Cloacal Opening Research Articles

Two new Gordionus species (Nematomorpha: Gordiida) from the southern Rocky Mountains (USA)

The phylum Nematomorpha contains approximately 350 species in 19 extant genera. The genus Gordionus contains 56species, four of which occur in the contiguous United States of America. Here we describe two new Gordionus speciesfrom the southern Rocky Mountains. Worms were collected at three sites in the Santa Fe National Forest in northern NewMexico in the southernmost tip of the Rocky Mountains. Sites consisted of first order streams above 3120m in aspen/pinewoodland. Gordionus lokaaus n. sp. has flat, polygonal or roundish, areoles covering all parts of the body. The male cloa-cal opening is surrounded by broad bristles with stout apexes forming a unique tube-like opening. Adhesive warts aresmall and postcloacal spines are thin and triangular-shaped. Gordionus bilaus n. sp. also has flat polygonal or roundshaped areoles, but has indistinct interareolar furrows making neighboring areoles appear fused. The male cloacal openingis surrounded by stout, finger-like bristles in 2‒3 rows. Adhesive warts are larger and postcloacal spines are broad andmound-shaped. These species double the number known from the state of New Mexico and are the first gordiids described from the southern part of the Rocky Mountains.

Two new species of Siconema (Drilonematoidea: Ungellidae) parasitic in earthworms in Vietnam, and systematic relationships as inferred from ribosomal sequence data

Two new species of Siconema (Drilonematoidea: Ungellidae) from Pu Mat Nature Reserve, Vietnam are described andillustrated. Siconema ovicallosum sp. n. is characterised by a wide female body, female caudal organs displaced toposterior extremity followed by short tail tip; males short, slim with caudal organs near cloacal opening and long, conicalposterior portion of tail; cephalic hooks in both sexes with sturdy base and thin, diverging blade tips; tubular stomaincorporated in hooks base; eggs with very thick shells and two suberose polar caps. It is most similar to S. laticaudatumIvanova & Pham Van Luc, 1997 but is distinguished by much smaller males, their caudal organs, and the shape andornamentation of eggshells. Siconema diducuncinum sp. n. is characterised by a stoma that is confined in a tube thatprotrudes between thin hooks with widely distributed blades, caudal organs situated at long distance from the tail tip, eggsin the shape of a double-poled elongated lemon and presence of a copulatory disc in males. Siconema diducuncinum sp.n. is most closely related to S. sinense Timm, 1966 but differs from it by having rounded vs elongate pharyngeal bulb,thinner and smoother eggshells with more pronounced polar caps, twisted vs straight ovary and a copulatory disc in males.By an elongated tail spike and bristling hook blades, S. diducuncinum sp. n. shares similarities with S. neozelandicumYeates & Spiridonov, 1996 but differs in having a non-amalgamated hook base, presence of projecting stomatal tube,differently ornamented eggshells and a copulatory disk in males. A key to species of Siconema is given. Phylogenetic relationships of the new species and other drilonematids are discussed.

Re-description of Oscheius chongmingensis (Zhang et al., 2008) (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) and its entomopathogenicity

A population of Oscheius chongmingensis was isolated from a soil sample collected from an alfalfa field in the vicinity of Hailar, Inner Mongolia, and was designated as the Tumian strain. This nematode has a facultative entomopathogenic activity and reproduces on the Galleria mellonella larvae. We compared our isolate with the original description of O. chongmingensis, checked several paratype slides of this species and compared it with cultures of the original Shanghai strain. Poor morphology, morphometrics and some errors in the original description of O. chongmingensis encouraged us to re-describe this species. The species is characterised by having five distinct ridges in the lateral field in adults.. The stoma of O. chongmingensis is long and narrow, in adults approximately 3.5-4.5 times as long as wide, whereas in dauer juveniles it may be 6-7 times longer than wide. Males possess a ventral pair of small bristle-like sensilla posterior to the cloacal opening. Both the Tumian and original strain are amphimictic with a higher proportion of females, but males are not rare (ca 2.5:1).

