A gregarine pathogen of Ips sexdentatus is reported in Turkey for the first time and described as Gregarina typographi. A mixed nematode parasitization and gregarine infection is reported. Gregarines were observed in the populations of I. sexdentatus in fialpazar› (Sisda¤›), Trabzon. During the study, several life stages of the gregarine pathogen were observed, measured, and photographed. Measu...

The nematode Pseudoplatycoma malaysianis n. gen. n. sp. is described from the Sulu Sea (Malaysia). The new genus is classified in the subfamily Platycominae Platonova 1976. Revision of the new genus and four other genera in Platycominae, resulted in four species from the genus Platycomopsis being transferred to other genera: P. dimorphica and P. mazjatzavi to the genus Platycoma; P. effilata to...

We investigated filarial infection in Malagasy bats to gain insights into the diversity of these parasites and explore the factors shaping their distribution. Samples were obtained from 947 individual bats collected from 52 sites on Madagascar and representing 31 of the 44 species currently recognized on the island. Samples were screened for the presence of micro- and macro-parasites through bo...

Egg-laying behavior in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans involves fluctuation between alternative behavioral states: an inactive state, during which eggs are retained in the uterus, and an active state, during which eggs are laid in bursts. We have found that the flp-1 gene, which encodes a group of structurally related neuropeptides, functions specifically to promote the switch from the inac...

While the concept of population growth rate has been of central importance in the development of the theory of population dynamics, few empirical studies consider the intrinsic growth rate in detail, let alone how it may vary within and between populations of the same species. In an attempt to link theory with data we take two approaches. First, we address the question 'what growth rate pattern...

We present the annotation of the draft genome sequence of Oscheius sp. TEL-2014 (Genbank accession number KM492926). This entomopathogenic nematode was isolated from grassland in Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve near Johannesburg in South Africa. Oscheius sp. Strain TEL has a genome size of 110,599,558 bp and a GC content of 42.24%. The genome sequence can be accessed at DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the...

The reniform nematode, Rotylenchulus reniformis, has become a serious threat to cotton and soybean production in Arkansas and the mid-South. Yield losses caused by this nematode in the field range as high as 50%. In the absence of resistant cultivars, nematicides, and crop rotation are the available methods for controlling this nematode (Robbins et al., 1994). Limited information is available o...

Many animal species exhibit sex differences in aging. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, under conditions that minimize mortality, males are the longer-lived sex. In a survey of 12 independent C. elegans isolates, we find that this is a species-typical character. To test the hypothesis that the C. elegans male longevity bias evolved as a consequence of androdioecy (having males and hermaph...

From the late 19th century, Africa has faced heavy exploitation of its natural resources with increasing land/water pollution, and several described species have already become extinct or close to extinction. This could also be the case for marine nematodes, which are the most abundant and diverse benthic group in marine sediments, and play major roles in ecosystem functioning. Compared to Euro...

This report describes a unique case of presumed migration of Parelaphastrongylus tenuis through the spinal cord into the eye of a llama where it survived and matured within the ocular environment. Blindness of the eye was most likely attributable to migration of the parasite through the central nervous tissue.