Trochopus martydeveneyi n. sp. (Monogenea) infecting the pectoral fins of the southern African endemic Cape gurnard, Chelidonichthys capensis in Table Bay, and the proposal of Trochopus lawleri n. sp. for T. hobo from Australia.

Trochopus martydeveneyi n. sp., a large, elegant species is described from the dorsal surface of the pectoral fins of captive Cape gurnard, Chelidonichthys capensis (Cuvier), at Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Town, originally collected from Table Bay, South Africa in 2007.

The first cryptic genus of Ixodida, Cryptocroton n. gen. for Amblyomma papuanum Hirst, 1914: a tick of North Queensland, Australia, and Papua New Guinea.

We describe a new genus Cryptocroton n. gen. for Amblyomma papuanum Hirst, 1914, a tick of North Queensland, Australia, and Papua New Guinea.

Characterisation and comparative genomics of three new Varanus-associated Borrelia spp. from Indonesia and Australia.

Background: Borrelia are important disease-causing tick- and louse-borne spirochaetes than can infect a wide variety of vertebrates, including humans and reptiles. Reptile-associated (REP) Borrelia, once considered a peculiarity, are now recognised as a distinct and important evolutionary lineage, and are increasingly being discovered worldwide in association with novel hosts. Numerous novel Borrelia spp.

Plasticity in nest site choice behavior in response to hydric conditions in a reptile.

Natural selection is expected to select for and maintain maternal behaviors associated with choosing a nest site that promotes successful hatching of offspring, especially in animals that do not exhibit parental care such as reptiles. In contrast to temperature effects, we know little about how soil moisture contributes to successful hatching and particularly how it shapes nest site choice behavior in nature. The recent revelation of exceptionally deep nesting in lizards under extreme dry conditions underscored the potential for the hydric environment in shaping the evolution of nest site choice.