Pathology of mycotic gastritis in a wild Indian freshwater/marsh crocodile (Mugger; Crocodylus palustris): a case report

There is no report on systemic mycotic disease in wild crocodilians so far. This report describes possibly the first ever case of deep gastric mycosis in a wild Indian crocodile. A carcass of an adult female, broad snouted Indian marsh crocodile was brought for necropsy. Externally, all visible mucous membranes, eyes, cloacal opening and joints were normal. On opening the carcass, all visceral organs were found in normal position and appeared grossly normal. The stomach was empty except for the presence of a few small wooden and bony pieces, and several dark blackish patches of raised plaques on the gastric mucosa. Other areas of gastric mucosa showed diffuse congestion with petechial haemorrhages and oedema. Microscopically, gastric mucosa in plaque areas appeared extensively thickened and fibrosed with moderate infiltration of mononuclear cells. Gastric glands were atrophied due to massive fibrosis which appeared to have completely replaced the mucosal architecture in the affected area. In the superficial gastric mucosa and also deep in the fibrosed tissue, spherical to oval, variable sized, thick walled bodies, several of them budding and often forming small chains, sprouting and even germinating, giving rise to branched hyphae, were conspicuously observed. These fungal bodies were found to be PAS-positive. Species identification of the mould could not be done. The present case appears to be the first report of invasive mycotic gastritis in a wild Indian crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), most probably caused by Candida albicans.

The first description of eggs in the male reproductive system of Physaloptera bispiculata (Nematoda: Spiruroidaea)

Physaloptera bispiculata (Nematoda: Spiruroidaea) is a parasite of Nectomys squamipes (Rodentia: Cricetidae), a water rat that only occurs in Brazil. Naturally infected rodents were captured in the municipality of Rio Bonito, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Adult P. bispiculata worms were collected, prepared and analysed by light and scanning electron microscopy. Under scanning electron microscopy, several eggs were seen glued by cement to the cloacal aperture. Light microscopy revealed that some male worms had an uncountable number of embryonated eggs in the ejaculatory duct, cloaca and also in the posterior portion of the intestine. The probable explanation is that the eggs developing in the female uterus are pumped by the female or sucked by the male to the cloacal opening and from this point to the intestine and ejaculatory duct. The male probably does not have the ability to expel the eggs and for this reason a large number were found in these organs. On the other hand, this could be an important adaptation for the parasite, i.e. male worms expelled by the host can carry a large number of eggs and spread them to intermediate hosts when ingested by these hosts. As far as we know this is the first record of a physalopterid nematode harbouring eggs in the cloacal region, ejaculatory duct or intestine.

Spinitectus osorioi (Nematoda: Cystidicolidae) in the Mexican endemic fish Atherinella alvarezi (Atherinopsidae) from the Atlantic River drainage system in Chiapas, Southern Mexico

Specimens of Spinitectus osorioi Choudhury and Pérez-Ponce de León, an intestinal nematode species previously considered to be specific to Chirostoma spp and endemic to some lakes in the Pacific drainage in Michoacán, were collected from the freshwater fish Atherinella alvarezi (Díaz-Pardo) (Atherinopsidae) of the Michol River near Palenque, Chiapas, Southern Mexico, which belongs to the Atlantic drainage system. Studies using light and scanning electron microscopy revealed some taxonomically important, previously unreported or erroneously reported features of S. osorioi, such as the location of the vulva, the actual number and distribution of postanal papillae and phasmids and the presence of a short median cuticular ridge anterior to the cloacal opening (in addition to two long subventral ridges). The recorded somewhat shorter spicules (420-465 and 105-111 microm) and mostly smaller eggs (33-36 x 18-20 microm) as compared to the original species description may be due to a different type of host, geographical region or generally smaller body measurements of these specimens. These biometrical differences are considered to be within the limits of the intraspecific variability of S. osorioi. A key to species of Spinitectus parasitizing freshwater fishes in Mexico is provided.

