Two Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) were experimentally infected with cystacanths of Oligacanthorhynchus tortuosa collected from naturally infected millipedes (Narceus americanus). The prepatent period of O. tortuosa was determined to be about 9 wk. Laboratory-raised millipedes fed feces from experimentally infected opossums containing ova of O. tortuosa contained cystacanths of O. tortuosa with inverted and invaginated proboscides at 82 d postinfection. This constitutes the first elucidation of a life cycle of an acanthocephalan of the genus Oligacanthorhynchus and constitutes the first description of the cystacanth of O. tortuosa.

Paradeuterobaris victoriae n. sp. (Digenea: Microscaphidiidae) and Buckarootrema minuta n. sp. (Digenea: Pronocephalidae) are described from the Victoria River red-faced turtle, Emydura victoriae (Pleurodira: Chelidae), from the Victoria River, Northern Territory, Australia. Each of the new species is the second known member of a previously monotypic genus. Paradeuterobaris victoriae n. sp. differs from Paradeuterobaris novaguineae in the extent of the vitellarium and ventral glands, the position of the testes, and the presence of numerous uterine loops between the anterior testis and seminal vesicle, among other characters. Buckarootrema minuta n. sp. differs from Buckarootrema goodmani in the relative length of the ceca, the relative position of the gonads and testes, the position of uterine loops, the number of eggs, and overall body size. This work is the first report of any parasite from the Victoria River red-faced turtle and the first report of endohelminths from turtles of Northern Territory.

Trematodes of the genus Pneumatophilus occur in the lungs and tracheae of snakes of North America. Pneumatophilus tracheophilus n. sp. is described from the eastern mud snake, Farancia abacura abacura, from Florida, U.S.A. The new species differs from previously known members of Pneumatophilus according to the following suite of characteristics: deeply lobate to dendritic testes that are longer than wide, ovary positioned more posteriorly (postacetabular) than in the specimens of other species, body that is oval, and host species. Three previously described species, Pneumatophilus variabilis, Pneumatophilus foliaformis, and Pneumatophilus leidyi, are reinstated, and a key to species of Pneumatophilus is included.

Cryptocotyle thapari McIntosh, 1953 (Digenea: Heterophyidae), collected originally from a South American otter that died at the U.S. National Zoo in Washington, D.C., is redescribed from specimens obtained from a river otter, Lutra longicaudis, collected from the Río Matos in the Departamento de Beni, Bolivia. These individuals of C. thapari are slightly smaller than the type specimens, but they have similar features, including testes arranged in tandem and a well-defined ventrogenital sac. We redescribe this species because the original description was based on only 3 individuals, and the figures lacked detail. This is the first record of Cryptocotyle from any species of Lutra in South America and is the first record from an otter in Bolivia.

Seven species representing Gorgoderidae Looss, 1899, previously have been examined by scanning electron microscopy. This study describes the papillary pattern on the body surface of 6 additional species—Gorgoderina attenuata, Gorgoderina bilobata, Gorgoderina diaster, Gorgoderina megalorchis, Gorgoderina parvicava, and Gorgoderina megacetabularis—from localities in the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Four types of papillae (button, ciliated, rosette, and domed) were distinguished on the body surfaces of these trematodes and both the type and position of papillae varied among species. A consistent papillary pattern on the ventral forebody region and oral and ventral suckers is described. Three constant pairs of button papillae are around the stylet cavity. The pattern on the oral sucker consists of 10 papillae around the oral aperture. One of these pairs was doubled in G. bilobata and G. diaster; in addition, a variable number of papillae arranged in groups were usually present. Five pairs of button papillae were always present in a lateral position on the ventral surface of the forebody between both suckers. Six rosette papillae were observed on the ring of the ventral sucker, except in G. megacetabularis; 4 additional pairs of rosette papillae and 2 pairs of domed papillae were observed on the internal surface of this sucker. These papillae were not observed in G. bilobata and G. parvicava. Differences in the papillary pattern among species lie in the position of the different types of papillae.

