In infrapopulations of helminth parasites, density-dependent effects, through some form of intra- and interspecific competition, play an important role in shaping and regulating the infrapopulations. The mechanisms responsible for these processes have often been observed in laboratory studies and rarely studied under natural conditions. Here, 24 natural infrapopulations (77-447 individuals) of ...

Three acanthocephalan species, Sphaerirostris turdi from the island thrush (Turdus poliocephalus), and Porrorchis centropusi and Porrorchis kinsellai n. sp., both from Philippine scops owls (Otus megalotis), are reported from Aurora Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. Porrorchis kinsellai n. sp. can be readily differentiated from previously known members of the genus by an almost perfectly sph...

The metazoan parasite fauna of Hippoglossina macrops (n = 123) from northern Chile (30 degrees S) is quantitatively described for the first time, and the role of host age and sex was evaluated. Twelve parasite species were recovered, including 5 ectoparasites (2 Monogenea, 2 Copepoda and 1 Piscicolidae) and 7 endoparasites (1 Digenea, 3 Cestoda, 2 Acanthocephala, and 1 Nematoda). The copepod Ho...

Manipulative parasites often alter the phenotype of their hosts along multiple dimensions. 'Multidimensionality' in host manipulation could consist in the simultaneous alteration of several physiological pathways independently of one another, or proceed from the disruption of some key physiological parameter, followed by a cascade of effects. We compared multidimensionality in 'host manipulatio...

A survey of gastrointestinal helminth communities of Gallotia caesaris caesaris (Lehrs, 1914) and G. c. gomerae (Boettger and MUller, 1914), from the islands of El Hierro and La Gomera, respectively, in the Canary Archipelago, Spain, was conducted to determine the prevalence, intensity, and diversity of intestinal parasites of these lacertid lizards. Larval forms of cestodes, nematodes, and aca...