A new Gordionus MÜLLER, 1927 from Switzerland (Nematomorpha, Gordiida)

To date only three species of freshwater Nematomorpha (Gordiida) are known from Switzerland. We report here the finding of two further species, the common species Gordionus violaceus (Baird, 1853) and a new species, G. bageli sp. n., in Switzerland. A diagnostic character for this species is the ring-shaped form of the adhesive warts, structures that are found on the ventral side of males, anterior to the cloacal opening.

The Occurrence of Ectopic Cloaca Deformity in the Green Turtle in Eastern Australia

We report on a green turtle, Chelonia mydas, captured along central coastal Queensland, Australia, that had a cloacal opening on the dorsal side of its tail. Here we describe the internal anatomy and possible embryonic development of this abnormality and discuss the functional and reproductive implications for this turtle. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an ectopic cloaca (supra-caudal vent) deformity occurring within any turtle, tortoise, or terrapin species.

Bir Kokatiel’de Kronik Yumurtlamaya Bağlı Prolapsus Uteri

A 6 years old cockatiel that laid three eggs in two consecutive days was admitted to the clinic with the complaint of bleeding from the cloaca generate this case. A necrotic tissue that was hanging out and shattered by the cockatiel was noticed in the examination. The prolapsed tissue was determined as uterus (shell gland). The necrotic part of the uterus was excised and it was replaced to normal position. The cloacal opening was sutured. For postoperative care an antibiotic was prescribed for a week. At the last examination one week after the operation no abnormality was detected in the cockatiel and the sutures at the cloaca were removed. In conclusion, it is indicated that such cases can be treated by operatively.

Gordionus chinensis and Gordionus kii sp. nov. (Nematomorpha: Gordiida), New Reports of the Genus Gordionus in Japan

Eleven species representing four genera of freshwater horsehair worms (Gordiida, Nematomorpha) have been known from Japan. The presence of representatives of the genus Gordionus was likely, but until now the available material did not allow such a determination. We here report several specimens of Gordionus chinensis (Villot, 1874) from the Yumitehara River in Nara Prefecture, which differ only in one minute detail from the original description of this species. Characteristic for this species are sparse knoblike structures occurring between the cuticular areoles. In the Japanese specimens, these knobs occur at the midpoint of the common border between pairs of neighbouring areoles and also in the corners where several areoles meet, but in the description of the Chinese holotype, such knobs occur only in the former position. One male specimen from the same locality differs distinctly from the others in having shorter bristles flanking the cloacal opening and longer spines on the inner sides of the tail lobes. We regard it as representing a new species, herein named Gordionus kii.

Heterorhabditis sonorensis n. sp. (Nematoda: Heterorhabditidae), a natural pathogen of the seasonal cicada Diceroprocta ornea (Walker) (Homoptera: Cicadidae) in the Sonoran desert

A new Heterorhabditis species was isolated from nymphal stages of the seasonal cicada Diceroprocta ornea (Walker) in an asparagus field in the state of Sonora, Mexico. Concomitantly, another isolate of the same nematode species was also collected from an oak woodland habitat in the Chiricahua mountain range in southeastern Arizona. Morphological and molecular studies together with cross-hybridization tests indicate these two isolates are conspecific and represent a new undescribed Heterorhabditis sp. This new species is distinguished from other species in this genus by a combination of several qualitative and quantitative morphological traits. Key diagnostic features include: presence of a pronounced post-anal swelling in the hermaphrodite; male with nine pairs of bursal rays, with pairs 4 and 7 bent outwards and one pair of papillae placed on the cloacal opening, value of D% (average: 79); infective juveniles with a well developed cuticular tooth, long tail (average: 105μm) and values of D% (average: 90) and E% (average: 99). In addition to these diagnostic characters, cross-hybridization tests between the new species with H. bacteriophora and H. mexicana yielded no fertile progeny. Comparison of ITS rDNA sequences with other available sequences of described species depicted the two isolates as a new species. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequence data placed H. sonorensis n. sp. as a member of the indica-group.

