T H Cribb, D P Barton, D Blair, N J Bott, R A Bray, R D Corner, S C Cutmore, M L I De Silva, B Duong, A Faltýnková, A Gonchar, R F Hechinger, K K Herrmann, D C Huston, P T J Johnson, G Kremnev, R Kuchta, C Louvard, W J Luus-Powell, S B Martin, T L Miller, G Pérez-Ponce de León, N J Smit, V V Tkach, M Truter, T Waki, A Vermaak, N Q-X Wee, R Q-Y Yong, T J Achatz
{"title":"Challenges in the recognition of trematode species: Consideration of hypotheses in an inexact science.","authors":"T H Cribb, D P Barton, D Blair, N J Bott, R A Bray, R D Corner, S C Cutmore, M L I De Silva, B Duong, A Faltýnková, A Gonchar, R F Hechinger, K K Herrmann, D C Huston, P T J Johnson, G Kremnev, R Kuchta, C Louvard, W J Luus-Powell, S B Martin, T L Miller, G Pérez-Ponce de León, N J Smit, V V Tkach, M Truter, T Waki, A Vermaak, N Q-X Wee, R Q-Y Yong, T J Achatz","doi":"10.1017/S0022149X25000367","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X25000367","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The description and delineation of trematode species is a major ongoing task. Across the field there has been, and currently still is, great variation in the standard of this work and in the sophistication of the proposal of taxonomic hypotheses. Although most species are relatively unambiguously distinct from their congeners, many are either morphologically very similar, including the major and rapidly growing component of cryptic species, or are highly variable morphologically despite little to no molecular variation for standard DNA markers. Here we review challenges in species delineation in the context provided to us by the historical literature, and the use of morphological, geographical, host, and molecular data. We observe that there are potential challenges associated with all these information sources. As a result, we encourage careful proposal of taxonomic hypotheses with consideration for underlying species concepts and frank acknowledgement of weaknesses or conflict in the data. It seems clear that there is no single source of data that provides a wholly reliable answer to our taxonomic challenges but that nuanced consideration of information from multiple sources (the 'integrated approach') provides the best possibility of developing hypotheses that will stand the test of time.</p>","PeriodicalId":15928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Helminthology","volume":"99 ","pages":"e54"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144004767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Far from home: Morphological, ultrastructural, and molecular characterization of <i>Thometrema patagonicum</i> (Szidat, 1956) (Hemiuroidea: Derogenidae) from an unexpected host and locality, with taxonomic implications.","authors":"P V Alves, M B Ebert, Reinaldo R J Silva","doi":"10.1017/S0022149X25000355","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0022149X25000355","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While most higher taxa in the Hemiuroidea exhibit remarkable diversity and thrive worldwide in marine ecosystems, a few groups have successfully radiated into freshwater environments. Among them, species of <i>Thometrema</i> are well known from freshwater and brackish fishes in the New World. In this study, specimens of <i>Thometrema</i> from a single specimen of the endangered pimelodid catfish <i>Steindachneridion scriptum</i> in the Upper Paraná River basin, State of São Paulo, Brazil, were subjected to morphological, ultrastructural (first scanning electron microscopy data for the genus) and molecular analyses. Newly obtained sequences of the partial large subunit nuclear ribosomal RNA (28S rDNA) and partial mitochondrial cytochrome <i>c</i> oxidase subunit I (COI mtDNA) provided strong evidence supporting the identification of the specimens as <i>T. patagonicum</i>, a trematode previously known only from endemic percichthyid fishes (Percichthyidae) in the Argentinian Patagonia. This unexpected finding, along with critical morphological evaluation of new and deposited material, led us to propose <i>T. overstreeti</i> and <i>T. bonariense</i> as junior synonyms of <i>T. patagonicum.</i> Moreover, we reassessed certain morphological features, revealed new potential distinguishing characters (papillae) and raised doubts about the taxonomic value of commonly used features for species differentiation (e.g., vitellarium masses). To overcome taxonomic problems in <i>Thometrema</i> due to the paucity of morphological features to clearly set species boundaries, new descriptions could leverage integrative approaches, as employed here, to establish robust species hypotheses and ultimately unravel the actual species composition in the Americas.