Duck body condition affects the number of parasites in the gastrointestinal tract, as evaluated with the Akaike information criterion.

The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the body condition, and the number of parasites in the gastrointestinal tract of the tufted duck (Aythya fuligula), using the Akaike information criterion. Absolute and relative measurements of 197 ducks were taken. Liver mass was positively associated with the number of parasites in the duodenum (β = 0.

Redescription of (Rudolphi, 1819) Lomakin, 1991 (Nematoda: ), a Parasite of (Gruiformes).

Introduction: (Rudolphi, 1819) Lomakin, 1991, is a species of which the systematic position is still unclear, and it is reported in the literature under many synonyms. In the present study, an attempt has been made at establishing the ultimate systematic position of against the backdrop of selected species.

Material And Methods: The parasites were identified based on measurements of external and internal structures.

Morphological and ecological characteristic of Dicranotaenia stenosacculata Macko, 1988 (Cestoda, Hymenolepididae) recorded in Poland.

During the parasitological examination of 288 wild ducks from north-western Poland, 18 tapeworms were found in the intestines (jejunum, ileum and rectum) of six birds, which, based on the structure of the scolex, internal organs and the presence of cirrus with an internal additional sac, were determinated as Dicranotaenia stenosacculata Macko, 1988. Tapeworms were found in two young females Bucephala clangula, one young female Aythya marila as well as two adult males Aythya fuligula. The aim of the study was to present the morphological and ecological characteristics of the species, recently discovered for the first time in the fauna of Poland.

Taxonomic structure of cestodofauna of two species of diving ducks Aythya fuligula and A. marila (Anseriformes: Aythyini) in north-western Poland.

Diving ducks Aythyini Delacour et Mayr, 1945 are an interesting object of the parasitological studies because due to living in two environments (aquatic and terrestrial) and migrating over long distances, they can come into contact with many potential hosts for parasites. In the recent years, a decrease in the population of diving ducks has been observed, especially of the tufted duck and the scaup. Both of them remain the most common species found in the region of West Pomerania, so the presented research is limited to the parasitological studies of these two species of ducks.

Tetrameres globosa (Linstow, 1879) (Nematoda, Tetrameridae) – a nematode of the Eurasian coot Fulica atra (Linnaeus, 1758) recorded for the first time in Poland.

During parasitological studies of 23 Eurasian coot Fulica atra (Linnaeus, 1758), 91 nematodes were isolated. Three of them, found in the proventriculus, were identified as Tetrameres globosa (Linstow, 1879). This paper presents the morphological characteristics of the discovered males of T.

The use of selected statistical methods and Kohonen networks in the revision and redescription of parasites.

Revisions and redescriptions of species and higher taxa have been known in parasitology since the first description of a parasite. Usually, they are based on standard morphometric methods or more modern genetic analysis. The former are not always sufficiently reliable, while the latter often require expensive equipment, pre-defined genetic markers, and appropriately prepared research material.

Revision of the species complex Amidostomum acutum (Lundahl, 1848) (Nematoda: Amidostomatidae) by use of molecular techniques.

The aim of the work is to confirm the species differentiation of the nematodes of the Amidostomatidae family: Amidostomoides acutum (Lundahl, 1848) Lomakin, 1991; Amidostomoides monodon (Linstow, 1882) Lomakin, 1991, and Amidostomoides petrovi (Shakhtahtinskaya, 1956) Lomakin, 1991, which still are used in the parasitological literature as synonyms of Amidostomum acutum (Lundahl, 1848). The research material consisted of nematodes isolated from gizzards of dabbling ducks from the north-west of Poland. To confirm the species differentiation, DNA from the nematodes was isolated and approximately 630bp of the 28S rRNA gene were sequenced.

Mercury and selenium in the muscle of piscivorous common mergansers (Mergus merganser) from a selenium-deficient European country.

Although the relationship between mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) has been studied in wild birds in areas with sufficient or excessive Se levels, little is known about this relationship in areas where the supply of Se is limited. As Hg detoxification is based on the production of biologically inactive Hg-Se complexes, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between the concentrations of total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), inorganic mercury (InHg=THg-MeHg), percent MeHg of THg, Se and molar ratios (THg:Se, MeHg:Se, InHg:Se) in the breast muscle (n=16) of the piscivorous common mergansers (Mergus merganser) from a Se-deficient and moderately Hg-polluted area in Poland. Mergansers were divided into two groups differing in condition (A-very good condition; C-moderate condition).