One hundred million years of skin feeding? Extended parental care in a Neotropical caecilian (Amphibia: Gymnophiona)

Maternal dermatophagy, the eating of maternal skin by offspring, is an unusual form of parental investment involving co-evolved specializations of both maternal skin and offspring dentition, which has been recently discovered in an African caecilian amphibian. Here we report the discovery of this form of parental care in a second, distantly related Neotropical species Siphonops annulatus, where it is characterized by the same syndrome of maternal and offspring specializations. The detailed similarities of skin feeding in different caecilian species provide strong evidence of its homology, implying its presence in the last common ancestor of these species. Biogeographic considerations, the separation of Africa and South American land masses and inferred timescales of amphibian diversification all suggest that skin feeding is an ancient form of parental care in caecilians, which has probably persisted in multiple lineages for more than 100 Myr. These inferences support the hypotheses that (i) maternal dermatophagy is widespread in oviparous direct-developing caecilians, and (ii) that viviparous caecilians that feed on the hypertrophied maternal oviduct evolved from skin-feeding ancestors. In addition to skin-feeding, young S. annulatus were observed to congregate around, and imbibe liquid exuded from, the maternal cloacal opening.

Reinvestigation and reinterpretation of Chordodiolus echinatus Linstow, 1901, a peculiar nematomorph species

The Central African nematomorph species Chordodiolus echinatus Linstow, 1901 is characterized by bilateral rows of bristles in combination with a terminal cloacal opening at the posterior end of the holotype. This specimen has been interpreted as a male while further specimens with a bilobed posterior end and a ventral cloacal opening have been described as females. The assignment of characters to males and females in C. echinatus represents inverted patterns compared with all other freshwater Nematomorpha. This present reinvestigation using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy reveals that the holotype of C. echinatus contains oocytes and, therefore, represents a female. Consequently, C. echinatus shows structures typical for gordiids with the exception of the bilateral rows of cuticular bristles at the female posterior end. The cuticle is similar to the one of Beatogordius raphaelis and C. echinatus appears as a species derived within the genus Beatogordius and must therefore be renamed as Beatogordius echinatus.

Mermithids (Nematoda: Mermithidae) of biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae): Heleidomermis cataloniensis n. sp. from Culicoides circumscriptus Kieffer in Spain and a species of Cretacimermis Poinar, 2001 from a ceratopogonid in Burmese amber

Heleidomermis cataloniensis n. sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae) is described from Culicoides circumscriptus Kieffer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Spain. Diagnostic characters include prominant elevations with multiple genital papillae on either side of the cloacal opening, only one row of genital papillae on the lateral surface of the tail, the tapering tip of the spicule and a reduced vagina. A male intersex of C. circumscriptus parasitised by H. cataloniensis n. sp. has mouthparts resembling those of the female. Two 100 million year-old fossil specimens of an un-named species of Cretacimermis Poinar, 2001, from an Early Cretaceous Burmese amber biting midge of the genus Leptoconops Skuse, show the antiquity of ceratopogonid-mermithid associations.

SEM studies on the copulatory apparatus of male Oesophagostomum columbianum

Abstract SEM studies on the cloacal opening of Oesophagostomum columbianum indicate that it is located on a raised conical structure called the “genital cone”. The genital cone is provided with a ventral lip and a pair of subdorsal gential appendages. The vental lip is a triangular structure having a single papilla on it and the genital appendages are covered with wrinkled cuticle with a nerve process projecting to the exterior in center. The bursa is supported by muscular rays which end up as knob-like sessile genital papillae. The inner surface of the bursa is porous. Spicules are two, equal, each provided with an ala which decreases in height distally and end up much prior to the spicular tip.

A biological study of the European Pond Turtle, Emys orbicularis persica, and the Caspian Pond Turtle, Mauremys caspica caspica, in the Golestan and Mazandaran provinces of Iran

The morphology, morphometry, parasitology, diet, reproduction and behaviour of Mauremys caspica caspica and Emys orbicularis persica were compared in northern Iran. In E. orbicularis, the colour of the carapace is dark olive with yellow spots, the bridges between carapace and plastron are cartilaginous and the interabdominal suture is shorter than the interanal suture. Females lay on average 7 eggs per year, which is much less than European populations. In M. caspica, the colour of the carapace is dark olive with yellow stripes, the bridges are bony and the interabdominal suture is longer than the interanal suture. Females lay on average 4–5 eggs per year. The position of the cloacal opening is statistically different between males and females. 91.0% of the morphological characters studied show sexual differences in E. orbicularis, whereas this value is 77.5% in M. caspica .

