Seventy-two Caucasian salamanders, Mertensiella caucasica, were collected from 5 localities in Turkey between 1995 and 2001 and examined for helminths. One species of Monogenea, Euzetrema caucasica; 2 species of Digenea, Brachycoelium salamandrae and Opisthioglyphe rastellus; 1 species of Cestoda, Nematotaenia dispar; 4 species of Nematoda, Amphibiocapillaria tritonispunctati, Aplectana acuminata, Cosmocerca longicauda, and Mertensinema iberica; and 1 species of Acanthocephala, Acanthocephalus ranae, were found. One new host record and 6 new locality records are reported.

https://bioone.org/journals/comparative-parasitology/volume-72/issue-1/4152/Helminth-Parasites-of-the-Caucasian-Salamander-Mertensiella-caucasica-from-Turkey/10.1654/4152.pdf

Helminth Parasites of the Caucasian Salamander, Mertensiella caucasica, from Turkey

Two species of monorchiids are described from marine fishes of the Kuwaiti coast of the Arabian Gulf: Proctotrematoides kuwaiti sp. n. from Synaptura orientalis and Pseudorhombus arsius differs from all others in the genus by the absenc e of a prepharynx and esophagu s and by the arrangemen t and position of the vitelline follicles. Opisthodiplomonorchis elongatus Madhavi, 1974, is reported from Polydactylus sextarius and Plectorhynchus sp., both new locality records and the latter a new host record. Opisthodiplomonorchis differs from all monorchii d gener a with diagonal or tandem testes by the following combination of characteristics : vitellaria in 2 lateral groups of preand postovarian follicles, multilobed ovary, tandem testes at the posterior extremity, and unipartite seminal vesicle and terminal organ. Keys to the species of Proctotrematoides and monorchiids with 2 testes are included. Pseudomonorcheid.es Zhukov, 1983, nee Pseudomonorcheides Wang, 1982, is renamed Zlmkovtrema.

Digenetic trematodes of marine fishes from the Kuwaiti coast of the Arabian Gulf: family Monorchiidae Odhner, 1911.

One hundred forty-three banded frogs Rana camerani were collected from 2 localities in Turkey between 2000 and 2004 and examined for helminths. One species of Monogenea (Polystoma sp.), 5 species of Digenea (Gorgodera cynoides, Gorgoderina vitelliloba, Haplometra cylindricae, Opisthioglyphe rastellus, Pleurogenoides medians), 1 species of Cestoda (Nematotaenia dispar), 3 species of Nematoda (Cosmocerca ornata, Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Rhabdias bufonis), and 1 species of Acanthocephala (Acanthocephalus ranae) were found. Rana camerani represents a new host record for each of the collected parasite species.

https://bioone.org/journals/comparative-parasitology/volume-73/issue-2/4229.1/Helminth-Parasites-of-the-Banded-Frog-Rana-camerani-Ranidae-from/10.1654/4229.1.pdf

Helminth Parasites of the Banded Frog Rana camerani (Ranidae) from Turkey

Fifty-four Rana holtzi and 84 Rana macrocnemis from Turkey were examined for helminths. Rana holtzi harbored 3 species of Digenea (Gorgoderina vitelliloba, Haplometra cylindracea, Opisthioglyphe rastellus) and 1 species of Nematoda (Cosmocerca ornata). Rana holtzi is a new host record for these helminths. Rana macrocnemis harbored 1 species of Monogenea (Polystoma macrocnemis), 5 species of Digenea (Opisthioglyphe rastellus, Gorgoderina vitelliloba, Haplometra cylindracea, Pleurogenes claviger, Pleurogenoides medians), 3 species of Nematoda (Rhabdias bufonis, Cosmocerca ornata, Oswaldocruzia filiformis), and 1 species of Acanthocephala (Acanthocephalus ranae). Rana macrocnemis represents a new host record for H. cylindracea, O. rastellus, and P. medians.

https://bioone.org/journals/comparative-parasitology/volume-73/issue-2/4191.1/Helminth-Parasites-of-the-Taurus-Frog-Rana-holtzi-and-the/10.1654/4191.1.pdf

Helminth Parasites of the Taurus Frog, Rana holtzi, and the Uludag Frog, Rana macrocnemis, with Remarks on the Helminth Community of Turkish Anurans

Recent implications of parasites as agents of worldwide amphibian decline make determining the drivers of parasitic infection in amphibians a priority for ecological research. Despite the apparently seasonal nature of these outbreaks, seasonal dynamics remain largely ignored in recent studies of amphibian parasites. In this thesis, I present results of field studies describing seasonal patterns for multiple parasitic infections and testing between potential drivers of parasite infection risk using red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) as a model species. Most newt parasites had seasonal dynamics, with significantly more parasite species having peak infection rates during the early and late spring than in other seasons. These similar seasonal patterns appear to have been driven by multiple different factors, many of which may have been driven in turn by bottom-up effects of the spring bloom in pond productivity. Seasonal patterns in white blood cell counts indicated that amphibian immunity has similar responses to temperature in the field as have been recorded in laboratory studies. Moreover, both temperature increases and decreases were associated with low levels of immunity relative to temperature, indicating a negative effect of temperature variability on amphibian immunity. This pattern is probably due to a lag in production of immune cells following temperature increases in spring, and to a lag in seasonal acclimation to winter temperatures causing low immune cell production rates in autumn. The last three chapters focus on the ecology of Ichthyophonus sp., a protist parasite of newts which has caused mass morbidity events in North America. Based on data from the seasonal survey, an additional survey of sixteen populations, and a capturemark-recapture study, several lines of evidence suggest that the amphibian leech Placobdella picta is the vector of Ichthyophonus sp. infection in newts. There was little indication of mortality due to infection despite high apparent morbidity, but Ichthyophonus sp. infection did appear to cause males to stop breeding earlier in the spring and to induce temporary emigration in female and possibly male newts. These results suggest that parasites may influence the the newt life history strategy by driving newts onto land during the summer.

/pdf/causes-and-consequences-of-seasonal-dynamics-in-the-parasite-17a855oz7f.pdf

Causes and consequences of seasonal dynamics in the parasite community of red-spotted newts ( Notophthalmus viridescens )

Based on anatomical grounds, specimens in the type series of the acanthocephala n Acanthocephalus acutulus Van Cleave, 1931, from the red-spotted newt, Notophthalmus viridescens (Rafinesque, 1820), belong to the genus Fessisentis. This conforms with knowledge of the host-parasit e relationships within the genus Fessisentis. The single North American report for A. ranae (Schrank, 1788) clearly is not this species and probabl y is Acanthocephalus dims (Van Cleave, 1931) Van Cleave and Townsend, 1936.

Fessisentis acutulus (Van Cleave, 1931) comb. n. (Acanthocephala: Fessisentidae) : A parasite of caudate amphibians in North America, with comments on the single North American report of A. ranae (Schrank, 1788)

D. F. Mcalpine

Papers

Fessisentis acutulus (Van Cleave, 1931) comb. n. (Acanthocephala: Fessisentidae) : A parasite of caudate amphibians in North America, with comments on the single North American report of A. ranae (Schrank, 1788)