Hepatic and nephric mercury and selenium concentrations in common mergansers, Mergus merganser, from Baltic Region, Europe.

The subject of the present study was the piscivorous common mergansers (Mergus merganser). The total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), selenium (Se) inorganic mercury (InHg; THg - MeHg), percentage of THg that is MeHg (%MeHg), molar ratios (THg:Se, MeHg:Se, InHg:Se), and their mutual relations in livers and kidneys were determined in ducks from an Se-deficient area in Poland. The authors verified a hypothesis that, as a result of living in an Se-deficient region, mergansers from Poland should have higher THg:Se ratios than other waterbirds with similar THg tissue levels.

Morphometrical and ecological analysis of nematodes of the family Capillariidae (Neveu-Lemaire, 1936) in wild ducks (Anatinae) from the north-western Poland.

West Pomerania is located on the migratory route of many species of birds. Among them are many representatives of wild duck species (subfamily Anatinae), which are often the primary hosts of many helminths due to the fact of living in two different environments: terrestrial and aquatic. However, until the end of the 90s, research conducted in Poland on the helminth fauna of wild birds, including nematodes of the family Capillariidae, did not include the north-western region of the country.

Cloacotaenia megalops (Nitzsch in Creplin, 1829) (Cestoda, Hymenolepididae) in wild ducks in Western Pomerania, Poland.

Cloacotaenia megalops (Nitzsch in Creplin, 1892) is a polyxenic and cosmopolitan tapeworm from the family Hymenolepididae. Its generic name derives from their typical location (cloaca), and the typical final hosts which are birds typically associated with water and marsh environments: Anseriformes, Galliformes and Gruiformes. In Poland, the presence of C.

Morphological features of Cloacotaenia megalops (Nitzsch in Creplin, 1829) (Cestoda, Hymenolepididae) from different hosts.

The tapeworm species Cloacotaenia megalops (Nitzsch in Creplin, 1829) is characterized by a very specific morphology. A particularly distinct feature is a large almost square scolex in which four fleshy suction cups are embedded and a rudimentary rostellum. During standard studies of wild duck cestode fauna in northwestern Poland, some morphological differences were observed among specimens, mainly in the shape of scolices and hermaphroditic proglottids of C.

Revision of the species complex Amidostomum acutum (Lundahl, 1848) (Nematoda: Amidostomatidae).

Most available literature indicates that the most dominant nematode in Anatinae is a cosmopolitan species Amidostomum acutum (Lundahl, 1848). However, studies on wild duck helminthofauna in northwestern Poland suggest that these birds are attacked by not one but three different parasite species, previously described as a single species. Hence the aim of this study was the redescription of the species complex Amidostomum acutum, conducted on a representative sample of parasites and their hosts.

[First record of species Dicranotaenia synsacculata Macko, 1988 (Cestoda, Hymenolepididae) of the goldeneye Bucephala clangula (Linneus, 1758) in Poland].

During parasitological studies of 32 specimens of the goldeneye Bucephala clangula L., twenty seven cestode specimens were found. Four of them, isolated from the jejunum of two young female hosts, were determinated as Dicranotaenia synsacculata Macko, 1988.

Body condition and mercury concentration in apparently healthy Goosander (Mergus merganser) wintering in the Odra estuary, Poland.

Goosanders (Mergus merganser, ad, adult n = 42: M, males 33 and F, females 9; im, immature n = 17: M 8, F 9) were collected in 2005 at wintering site in the River Odra estuary (Poland). The body size (BM, body mass; BL, body length; KL, keel length), weights of organs (LM, liver; KM, kidneys; EM, encephalon), and two condition-related indices (BM/BL and BM/KL) were determined. Based on BM/BL and BM/KL indices, the birds were divided into 3 condition groups: A (very good), B (good), and C (moderate).

[First record of Microsomacanthus tuvensis Spasskaya et Spasskii, 1961 (Cestoda, Hymenolepididae) in Poland].