</p>","PeriodicalId":15928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Helminthology","volume":"99 ","pages":"e52"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144020680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Quantifying senescence, death rates, and lifespans of trematode parthenitae.","authors":"D C G Metz, E M Palmer, R F Hechinger","doi":"10.1017/S0022149X25000331","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X25000331","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>For many trematode species, individual reproductive parthenitae in first intermediate host colonies senesce, die, and are replaced by newly born parthenitae. The times involved in these processes are poorly understood. Here, we present an approach to estimate parthenita death rates and lifespans that uses readily obtainable data on senescent parthenita frequencies, brood sizes, and offspring (cercaria) release rates. The onset of parthenita senescence is often marked by the degeneration and disappearance of the germinal mass, its source of new offspring. Following germinal mass loss, the remaining viable offspring in a senescent parthenita finish development and are birthed before parthenita death. Therefore, a senescing parthenita's remaining lifespan is the time it takes for all its viable offspring to mature and exit. We can estimate this time by measuring whole-colony (infected snail) cercaria shed rates, dissecting colonies to count reproductives, and then apply the per redia cercaria production rate to the observed brood sizes of senescent parthenitae. The per-capita parthenita death rate is then calculated as the proportion of parthenitae that are senescent divided by their average remaining lifespan. Reproductive parthenita lifespan is the inverse of this death rate. We demonstrate the approach using philophthalmid trematodes, first providing documentation of a free-floating germinal mass in 4 philophthalmids, and then, for 3 of those species, estimating parthenita senescence rates, death rates, and lifespans. This method should be broadly applicable among trematode species and help inform our understanding of trematode colony dynamics, social structure, and the evolution of parthenita senescence.</p>","PeriodicalId":15928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Helminthology","volume":"99 ","pages":"e51"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143995856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
K A Kalinina, Yu V Tatonova, V V Besprozvannykh, M Yu Shchelkanov
{"title":"First detection of <i>Psilotrema limosum</i> in muskrat in East Asia and a description of <i>Psilotrema elegans</i> n. sp.","authors":"K A Kalinina, Yu V Tatonova, V V Besprozvannykh, M Yu Shchelkanov","doi":"10.1017/S0022149X25000318","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X25000318","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The East Asian region has seen the first discovery of trematodes of the genus <i>Psilotrema</i> in the muskrat <i>Ondatra zibethicus.</i> When studying the morphology of the trematodes, two morphotypes were identified among individuals of <i>Psilotrema</i> spp., the differences between which at the morphological level are equivalent to those between species. The affiliation of one of these morphotypes with the bird parasite <i>Psilotrema limosum</i> was established based on partial sequences of genes coding for 28S ribosomal RNA, <i>nad1</i>, and <i>cox1</i> mitochondrial DNA. Based on the analysis of these three markers, we classified individuals with this morphotype as <i>P. limosum</i>, despite some morphological features of worms infecting birds. At the same time, the worms with second morphotype had no interspecies differences based on the first two markers, while the <i>cox1</i> gene confirmed the separation of these samples on a species level. These trematodes were described as a new species, <i>Psilotrema elegans</i> n. sp., based on both morphological and molecular data.</p>","PeriodicalId":15928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Helminthology","volume":"99 ","pages":"e50"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144029375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Morphological variety and mechanisms of formation of acanthocephalan cysts in intermediate host.","authors":"V P Nikishin, T V Davydenko, E M Skorobrekhova","doi":"10.1017/S0022149X25000306","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0022149X25000306","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This report provides an overview of available data on the ultrathin structure and the mechanisms of formation of cysts around acanthocephalans of the classes Palaeacanthocephala and Archiacanthocephala in intermediate hosts. In most of the described cases, the cyst is bi-layered, consisting of an outer layer that is relatively thick and vesicular, and an underlying layer that is thin and amorphous. In acanthellae of some species, a lamellar layer is observed on the cyst surface, which degrades presumably at the cystacanth stage. Three probable mechanisms of cyst formation in acanthellae of different species have been identified. The first and second mechanisms involve the border of microvilli that develops on the tegument surface. In acanthellae of the first group, the cyst's vesicular layer is formed by detachment of fragments or small vesicles from microvilli, a process resembling the micro-apocrine secretion, while the amorphous layer is composed of electron-dense material released from invaginates of the tegument's outer membrane and the remaining microvilli. In acanthellae of the second group, the cyst is single-layered and formed presumably of whole microvilli separated from the tegument. Since acanthellae of the third group lack microvilli on the tegument surface, the vesicular layer of the cyst is formed of a few small vesicles and amorphous material synthesized deep in the tegument and in large vesicles transported to the parasite's surface. The amorphous, electron-dense layer of the cyst is formed in the same manner as in the first group, but without microvilli.</p>","PeriodicalId":15928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Helminthology","volume":"99 ","pages":"e49"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143752837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A García-Vásquez, C D Pinacho-Pinacho, I Guzmán-Valdivieso, M Calixto-Rojas, D A Pozos-Carré, M Rubio-Godoy
