The application of molecular systematics to the parasitic Platyhelminthes (Cestoda, Digenea and Monogenea) over the last decade has advanced our understanding of their interrelationships and evolution substantially. Here we review the current state of play and the early works that led to the molecular-based hypotheses that now predominate in the field; advances in their systematics, taxonomy, c...

The prevalence of larval stages of Dicrocoeliidae in the land snail, Chondrus tournefortianus (Férussac, 1821), found in Kastamonu, Turkey, was investigated and some of its morphological and histological features were determined. The snail samples were collected in spring and autumn. C. tournefortianus has been reported for the first time as being an intermediate host in the life cycle of Dicro...

Among 544 species of helminths recorded in birds on the territory of Poland, probably some (17 species of Digenea, 21 Cestoda, 13 Nematoda and 5 Acanthocephala) do not belong to the native fauna. These are helminths obtained in mature stage from birds shortly after their arrival from wintering grounds, or from foreign populations wintering with us, or being in the course of spring or autumn mig...

Rhipidocotyle pentagonum (Ozaki, 1924) is reported for the first time in South America parasitizing Auxis thazard and in a new host Katsuwonus pelamis. Tergestia laticollis (Rudolphi, 1819) is reported for the first time in South America and in Thunnus albacares, representing a new host record. Copiatestes filiferus (Leuckart, in Sars, 1885) is recorded for the first time in Brazil and in Thunn...

The recent invasion of the red alga Heterosiphonia japonica in the western North Atlantic Ocean has provided a unique opportunity to study invasion dynamics across a biogeographical barrier. Native to the western North Pacific Ocean, initial collections in 2007 and 2009 restricted the western North Atlantic range of this invader to Rhode Island, USA. However, through subtidal community surveys,...

A total of 107 leptodactylid frogs representing 6 species, Leptodactylus fuscus (n 5 15), Leptodactylus leptodactyloides (n 5 9), Leptodactylus mystaceus (n 5 2), Leptodactylus ocellatus (n 5 31), Leptodactylus petersii (n 5 31), and Leptodactylus pustulatus (n 5 19), collected in the Brazilian state of Tocantins, were examined for helminths. One species of Digenea (Catadiscus marinholutzi), 6 ...

Halipegus eschi n. sp. is described from the esophagus of Rana vaillanti from Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. The new species differs from other known species of Halipegus on the basis of relative testis size, lateral extent of the uterus, vitelline follicle arrangement, egg size, and polar filament length.

The edible blue-green alga (cyanobacterium), Suizenji-nori, contained 143.8+/-22.4 microg of vitamin B(12) per 100 g dry weight of the alga (mean+/-SE, n=4). A corrinoid compound was purified from the dried Suizenji-nori, and partially characterized. The silica gel 60 TLC and reversed-phase HPLC patterns of the purified corrinoid compound were not identical to those of true vitamin B(12), but t...

A novel fucan sulfate (Hor-1) was isolated from the hot water extract of an edible brown alga, Sargassum horneri (Turner) C. Agardh. The fucan sulfate was revealed to have sugar linkage types, sulfate content and uronic acid content different from those of sodium hornan (Na-HOR), another fucan sulfate isolated from this alga. However, it exhibited inhibitory activity against replication of herp...

Nonmitochondrial ADP/ATP translocase is an energy parasite enzyme. Its encoding gene, tlc, is found only in Rickettsiales, Chlamydiales, and plant and alga plastids. We demonstrate the presence of tlc in Parachlamydia acanthamoebae. This gene shares more similarity with the tlc1 gene of Chlamydiaceae and the tlc of plant and alga plastids than with the tlc2 gene of Chlamydiaceae. Phylogenetic a...