Phylogeny and systematics of the Proterodiplostomidae Dubois, 1936 (Digenea: Diplostomoidea) reflect the complex evolutionary history of the ancient digenean group.

The Proterodiplostomidae Dubois, 1936 is a relatively small family of diplostomoidean digeneans parasitising the intestines of reptilian hosts associated with freshwater environments in tropical and subtropical regions. The greatest diversity of proterodiplostomids is found in crocodilians, although some parasitise snakes and turtles. According to the most recent revision, the Proterodiplostomidae included 17 genera within 5 subfamilies.

Molecular phylogeny of the Cyathocotylidae (Digenea, Diplostomoidea) necessitates systematic changes and reveals a history of host and environment switches.

The Cyathocotylidae is a globally distributed family of digeneans parasitic as adults in fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals in both freshwater and marine environments. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of interrelationships among cyathocotylids is lacking with only a few species included in previous studies. We used sequences of the nuclear 28S rRNA gene to examine phylogenetic affinities of 11 newly sequenced taxa of cyathocotylids and the closely related family Brauninidae collected from fish, reptiles, birds, and dolphins from Australia, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America and South America.

Molecular insight into systematics, host associations, life cycles and geographic distribution of the nematode family Rhabdiasidae.

Rhabdiasidae Railliet, 1915 is a globally distributed group of up to 100 known species of nematodes parasitic in amphibians and reptiles. This work presents the results of a molecular phylogenetic analysis of 36 species of Rhabdiasidae from reptiles and amphibians from six continents. New DNA sequences encompassing partial 18S rDNA, ITS1, 5.

Redescription of the frog bladder fluke Gorgoderina attenuata from the northern leopard frog, Rana pipiens.

Morphological characters used to differentiate North American bladder flukes, Gorgoderina spp., are problematic and different authors use different morphological characteristics for distinguishing species. More importantly, no type specimens exist for 4 of the 12 North American species infecting anuran and caudatan hosts.

Haplorchis popelkae N. SP. (Digenea: Heterophyidae) from short-necked turtles (Chelidae) in Northern Australia.

Haplorchis popelkae n. sp. is described from the intestine of the short-necked turtles Elseya dentata and Emydura victoriae in Northern Territory, Australia.

A new species of blood fluke (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) from the Malayan box turtle, Cuora amboinensis (Cryptodira: Geomydidae) in Thailand.

Spirhapalum siamensis n. sp. obtained from the heart of the Malayan box turtle, Cuora amboinensis, from western Thailand is described.

Alternative life cycle strategies and colonization of young anurans by Gorgoderina attenuata in Nebraska.

Studies on life cycles and epizootiology of North American frog bladder flukes indicate that adult frogs become infected predominantly by ingesting tadpoles or other frogs that serve as second intermediate hosts for gorgoderid metacercariae. Other studies have indicated that newly metamorphosed frogs are rarely infected with these parasites because they are gape-limited predators that cannot feed on large intermediate hosts such as tadpoles and other frogs. We examined the role of potential intermediate hosts in the recruitment of the frog bladder fluke, Gorgoderina attenuata, to metamorphosed northern leopard frogs, Woodhouse's toads, and bullfrogs from western Nebraska.

Aptorchis glandularis n. sp. (Digenea: Plagiorchioidea) from the northwestern red-faced turtle, Emydura australis, (Pleurodira: Chelidae) in the Kimberley, Western Australia.

Aptorchis glandularis n. sp. is described from the intestine of the northwestern red-faced turtle, Emydura australis (Pleurodira: Chelidae), in the Kimberley, Western Australia.

New genus and species of Aporocotylidae (Digenea) from a basal actinopterygian, the American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, (Acipenseriformes: Polyodontidae) from the Mississippi Delta.

Acipensericola petersoni n. gen., n.

Aptorchis megacetabulus n. sp. (Platyhelminthes: Digenea) from the northern long-necked turtle, Chelodina rugosa (Pleurodira: Chelidae), in Australia.

Aptorchis megacetabulus n. sp. is described from the intestine of the northern long-necked turtle, Chelodina rugosa (Pleurodira: Chelidae), in Northern Territory, Australia.

Neosychnocotyle maggiae, n. gen., n. sp. (Platyhelminthes: Aspidogastrea) from freshwater turtles in northern Australia.

Neosychnocotyle maggiae, n. gen., n.

An approach to revealing blood fluke life cycles, taxonomy, and diversity: provision of key reference data including DNA sequence from single life cycle stages.

Revealing diversity among extant blood flukes, and the patterns of relationships among them, has been hindered by the difficulty of determining if specimens described from different life cycle stages, hosts, geographic localities, and times represent the same or different species. Persistent collection of all available life cycle stages and provision of exact collection localities, host identification, reference DNA sequences for the parasite, and voucher specimens eventually will provide the framework needed to piece together individual life cycles and facilitate reconciliation with classical taxonomic descriptions, including those based on single life cycle stages. It also provides a means to document unique or rare species that might only ever be recovered from a single life cycle stage.

Phylogeny and paraphyly among tetrapod blood flukes (Digenea: Schistosomatidae and Spirorchiidae).

The blood flukes of turtles (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) and the blood flukes of crocodilians, birds and mammals (Digenea: Schistosomatidae) have long been considered as closely related, but distinct evolutionary lineages. Recent morphological and molecular studies have considered these families as sister taxa within the Schistosomatoidea. Representatives of both families have similar furcocercous cercariae and similar two-host life cycles, but have different definitive hosts, distinct reproductive patterns and different morphologies.

Acanthostomum macroclemidis n. sp. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae: Acanthostominae) from the alligator snapping turtle, Macroclemys temmincki.

Acanthostomum macroclemidis n. sp. is described from specimens found in the intestine of an alligator snapping turtle Macroclemys temmincki from southern Mississippi.

Cluster control of a distributed-parameter planar structure--middle authority control.

This paper proposes a generalized active vibration control approach, "cluster control," that explicitly targets sets of structural modes with some common property. The approach falls into a category of MAC (middle authority control) between conventionally used LAC (low authority control) and HAC (high authority control), possessing the benefit of stability and control law simplicity analogous to LAC, while providing high control performance as well as some flexibility of control gain assignment similar to HAC. The structure of a cluster control system is outlined, showing that it is possible to control a target cluster without affecting the other clusters.