{"title":"<i>Scleroductus</i> (Platyhelminthes: Monogenea) infecting <i>Rhamdia</i> spp. (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) in Mexico, and their phylogenetic position within Gyrodactylidea.","authors":"A García-Vásquez, C D Pinacho-Pinacho, I Guzmán-Valdivieso, M Calixto-Rojas, D A Pozos-Carré, M Rubio-Godoy","doi":"10.1017/S0022149X25000264","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0022149X25000264","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gyrodactylidae Cobbold, 1864 is a monophyletic family of hyperviviparous species, with 36 genera and approximately 700 species. Here, we focused on one of these genera - namely <i>Scleroductus</i> Jara & Cone, 1989 - characterizing its morphological variation systematically and testing its phylogenetic position in relation to other genera in the family. We collected and describe two new species of monogenean parasites of <i>Scleroductus</i> infecting Neotropical freshwater catfishes in Mexico. <i>Scleroductus veracruzano</i> n. sp. infects Guatemalan chulín, <i>Rhamdia guatemalensis</i> in Veracruz, while <i>Scleroductus oaxaqueno</i> n. sp. infects filespine chulín, <i>Rhamdia laticauda</i> in Oaxaca, Mexico. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS rDNA) and 18S rDNA were generated for both species. Phylogenetic hypotheses based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses of 18S rDNA indicate that the two new Mexican taxa are closely related to each other, and both appear as sister species to an undescribed but molecularly characterized <i>Scleroductus</i> sp. infecting South American catfish, <i>Rhamdia quelen</i> in Brazil. Our analyses confirm the placement of <i>Scleroductus</i> spp. within the monophyletic family Gyrodactylidae, whose sister clade is the Oogyrodactylidae. Within Gyrodactylidae, <i>Scleroductus</i> spp. form a clade sister to a well-supported clade composed by members of the genera <i>Ieredactylus</i>, <i>Gyrodactyloides</i> and <i>Laminiscus.</i></p>","PeriodicalId":15928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Helminthology","volume":"99 ","pages":"e47"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143615668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Aestivation and its impact on the survival of snail intermediate hosts and trematode transmission in rice paddies.","authors":"K Chantima, K Suk-Ueng, T Tananoi, T Prasertsin","doi":"10.1017/S0022149X25000252","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0022149X25000252","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, we investigated the diversity and survival of aestivating snails in dry-season rice paddies, focusing on their role as intermediate hosts for trematodes. A total of 1,159 snails from various families were collected and analysed, revealing nine species, primarily from the Bithyniidae family, with <i>Bithynia siamensis siamensis</i> being the most abundant. Of the nine species collected, the most common species, <i>B. s. siamensis</i>, exhibited a relatively high survival rate of 81.5% throughout the three-month dry period post-harvest, whereas the remaining eight species had survival rates below 24.0% (0-23.1%). Four snail species, <i>B. s. siamensis</i>, <i>Filopaludina martensi martensi, F. sumatrensis polygramma</i>, and <i>F. doliaris</i>, were found infected with larval trematodes, with an overall prevalence of 8.46% (57/674). The larval trematodes identified were categorized into four types: echinostome metacercaria, <i>Thapariella anastomusa</i> metacercaria, unidentified metacercaria, and unidentified rediae. These findings demonstrate that trematode infections can persist in aestivating snails despite the challenging conditions during the dry season, emphasizing the potential of aestivating snails to act as vectors for trematode transmission in agricultural settings. This underscores the need for effective management strategies to mitigate the risks associated with trematode transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":15928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Helminthology","volume":"99 ","pages":"e43"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143585962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M M Montes, J Barneche, T Acuña Gonzalez, G Cavallo, M Ibañez Shimabukuro, M Moncada, S R Martorelli