Two new tetraphyllidean species, Paraorygmatobothrium roberti n. sp. and Paraorygmatobothrium arnoldi n. sp., are described from the Lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris, and the Sicklefin lemon shark, Negaprion acutidens, respectively. The 2 species are consistent in morphology with the 5 existing species of Paraorygmatobothrium. Paraorygmatobothrium roberti n. sp. differs from existing species of Paraorygmatobothrium in features such as total length, bothridial length, apical sucker diameter, testes number, dimensions of the cirrus sac, and dimensions of the ovary. Paraorygmatobothrium arnoldi n. sp. differs from existing species of Paraorygmatobothrium in total length, proglottid width, number of proglottids per strobila, bothridial length and width, apical sucker diameter, testis number, and dimensions of the cirrus sac. The 2 new species differ from one another in total length, maximum width, and ovary length. Description of these 2 new species brings to 7 the known number of species of Paraorygmatobothrium.

One of 23 specimens of the Spadenose shark, Scoliodon laticaudus (Elasmobranchii: Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae), necropsied for tapeworms in Mukah, Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo between 2002 and 2003 was found to host a new genus and species of tetraphyllidean tapeworm belonging to the family Phyllobothriidae. Ruhnkecestus latipi n. g., n. sp. is described from 4 specimens, 3 prepared as whole mounts and 1 from which the strobila was prepared as a whole mount, and the scolex prepared for examination with scanning electron microscopy. The genus is unique among phyllobothriids in that each bothridium bears 1 anterior, 3 central, and 2 posterior facial loculi. Its microthrix pattern, proglottid anatomy, and host associations suggest that its affinities are with the Phyllobothriinae. Among the Phyllobothriinae it most closely resembles species of Paraorygmatobothrium in its possession of a scutellate neck and serrated microtriches on its proximal bothridial surfaces, as well as a tetralobed ovary and vitellaria that are interrupted by the ovary. This represents the first report of a tetraphyllidean tapeworm from the monotypic shark genus Scoliodon.

As part of a survey of parasites of elasmobranchs of Malaysian Borneo, the cestode fauna of the dasyatid stingray Himantura uarnacoides was examined for the first time. Among other cestodes, this stingray was found to host 5 species of Acanthobothrium van Beneden, 1849 new to science. Based on the criteria of Ghoshroy and Caira (2001), these consisted of the 4 category 1 species (<15 mm total length, <50 proglottids, <80 testes, with a symmetrical ovary) Acanthobothrium foulki n. sp., Acanthobothrium gnomus n. sp., Acanthobothrium larsoni n. sp., and Acanthobothrium lepidum n. sp., and 1 category 2 species (<15 mm total length, <50 proglottids, <80 testes, with an asymmetrical ovary), Acanthobothrium tetabuanense n. sp. Acanthobothrium foulki and A. larsoni differ from all of the ∼150 known species of Acanthobothrium except Acanthobothrium southwelli Subhapradha, 1955 and Acanthobothrium saliki Fyler and Caira, 2006 in their possession of testes posterior to the ovarian bridge. However, A. foulki and A. larsoni are smaller and possess fewer testes than A. southwelli. Acanthobothrium larsoni possesses a greater number of postovarian testes than A. saliki and A. foulki. Acanthobothrium foulki differs from A. saliki in the configuration of its hooks and bothridia. Acanthobothrium gnomus is readily distinguished from all of its congeners except Acanthobothrium asnihae Fyler and Caira, 2006 in its possession of a horizontal band of musculature, not represented externally as a costa, subdividing the posterior loculus; it possesses fewer proglottids than the latter species. Acanthobothrium lepidum is unique among all of its congeners in its possession of a posterior loculus that is abruptly and conspicuously reduced in width relative to the anterior and medial loculi. Acanthobothrium tetabuanense possesses fewer testes, a greater number of proglottids, and/or conspicuously larger vitelline follicles, than all of the other category 2 species except Acanthobothrium masnihae Fyler and Caira, 2006. It differs from A. masnihae in locular ratio. Three of the 5 new species most closely resemble species parasitizing a congeneric stingray species also from Borneo; however, examination of the cestode faunas of additional Himantura species in this geographic region is needed before conclusions about the significance of these resemblances can be drawn. A key to the 5 new species of Acanthobothrium parasitizing H. uarnacoides is provided.

