The type species of the genus Halipegus Looss, 1899, Halipegus ovocaudatus (Vulpian, 1859) is a generalist parasite of different species of amphibians, mainly anurans. To date, the phylogenetic position of this species has not been established. Specimens of H.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe taxonomic status of many species of the family Cyclocoelidae is still unclear. Two species of cyclocoelids, and , were collected from the air sacs of birds ( and ) inhabiting the Middle Volga region (European Russia). Here, we provide the first detailed morphological description of these cyclocoelids and combine it with the first molecular phylogenetic analysis of Cyclocoelidae from birds in Russia based on partial sequences of their 28s rDNA and coI mtDNA genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe digenean complex life cycle includes various morphological forms with different locomotory and behavioral activities, and the functional specialization of their nervous system is of importance for the transmission of these parasites. Adult digeneans acquire many adaptive features associated with the final settlement in a vertebrate host. Our study describes the general morphology and ultrastructure of the nervous system of the adult renicolid digenean Renicola parvicaudatus parasitizing the renal tubules of herring gulls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNematodes of the genus are common parasites of the small intestine of amphibians and reptiles. Our recent molecular analysis of nematodes revealed that only , which possesses high morphological variability, parasitizes amphibians and reptiles in European Russia. Here we present the study of nematodes from the European green toad (Anura, Bufonidae) collected at different localities of the Middle Volga region in 2018-2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMorphological variability of trematodes from bats (Chiroptera) is poorly studied. Since the variability of adult digenean specimens may be rather high, morphological features are often insufficient for the identification of closely related species, and confirmation with the use of molecular data is required. The aim of our study was to combine the morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses of several bat trematodes from the genera and (Pleurogenidae): , , , , and , of which and are little known in European Russia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGymnophallus deliciosus is a type species of the genus Gymnophallus. We collected this trematode species from gallbladder of Larus argentatus caught in the White Sea (Kandalaksha Bay, Chupa Inlet) and obtained the sequences of its nuclear 18S and 28S rDNA genes. Our recently obtained phylogenetic data support a sister group relationship of this species with G.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe found metacercariae of a microphallid trematode Atriophallophorus minutus in freshwater snails Bithynia tentaculata. In this study, we provide a morphological description of whole-mount specimens and semi-thin sections of experimentally grown adults of this species. Our morphological examination supports the idea that the adults of Atriophallophorus spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Parasitic flatworms (Trematoda: Digenea) represent one of the most remarkable examples of drastic morphological diversity among the stages within a life cycle. Which genes are responsible for extreme differences in anatomy, physiology, behavior, and ecology among the stages? Here we report a comparative transcriptomic analysis of parthenogenetic and amphimictic generations in two evolutionary informative species of Digenea belonging to the family Psilostomatidae.
Methods: In this study the transcriptomes of rediae, cercariae and adult worm stages of Psilotrema simillimum and Sphaeridiotrema pseudoglobulus, were sequenced and analyzed.
Adult opecoelid digeneans consistent with Tellervotrema beringi (Mamaev, 1965) were found in the intestine of the deep-water fish Antimora microlepis Bean collected off the northern Kuril Islands (Russia). Earlier, T. beringi was recorded only in macrourid fish.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe biology of free-living and parasitic Platyhelminthes is diverse. Taking into account the widespread prevalence of parasitic flatworms, Digenea is the least studied group regarding the fine structure of nervous system especially of the cercarial life stage. Here, we present a description of the fine structure of central nervous system (CNS) and two types of uniciliate sensory papillae of xiphidiocercaria Cercaria parvicaudata (Microphalloidea, Renicolidae).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMorphology of the daughter sporocysts of Cercaria etgesii Shchenkov, 2017 (Pleurogenidae) has been described according to conventional histological techniques and subsequent 3D reconstruction with Bitplanelmaris® software. Novel data were obtained concerning the spatial organization of the brood cavity of Pleurogenidae daughter sporocysts. It was shown that the laminated structures of the endocyst are lining the brood cavity and carry out its compartmentalisation by formation of the chambers around developing and disintegrating embryos of cercariae.
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