{"title":"The history continues: From <i>Steringotrema microacetabularis</i> (Fellodistomidae) to <i>Bacciger microacetabularis</i> (Baccigeridae) genetic evidence reveals a new genus of Cryptogonimidae.","authors":"M M Montes, J Barneche, T Acuña Gonzalez, G Cavallo, M Ibañez Shimabukuro, M Moncada, S R Martorelli","doi":"10.1017/S0022149X25000239","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0022149X25000239","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Steringotrema microacetabularis</i> Suriano & Martorelli, 1983 (Fellodistomidae) was described from the flounder <i>Paralichthys orbignyanus.</i> Later, it was redescribed, based on new material from the same host and type locality, and reconsidered as <i>Bacciger microacetabularis</i> (Baccigeridae). The main difference noted in the redescription was the presence of spines on the body. However, the lack of DNA data made confirming the true affiliation of this digenean challenging. New specimens sampled from <i>P. orbignyanus</i> allowed us to sequence the 28S, ITS, and COI genes. Fresh specimens were stained to compare their morphology with the holotype and voucher specimens. The digeneans found correspond with those reported from Mar Chiquita, described as <i>B. microacetabularis</i> (=<i>S. microacetabularis</i>). Genetic analyses clustered the newly sequenced individuals within the Cryptogonimidae, showing relationships with <i>Oligogonotylus manteri</i>, <i>Tabascotrema verai</i>, and <i>Caecincola parvulus</i> (28S); <i>T. verai</i>, <i>Lobosorchis</i> spp., <i>Euryakaina manilensis</i>, and <i>Metadena marina</i> (ITS); and <i>Siphoderina spp.</i> (COI). After comparing the species with cryptogonimids lacking spines in the oral sucker, a new genus, <i>Surianotrema</i> n. gen., is described. This genus increases the number of cryptogonimid genera known in South America to seven - three in freshwater and four in marine environments - with <i>Surianotrema</i> n. gen. being the first to be sequenced. New sequences from other South American cryptogonimids are necessary to better understand the phylogenetic relationships between genera within this family, particularly in South America.</p>","PeriodicalId":15928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Helminthology","volume":"99 ","pages":"e46"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143585970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S C Cutmore, R A Bray, D C Huston, S B Martin, T L Miller, N Q-X Wee, R Q-Y Yong, T H Cribb
{"title":"Twenty thousand fishes under the seas: Insights into the collection and storage of trematodes from the examination of 20,000 fishes in the tropical Indo west-Pacific.","authors":"S C Cutmore, R A Bray, D C Huston, S B Martin, T L Miller, N Q-X Wee, R Q-Y Yong, T H Cribb","doi":"10.1017/S0022149X24000968","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0022149X24000968","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The techniques employed to collect and store trematodes vary between research groups, and although these differences are sometimes necessitated by distinctions in the hosts examined, they are more commonly an artefact of instruction. As a general rule, we tend to follow what we were taught rather than explore new techniques. A major reason for this is that there are few technique papers in the published literature. Inspired by a collaborative workshop at the <i>Trematodes 2024</i> symposium, we outline our techniques and processes for collecting adult trematodes from fishes and discuss the improvements we have made over 40 years of dissections of 20,000+ individual marine fishes. We present these techniques for two reasons: first, to encourage unified methods across the globe, with an aim to produce optimally comparable specimens across temporal periods, across geographic localities, and between research groups; and second, as a resource for inexperienced researchers. We stress the importance of understanding differences in host biology and the expected trematode fauna, which ultimately enables organised and productive dissections. We outline our dissection method for each key organ separately, discuss handling, fixation, and storage methods to generate the most uniform and comparable samples, and explore ethical considerations, issues of accurate host identification, and the importance and potential of clear record keeping.</p>","PeriodicalId":15928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Helminthology","volume":"99 ","pages":"e45"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143573172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
K Cajiao-Mora, H R Dutton, F J Jacobs, P C Beytell, E C Netherlands, L H DuPreez, S A Bullard
{"title":"Supplemental description of <i>Stephanoprora ornata</i> Odhner, 1902 (Digenea: Echinochasmidae) infecting the Nile crocodile<i>, Crocodylus niloticus</i> (Crocodylidae) from Namibia with emendation of <i>Mesorchis</i> Dietz, 1909 and a phylogenetic analysis - CORRIGENDUM.","authors":"K Cajiao-Mora, H R Dutton, F J Jacobs, P C Beytell, E C Netherlands, L H DuPreez, S A Bullard","doi":"10.1017/S0022149X25000240","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S0022149X25000240","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15928,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Helminthology","volume":"99 ","pages":"e44"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143573205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}