One hundred fifty mummichogs, Fundulus heteroclitus, collected in the York River, Virginia, U.S.A., during summer 2003 were examined for parasites. A total of 22 parasite taxa were collected. Trichodina spp., Ambiphrya sp., Myzobdella lugubris, Ergasilus funduli, Gyrodactylinae, and Dichelyne bullocki infected more than 60% of the mummichogs examined. Five species previously not reported from F. heteroclitus (Trichodina domerguei subsp. domerguei, Ambiphrya sp., Apiosoma sp., Southwellina hispida, and Cyclustera ralli) were found in York River mummichogs. A checklist of parasites reported from Fundulus spp. found on the Atlantic coast of North America was compiled.

This article provides the first data on the occurrence of adult proteocephalidean tapeworms (Cestoda) in freshwater fishes from the Peruvian part of the Amazon River. In total, 29 species of proteocephalidean cestodes of the genera Amphoteromorphus, Chambriella, Choanoscolex, Euzetiella, Houssayela, Mariauxiella, Monticellia, Nomimoscolex, Nupelia, Peltidocotyle, Proteocephalus, Rudolphiella, Scholzia, Sciadocephalus, Spatulifer, Travassiella, and Zygobothrium are reported from 10 species of pimelodid, heptapterid and doradid catfish and the cichlids Astronotus ocellatus and Cichla monoculus. All species are reported from western Amazonia and Peru for the first time, with 6 taxa representing new geographical records for the Amazon River basin. The most remarkable finding is that of Houssayela sudobim (Woodland, 1935) from Pseudoplatystoma fasciatus, reported for the first time since its original description. Four other taxa (Chambriella sp. and Proteocephalus sp. from Phractocephalus hemioliopterus, Nupelia sp. from Goeldiella eques, and Proteocephalus sp. from Pterodoras granulosus) may be new for science. A list of the species found is provided together with brief comments on their fish hosts and geographical distribution. In addition to adult tapeworms, larvae (metacestodes) of proteocephalideans were found encysted in the mesenteries, intestinal wall, and gills of small catfish.

Marsh frogs (Rana ridibunda) were collected in Antalya province, southwestern Turkey, during 2001 and 2002 and examined for helminths. Of 258 frogs, 235 (91.1%) were infected with 1 or more helminths. The helminth fauna of R. ridibunda comprised 16 species: 10 species of trematodes (Codonocephalus urnigerus [metacercariae], Diplodiscus subclavatus, Gorgodera cygnoides, Gorgoderina vitelliloba, Pleurogenoides medians, Prosotocus confusus, Brachycoelium salamandrae, Haematoloechus breviansa, Encyclometra colubrimurorum [metacercariae], and Opisthioglyphe ranae), 5 species of nematodes (Rhabdias bufonis, Cosmocerca commutata, Neoxysomatium sp., Eustrongylides sp., and Abbreviata sp. [larvae]), and the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus ranae. Encyclometra colubrimurorum (metacercariae), B. salamandrae, Neoxysomatium sp, Eustrongylides sp., and larval Abbreviata sp. represent new host records for R. ridibunda in Turkey.

Metacestodes of the tapeworm Cyclustera ralli (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea) are reported from the mesenteries and liver of the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, from Virginia, U.S.A. They are reported from fish intermediate hosts for the first time and represent the first record of the parasite since its original description from the intestine of the clapper rail, Rallus longirostris, from marshes in Texas, U.S.A. Morphology of the larvae is briefly described and compared with that of metacestodes from the mesenteries of cyprinid and goodeid fishes from central Mexico, tentatively identified as Cyclustera cf. ralli by Scholz and Salgado-Maldonado (2001). The latter metacestodes differ in the morphology of rostellar hooks and most probably belong to a hitherto undescribed species of Cyclustera. In addition to C. ralli, metacestodes of Glossocercus caribaensis were found in the mesenteries of the same fish host, F. heteroclitus, from Virginia.

The nematodes Kathlania leptura (Rudolphi, 1819) Travassos, 1918 and Tonaudia tonaudia (Lane, 1914) are infrequently reported intestinal parasites of marine turtles. A single loggerhead sea turtle collected from Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A., was infected with both species representing the first North American report of these species and expanding the range of these nematodes from the Indian Ocean, eastern North Atlantic, Mediterranean, and western South Atlantic coasts to the western North Atlantic coast.