Monogeneans of leatherjackets, Oligoplites spp. (Osteichthyes: Carangidae), with the description of a new species of Metacamopia (Monogenea: Allodiscocotylidae) from the coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Metacamopia oligoplites n. sp., a gill filament parasite of carangid fishes of three species of Oligoplites Gill, O. palometa (Cuvier), O. saurus (Bloch & Schneider), and O. saliens (Bloch), from the coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is described and illustrated. Metacamopia oligoplites n. sp. differs from M. indica by: the shape of the body; the pre-, para-, and post-germarial testes; vaginas lacking sclerotized structures; well-developed seminal receptacles; muscular sleeves around the constriction between the vaginas and the seminal receptacles; and the haptor highly asymmetric, with a large, heel-like area; and differs from M. chorinemi by: the esophagus lacking diverticles; a larger number of testes (26-55) and not just, approximately 10; and the vaginas lacking sclerotized structures of any kind. This is the first record of Metacamopia in the South Atlantic Ocean. The generic diagnosis of Metacamopia is emended. Hargicola oligoplites is reported for the first time in the South Atlantic Ocean. Oligoplites palometa and O. saliens are new host records for Hargicola oligoplites.

Nematodes of elasmobranch fishes from the southern coast of Brazil

New records for nematode species recovered from elasmobranch fishes in Brazil are established and new systematical arrangements proposed. Parascarophis sphyrnae Campana-Rouget, 1955 from the spiral valve of Sphyrna zygaena is referred for the first time in South America as a new host record. Procamallanus (S.) pereirai Annereaux, 1946, from the spiral valve of Raja castelnaui is reported parasitizing an elasmobranch host. Nematode larvae of the genera Anisakis, Contracaecum, Pseudoterranova and Raphidascaris are listed from the stomach and spiral valves of several hosts. Anisakidae larvae previously referred in Brazil in the genus Phocanema should be reallocated in Pseudoterranova. Nematodes of the genera Anisakis, Contracaecum, Pseudoterranova and Raphidascaris are reported for the first time parasitizing elasmobranchs in Brazil.

Role of two Triatoma (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) species in the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) to man in the West Coast of Mexico

From August 1997 to August 1998, 334 specimens of Triatoma longipennis and 62 of T. picturata were collected in four groups of localities placed in the zone from Guadalajara, Jalisco to Tepic, Nayarit, in the West Coast of Mexico. Most T. longipennis were collected outdoors (69.2%) while most T. picturata (58.1%) were collected indoors. All collected specimens were examined for Trypanosoma cruzi infection, which was detected on 98 (29.3%) T. longipennis and 17 (27.4%) T. picturata. This study confirms the role of T. longipennis and T. picturata as some of the main T. cruzi vectors to humans in Mexico. Habitation Infestation Rate with T. longipennis was of 0.09 and with T. picturata was of 0.03 and the predominating ecotopes were pile of blocks, chicken coops, pigsties, wall crawls and beds.

Pseudempleurosoma gibsoni n. sp., a new Ancyrocephalid Monogenean from Paralonchurus brasiliensis (Sciaenidae) from off the Southeastern Coast of Brazil

Pseudempleurosoma gibsoni n. sp. (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) is described from the oesophagus of Paralonchurus brasiliensis (Steindachner) from off the coast of Brazil. The type-species of Pseudempleurosoma Yamaguti, 1965, P. carangis Yamaguti, 1965, is redescribed and the diagnosis of the genus is amended. Metadiplectanotrema Gerasev et al. 1987 is considered synonym of Pseudempleurosoma. This genus now contains four species, including P. carangis, P. caranxi Gerasev et al., 1987 n. comb., P. myripristi Gerasev et al., 1987 n. comb. and the one new species.

Helminth parasites in six species of shorebirds (Charadrii) from the Coast of Belize

Thirteen species of helminth parasites were recovered from six species of charadriid shorebirds (Aves: Charadriiformes) from Belize: the ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres, the snowy plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, the semipalmated plover, C. semipalmatus, the killdeer, C. vociferus, the white-rumped sandpiper, Calidris fuscicollis, and the black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola. Cestode species were predominant (N = 8), followed by trematode species (N = 3) and acanthocephala (N = 2). The trematode, Paramaritremopsis solielangi infected four of the six species of hosts. The cestodes, Nadejdolepis litoralis and N. paranitidulans infected three and two host species respectively. Helminth parasite species were contagious (clumped) and not evenly distributed among hosts. Twelve of the 13 species were generalists. The one specialist Microphallus kinsellae was recovered from one C. fuscicollis. Three of the four types of feeding guilds were present and in approximately the same number. All but M. kinsellae have been reported from other species of hosts, mostly from Eurasia and North America.

Digenea and acanthocephala of elasmobranch fishes from the southern coast of Brazil

New records for helminth species recovered from elasmobranch fishes in Brazil are established. Digenean and acanthocephalan parasites of elasmobranch fishes are reported from the southern coast of Brazil: Otodistomum veliporum (Creplin, 1837) Stafford, 1904 (Digenea: Azygiidae) in the stomach and spiral valve of Dipturus trachydermus and in the spiral valve of Squatina sp. Cystacanths and juveniles of the acanthocephalans Corynosoma australe Johnston, 1937 and Corynosoma sp., in the spiral valve of Squatina sp., Galeorhinus galeus and Hexanchus griseus and in the stomach of Squalus megalops; a juvenile of Gorgorhynchus sp., in the spiral valve of Sphyrna zygaena. Dipturus trachydermus and Squatina sp. are new host records for O. veliporum. Digeneans and acanthocephalans are reported for the first time parasitizing elasmobranch fishes in Brazil.

