Circles Of Spines Research Articles

New record of genus Pallisentis Van Cleave, 1928 (Acanthocephalan: Quadrigyridae) in Little Cormorant, Phalacrocorax niger (Aves: Phalacrocoracidae) from Sindh, Pakistan

Helminth Parasites of Little Cormorant, Phalacrocorax niger from central District Sanghar of Sindh Pakistan were investigated during December 2014-2015. Little Cormorant,P. niger is fish eating, migratory cum resident bird, harbour diverse parasites and commonly found in water bodies of the study area. Eleven hosts (P. niger) were examined in Parasitological Laboratory of Zoology department, Sindh University Jamshoro. Only one host was harbouring two specimens of acanthocephalan. These were collected from intestine and have proboscis with four circles of spines, eleven circle of collar spine with 14 spines in each circle, sacculate proboscis receptacle, tubular lemenisci, cylindrical testes and long cement glands. These features correspond to generic features of genus PallisentisVan Cleave, 1928. However, genus Pallisentis usually collected from freshwater fishes and has not been reported from birds. Therefore, present infection in Little Cormorant might be result of its piscivorous feeding habit. Present paper deals first record of genusPallisentisVan Cleave, 1928 in Little Cormorant, P. niger from Pakistan. Keywords: Acanthocephalan; Little Cormorant; Phalacrocorax niger; Pallisentis; Intestine http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2016.50163

STUDIES ON CERCARIAE FROM KUWAIT BAY. X. DESCRIPTION AND SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY OF CERCARIA KUWAITAE X SP. N. (DIGENEA: RENICOLIDAE)

A new renicolid cercaria, Cercaria kuwaitae X sp. n., from the prosobranch gastropod Cerithium scabridum from Kuwait Bay is described. The new cercaria is nonstyleted gymnocephalous with voluminous Y-shaped excretory vesicle, flame cell formula 2[(3 + 3 + 3) + (3 + 3 + 3)] = 36, and without caudal fins. Surface topography of the new cercaria is studied by scanning electron microscopy. Domed papillae are abundant on the anterior and lateral aspects of the body, ciliated papillae are sparse dorsally. The ventral sucker bears nine domed papillae. Domed papillae form two circles around the oral sucker with three circles of spines in between. This is the first renicolid cercaria to be recorded in a gastropod from the Arabian Gulf region.

External Morphology of Larvae of Chordodes morgani (Nematomorpha)

The surface features of larvae of a gordian worm, Chordodes morgani (Gordioidea), studied by scanning electron microscopy, were compared to those of other larval nematomorphs, until now known only from light microscopical studies. Larvae of C. morgani have a cylindrical body with 22 to 24 superficial segments, superficially divided at an ectodermal septum into a presoma and a trunk with a roughly 90? bend. Papillae are located distally on the proboscis, the base of which is surrounded by circles of spines or scales. Although the major features of the larvae are similar to those known in other species, details visible with SEM hold promise for providing useful diagnostic characters. Additional key words: horsehair worm, gordian worm Several electron microscropical studies have described adult features of gordian worms (e.g., Zapotosky 1971; Eakin & Brandenburger 1974; Chandler & Wells 1989) and others have treated the ultrastructure of larval forms (e.g., Zapotosky 1974, 1975). Less attention has been given to external features of larval forms (e.g., see Hyman 1951; Poinar & Doelman 1974), and such studies to date have been based on light microscopy. Our objective was to examine, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the external morphology of larvae of Chordodes morgani in order to document features that might be used as diagnostic characters, and to better understand their biology. Descriptions of adults of Chordodes morgani MONTGOMERY 1898 were augmented and C. morgani synonymized with C. puerilis MONTGOMERY 1898 by Montgomery (1901). Camerano (1915), in his revised monograph on gordian worms, published important diagnostic features characteristic of adults of C. morgani. Chandler (1985) reviewed the taxonomy and distribution of this species in North America.