community structure and greater species diversity than nearby mainland sites. These results emphasise the importance of comparative studies of parasites among localities, and especially between island and mailand communities