New species of Temnocephala (Platyhelminthes, Temnocephalidae) ectosymbiont on decapod crustaceans Aegla jarai (Aeglidae) from Brazil and Samastacus spinifrons (Parastacidae) from Chile.

A new Neotropical temnocephalan species is described from Aegla jarai Bond-Buckup & Buckup, 1994 from Santa Catarina, Brazil and recorded on Samastacus spinifrons (Philippi, 1882) from five locations (Región de Biobío, Región de la Araucanía, and Región de Los Lagos) in Chile. Temnocephala catarinensis sp. nov.

Temnocephalan epibionts (Platyhelminthes, Temnocephalida) on mollusks from Pantanal wetland, Brazil.

Temnocephala iheringi Haswell, 1893 was recorded in Marisa planogyra Pilsbry, 1933 and Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810. Also, Temnocephala amatoi sp. nov.

Histopathological changes in the kidneys of vertebrate hosts infected naturally and experimentally with Paratanaisia bragai (Trematoda, Digenea).

Paratanaisia bragai is a trematode parasite that reaches sexual maturity in the kidney collecting ducts of domesticated and wild fowl and whose intermediate hosts are the snails Subulina octona and Leptinaria unilamellata. There are some discrepancies in descriptions of the pathology of this parasite in bird kidneys. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the kidneys of rock pigeons (Columba livia) naturally infected and of chickens (Gallus gallus) experimentally infected with Paratanaisia bragai, by means of macroscopic observation and by light and scanning electron microscopy.

A new species of Cacatuocotyle (Monogenea, Dactylogyridae) parasitizing two species of Astyanax (Ostariophysi, Characidae) in southern Brazil.

A new species of Cacatuocotyle is described from the external surface of Astyanax aff. fasciatus and Astyanax jacuhiensis from Lake Guaíba, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It differs from the other three species of the genus, recorded from Mexico and the State of Paraná, Brazil, by possessing an accessory piece with a long proximal portion, a U-shaped bar with irregular posterior margin in its midportion, and a haptor containing two circular thickenings with muscular anterior margins.

Urbanization breaks up host-parasite interactions: a case study on parasite community ecology of rufous-bellied thrushes (Turdus rufiventris) along a rural-urban gradient.

Urbanization drastically alters natural ecosystems and the structure of their plant and animal communities. Whereas some species cope successfully with these environmental changes, others may go extinct. In the case of parasite communities, the expansion of urban areas has a critical effect by changing the availability of suitable substrates for the eggs or free-larval stages of those species with direct life cycles or for the range of hosts of those species with complex cycles.

Community structure of helminth parasites of the "Cururu" toad, Rhinella icterica (Anura: Bufonidae) from southern Brazil.

Sixty specimens of the "cururu" toad, Rhinella icterica (Spix 1824) (Bufonidae), were collected in Campo Belo do Sul, State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, between May 2009 and January 2011, and were examined for the presence of helminth parasites. Nine species of adult helminths were found: Catadiscus cohni, Rudolphitrema rudolphii, Cylindrotaenia sp., Rhabdias fuelleborni, Strongyloides sp.

Seasonal influences on parasite community structure of Turdus rufiventris (Aves).

Seasonality has strong effects on natural systems by influencing resource availability, thereby interfering in plant-herbivore, prey-predator, and host-parasite interactions. We compared the seasonal structure of the helminth community of rufous-bellied thrushes (Turdus rufiventris), assessed its correlation with environmental variables, and interpreted temporal patterns of parasite abundance in relation to their life cycles and likely changes in the availability of intermediate hosts and vectors. Fifteen helminth species were found in a sample of 151 thrushes collected on a seasonal basis over 3 yr.

Helminth parasitism in the Neotropical cormorant, Phalacrocorax brasilianus, in southern Brazil: effect of host size, weight, sex, and maturity state.

Forty-seven specimens of Neotropical cormorants, Phalacrocorax brasilianus, from Lago Guaíba, Guaíba, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (30° 00' S, 51°15' W), were examined for helminth parasites between 1999 and 2003. Twenty species of helminth parasites were found: ten digeneans: Austrodiplostomum mordax, Austrodiplostomum compactum, Clinostomum sp., Drepanocephalus olivaceus, Drepanocephalus spathans, Hysteromorpha triloba, Ignavia olivacei, Paryphostomum segregatum, Prosthogonimus ovatus, and Ribeiroia ondatrae; one cestode: Paradilepis caballeroi; eight nematodes: Contracaecum rudolphii, Eucoleus contortus, Eustrongylides sp.

[External morphology of the adults specimens of Paratanaisia bragai (Santos, 1934)(Diginea: Eucotylidae)].

Adult specimens of Paratanaisia bragai collected from renal ducts of Columba livia naturally infected, were fixed in glutaraldehyde 2.5 degrees and processed for scanning electron microscopy. Two distinct types of scales had been identified, bifid and simple scales, disposed in transversal rows, on the tegument of dorsal and ventral face of the body.