Experimental Infection of Contracaecum tipapillatum (Nematoda: Anisakinae) from Mexico in the Domestic Cat

Juveniles of Contracaecum multipapillatum infected the Mayan cichlid (Cichlasoma urophthalmus) and adults infected the olivaceous cormorant (Phalacrocorax olivaceus) and the great egret (Casmerodius albus) in the coastal lagoon at Celestun, State of Yucatan, Mexico. All are new host records, and, even though the geographic locality record of Mexico for the species has not been published, unidentified but presumably conspecific specimens have been reported from there. When juveniles of C. multipapillatum were fed to a kitten, but not rats, ducks, or chickens, they developed into adults. Measurements and morphological data are provided on the specimens from the kitten. Development of an avian ascaridoid in the intestine of a mammal increases the potential of this widespread species to infect other mammals, including humans.

Angularella audubonensis sp. n. (Dilepididae) and Other Cestodes of Cliff Swallows in Colorado

One hundred forty-five cliff swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, were examined for cestodes in two separate surveys in Weld County, Colorado. Seven species representing four genera were found. Angularella audubonensis sp. n. is differentiated by the small size of the rostellar hooks (8.4-13.5 μm) and the medial relationship of the cirrus pouch to the osmoregulatory canals. Other species collected were Angularella beema, Anonchotaenia globata, Mayhewia ababili, Vitta magniuncinata, Vitta parvirostris and Vitta riparia. Seven new hosts and geographic distribution records were established for Colorado, and six new records were determined for North America.

Cytogenic Evidence for the Specific Distinction of an Alaskan Marmot, Marmota broweri Hall and Gilmore (Mammalia: Sciuridae)

Cytogenetic studies based upon somatic cells (bone marrow) have disclosed that the marmot hitherto designated Marmota caligata broweri Hall and Gilmore, occurring in the Brooks Range of Arctic Alaska, differs from M. c. caligata (Eschscholtz) in number of chromosomes (2n=36 as compared with 2n=42 in M. caligata) and in proportions of chromosomal types. Typical karyograms for the two species are presented. It is concluded that the Brooks Range marmot is specifically distinct from M. caligata, the applicable name being Marmota broweri Hall and Gilmore. Also determined were diploid chromosome numbers for two other Nearctic species of marmots, M. flaviventris (Audubon and Bachman), with 42, and M. olympus (Merriam), with 40. It is suggested that M. broweri survived the last (Wisconsin) glaciations in the amphi-Beringian refugium, and that its closest affinities may be with one of the Eurasian species of Marmota.