During standard parasitological studies of the tufted duck Aythya fuligula, obtained from fishermen from West Pomerania in December 2007, three cestode specimens were found in the jejunum of one male host. They were determinated as Microsomacanthus tuvensis (Spasskaya et Spasskii, 1961) on the basis of the cirrus's and cirrus sac's size and vagina's shape. This is the first record of this species in Poland.

Nematofauna of ducks of the genus Melanitta (Mergini, Anseriformes) from the south Baltic Sea.

A total of 10 individuals each of the common scoter (Melanitta nigra) and the velvet scoter (M. fusca) were examined for parasites. The scoters are marine ducks wintering at the south-western coast of the Baltic Sea.

[Digenea in Melanitta fusca and M. nigra (Mergini, Anseriformes) from the Baltic Sea].

Ten individuals of Melanitta fusca and M. nigra (Mergini, Anseriformes) each, wintering at the Polish Baltic coast, were examined for the presence of parasites. M.

[Preliminary studies on the cestodofauna of goosander Mergus merganser L., 1758 from West Pomerania].

The research included 54 individuals of the goosander Mergus merganser L., 1758 (Anseriformes, Mergini), wintering on Lake Dabie within the administrative limits of Szczecin. Seven species of cestoda from two families were found in those ducks.

[Helminths of Falco peregrinus Tunstall, 1771 from Szczecin area].

In 2006, an emaciated female peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus was found near its nest, and died soon after. Parasitological research involved digestive tract and respiratory system, kidney and liver. In air sacs, nematode Serratospiculum tendo (Nitzsch, 1857), which causes the falcon disease serratospiculiasis, was found, and in the digestive tract trematodes Strigeafalconis Szidat, 1928, Conodiplostomum spathula (Creplin, 1829), and a cestode Cladotaenia cylindracea (Bloch, 1782).

Taxonomic structure of Digenea in wild ducks (Anatinae) from West Pomerania.

Parasitic fauna of birds connected with water environment, including digeneans, is relatively well researched in Poland. The exception, however, is West Pomerania, where those birds were not frequent objects of parasitological research until recently. The purpose of this work is to determine the taxonomic structure of the Digenea, parasitising wild ducks living in West Pomerania.

[Biological and ecological background of nematode fauna structure formation in the alimentary tracts of wild Anatinae ducks in north-western Poland].

The study involved a total of 250 wild ducks representing 17 species of three ecologically different tribes: the Anatini (113 individuals), the Aythyini (71), and the Mergini (66). The ducks, obtained mainly from fishermen and hunters, were examined for the presence of parasites, using the generally accepted methods. Analyses of nematode assemblage structure were conducted with methods described in the literature.

[Enteric helminths of the mallard Anas platyrhynchos L., 1758 in the north-western part of Poland].

Although the mallard, Anas platyrhynchos, is the most common wild duck in Poland, as well as in the entire Palearctic, it is extremely rarely studied by comprehensive parasitological surveys. The aim of this study was to present a synthesis on the species composition of enteric helminths of the mallard in north-western Poland. The study was carried out in 1999-2006 and involved parasitic worms isolated from the alimentary tracts of 187 mallards (Anseriformes: Anatidae).

[Intestinal digeneans of Gavia stellata (Pontoppidan, 1763) and Gavia arctica (Linnaeus, 1758) from West Pomerania, Poland].

In 2000 and 2006 a total of 20 divers including 15 Gavia stellata and 5 Gavia artica from Pomeranian Bay and Szczecin Lagoon were examined. G. stellata were found to be infected with 3 digenean species: Stephanoprora pseudoechinata (Olsson, 1876), Cryptocotyle concava (Creplin, 1825) and Diplostomum gavium (Guberlet, 1922).

[Digenea of Haliaeetus albicilla (Linnaeus, 1758) and Pandion haliaetus (Linnaeus, 1758) from middle and north-western Poland].

In 2003-2008 eight white-tailed eagles and two ospreys from middle and north-western Poland were examined for the presence of parasites. Nine birds were infected with 5 digenean species: Conodiplostomum perlatum, Paracoenogonimus ovatus, Strigeafalconis, Metorchis crassiusculus and Nematostrigea serpens. M.