Cranial neural crest-cell migration in the direct-developing frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui: molecular heterogeneity within and among migratory streams.

Direct development is a specialized reproductive mode that has evolved repeatedly in many different lineages of amphibians, especially anurans. A fully formed, albeit miniature adult hatches directly from the egg; there is no free-living larva. In many groups, the evolution of direct development has had profound consequences for cranial development and morphology, including many components that are derived from the embryonic neural crest.

Role of gregarine parasite Ascogregarina culicis (Apicomplexa: Lecudinidae) in the maintenance of Chikungunya virus in vector mosquito.

Ascogregarina culicis and Ascogregarina taiwanensis are common gregarine parasites of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, respectively. These mosquito species are also known to transmit dengue and Chikungunya viruses. The sporozoites of these parasites invade the midgut epithelial cells and develop intracellularly and extracellularly in the gut to complete their life cycles.