First Report of Lappetascaris lutjani Rasheed, 1965 (Nematoda, Ascaridoidea, Anisakidae) Parasitizing Trachipterus arawatae (Pisces, Lampridiformes) on the Atlantic Coast of Brazil

New host and geographical records are reported for the nematode Lappetascaris lutjani Rasheed, 1965, parasitizing the marine fish Trachipterus arawatae Clark, 1881 in Brazilian waters. Morphometric data and illustrations of the parasites are included.

Stenurus globicephalae Baylis et Daubney, 1925 (Nematoda: Pseudaliidae) from a False Killer Whale, Pseudorca crassidens (Cetacea: Delphinidae), Stranded on the Coast of Uruguay

Stenurus globicephalae Baylis et Daubney, 1925 (Nematoda: Pseudaliidae) was found in the cranial air sinuses of a false killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens (Owen), stranded on the coast of Uruguay in 1999. Although this species has been reported once in P. crassidens from the North Atlantic, this is the first record for South America. A total of 920 specimens were obtained, of which 663 were females (body length: 4.34 ± 0.45 cm) and 257 were males (2.99 ± 0.18 cm). Morphometric details are presented for S. globicephalae in this host, which do not show significant differences from those parasitizing Globicephala melas (Traill), but are distinct from those parasitizing Peponocephala electra (Gray). The host's skull revealed loss of osseous mass with the disappearance of the left zygomatic arch, and the left jaw had three osseous fenestrations in the region related to the organ of acoustic reception. These lesions support the hypothesis that this infection, known as stenurosis, was related to the stranding.

Caballerocotyla lenti n. sp., a capsalid monogenean from Auxis thazard (Scombridae) from off the southeastern coast of Brazil

Caballerocotyla lenti n. sp. (Monogenea: Capsalidae), recovered from the gills of Auxis thazard (Lacépède) captured off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is described using light and scanning electron microscopy. The new species is characterized by: a tegument with 2-5 rows of dorso-marginal, unicuspid spines; 53-54 round testes; a constricted pharynx with numerous papillae on its border; and a haptor with a plicate marginal border, a central polygonal area and seven complete septa. C. manteri (Price, 1951) and C. gouri Chauhan, 1953 sensu Murugesh (1995) are figured and commented upon.

The break-up of East Gondwana along the northeast coast of Oman: evidence from the Batain basin

Recent detailed studies on the Batain nappes (northeast coast of Oman), which represent a special part of the so-called `Oman Exotics', have led to a better understanding of the Neotethyan geodynamic evolution. The Batain Exotics bear witness to volcanic activity, sea-level changes, tectonic instability, rifting and oceanization along the Eastern Oman margin during Late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic times. They allow definition of the Batain basin as an aborted Permian branch of Neotethys. This marine basin was created in Early Permian times extending southward to the East African/Madagascar region and was linked to the Karoo rift system. The presented revised classification of the Batain nappes considers the Batain basin to be no longer a part of the Hawasina basin and the Neotethyan mat-gin proper. We attribute the Batain basin to a Mozambique-Sornali-Masirah rift system (Somoma). This system started in Early Permian, times, creating a marine basin between Arabia and India/Madagascar; rifting in the Late Triassic and oceanization during Late Jurassic times led to the separation of East Gondwana.

Use of Granada medium to detect group B streptococcal colonization in pregnant women.

Direct inoculation onto Granada medium (GM) in plates and tubes was compared to inoculation into a selective Todd-Hewitt broth (with 8 microg of gentamicin per ml and 15 microg of nalidixic acid per ml) for detection of group B streptococci (GBS) in pregnant women with 800 vaginal and 450 vaginoanorectal samples. Comparatively, GM was found to be as sensitive as the selective broth for the detection of GBS in vaginal specimens and more sensitive than selective broth for the detection of GBS in vaginoanorectal samples (96 versus 82%). The use of GM improved the time to reporting of a GBS-positive result by at least 24 h and reduced the direct cost of screening. We have also found that the inconvenience of anaerobic incubation of GM plates can be avoided when a cover slide is placed upon the inoculum, because aerobic incubation in GM plates with cover slides causes GBS to develop the same pigmentation that it develops with incubation under anaerobic conditions. These data support the routine use of GM plates or tubes as a more accurate, easier, and cheaper method of identification of GBS-colonized women compared to the enrichment broth technique.

Density and distribution of nests of Mycetophylax simplex (Emery) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in areas with mobile dunes on the northern coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Studies on lower attines are scarce, especially on nesting and foraging ecology and behavior. This study aimed to contribute to the knowledge of an Attini in dunes ecosystems through the description of density and spatial distribution of Mycetophylax simplex (Emery, 1887) nests in a strip of mobile dunes in the Praia Grande beach, Torres, northern coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The density and spatial distribution of nests were estimated in four plots of 2,500 m² each, in which were found 20, 209, 284 and 324 nests, with average densities of 0.01 nests/m², 0.09, 0.11 and 0.13 nests/m², respectively. The nests were found near to the vegetation and showed clumped distribution. The density and distribution pattern of the nests seem to be related to the availability of nesting places and foraging resources.

A new species of Sycorax (Diptera, Psychodidae, Sycoracinae) from the Pacific coast of Colombia

Sycorax utriensis n. sp. is described and illustrated from a male specimen collected with a CDC light trap in the Parque Nacional Natural Ensenada de Utría, on the Pacific Coast of Colombia. Five species of Sycorax are now known from Colombia, S. andicola Young, 1979, S. colombiensis Young, 1979, S. fairchildi Young, 1979, S. trispinosa Young, 1979 and S. utriensis n. sp.