The invasive land flatworm Arthurdendyus triangulatus has repeated sequences in the mitogenome, extra-long cox2 gene and paralogous nuclear rRNA clusters.

Using a combination of short- and long-reads sequencing, we were able to sequence the complete mitochondrial genome of the invasive 'New Zealand flatworm' Arthurdendyus triangulatus (Geoplanidae, Rhynchodeminae, Caenoplanini) and its two complete paralogous nuclear rRNA gene clusters. The mitogenome has a total length of 20,309 bp and contains repetitions that includes two types of tandem-repeats that could not be solved by short-reads sequencing. We also sequenced for the first time the mitogenomes of four species of Caenoplana (Caenoplanini).

Modeling the contribution of antibody attack rates to single and dual helminth infections in a natural system.

Within-host models of infection can provide important insights into the processes that affect parasite spread and persistence in host populations. However, modeling can be limited by the availability of empirical data, a problem commonly encountered in natural systems. Here, we used six years of immune-infection observations of two gastrointestinal helminths (Trichostrongylus retortaeformis and Graphidium strigosum) from a population of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) to develop an age-dependent, mathematical model that explicitly included species-specific and cross-reacting antibody (IgA and IgG) responses to each helminth in hosts with single or dual infections.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend: Immune-mediated facilitation contributes to fitness of co-infecting helminths.

The conceptual understanding of immune-mediated interactions between parasites is rooted in the theory of community ecology. One of the limitations of this approach is that most of the theory and empirical evidence has focused on resource or immune-mediated competition between parasites and yet there is ample evidence of positive interactions that could be generated by immune-mediated facilitation. We developed an immuno-epidemiological model and applied it to long-term data of two gastrointestinal helminths in two rabbit populations to investigate, through model testing, how immune-mediated mechanisms of parasite regulation could explain the higher intensities of both helminths in rabbits with dual than single infections.

Genetic variability of Arthurdendyus triangulatus (Dendy, 1894), a non-native invasive land planarian.

Arthurdendyus triangulatus (Dendy, 1894) is a land planarian native to New Zealand which has become established in the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands during the last 60 years. The species has become prevalent and widely established in Scotland mediated by human activity mostly through the exchange of plants and associated soil. As a predator of earthworms, concerns regarding both the direct impact on earthworm abundance and diversity and the indirect impact on those birds and mammals that have earthworms as a primary dietary component led to A.