Description of two new species of Iotonchium Cobb, 1920 (Tylenchida: Iotonchiidae) from Japan

AbstractTwo new Iotonchium species are described from Japan. These species possesses four adult forms; mycetophagous female, infective female, male and insect-parasitic female. Iotonchium laccariae n. sp. is characterised by short body length of all adult forms, right-angled L-shaped spicule with beak-like distal arm, a pair of large papillae anterior to the cloacal opening, the dorso-ventrally flattened head of male and the reproductive features of the parasitic female. The mycetophagous females of I. laccariae n. sp. inhabit the fruiting bodies of four Laccaria spp. Males and infective females were also obtained from the fruiting bodies. The insect-parasitic females of I. laccariae n. sp. inhabit the haemocoel of a fungus gnat, Allodia laccariae. Iotonchium russulae n. sp. is characterised by the long body length of the infective female, parasitic female and mycetophagous female, obtuse-angled L-shaped spicule with dorsally curved slender distal arm, a pair of bifid postcloacal papillae, presence of a mid-ventral postcloacal papilla in the male and reproductive features of the parasitic female. The mycetophagous females, males and infective females of I. russulae n. sp. were obtained from the fruiting bodies of three Russula spp. and two Lactarius spp. The insect-parasitic females of I. russulae n. sp. inhabit the haemocoel of A. bipexa, a species of fungus gnat.

Filling the Gondwana gaps: new species and new reports of Beatogordius Heinze, 1934 (Nematomorpha) from Australia and Madagascar.

We describe two new species of Beatogordius Heinze, 1934 (Nematomorpha), B. australiensis and B. lineatus, from Queensland, Australia. One further species, B. abbreviatus (Villot, 1874), which was known from Reunion, is reported from Madagascar. These new reports extend the range of Beatogordius from Africa and South America to include Madagascar and Australia. Beatogordius was likely distributed over the Gondwana continent prior to the separation of continental plates in the Mesozoic. This extends the existence of the taxon Nematomorpha, which was only known from young brown coal and amber, into the Mesozoic. Adhesive warts, structures anterior of the cloacal opening in males of B. abbreviatus, were originally described as characteristic structures of Gordionus Müller, 1927, but their occurrence in B. abbreviatus and one South American species indicates a wider distribution of this character.

P63 Coordinates Anogenital Modeling and Epithelial Cell Differentiation in the Developing Female Urogenital Tract

p63 is a p53 homologue required for cutaneous development that is expressed in immature squamous epithelium and reserve cells of the cervix. Humans with p63 mutations exhibit defects in limb, accessory organ (skin appendage, breast, prostate), and genitourinary development. Because p63 expression patterns imply a strong role of the gene in the female genital tract development, newborn female p63-/-, +/-, and +/+ mice were examined in situ, dissected, and compared. Nuclear p63 protein was localized to the skin, vagina, bladder, urethra, and basal columnar cells of the caudal uterus in p63+/+ and +/- animals. p63-/- mice exhibited abnormal genital morphogenesis with hypoplastic genitalia, a single cloacal opening, and persistence of columnar epithelium at lower genital tract sites that normally undergo squamous and urothelial differentiation. The defects observed support p63-dependent pathways of genital tract development that permit externally, ectodermal basal cell replenishment integral to reciprocal epithelial stromal signaling, urorectal septation, and modeling of the external genitalia; and internally, the emergence of basal epithelial cell populations capable of divergent epithelial cell differentiation in the vagina, cervix, and urinary tract. Defects in the first pathway explain imperforate anus, vaginal septum, genital hypoplasia, and micropenis reported in humans with p63 mutations. The second is necessary for the generation of multipotential reserve cells in the cervix and may be operative in other epithelial stromal interactions integral to the emergence of uterine basal cells later in life.

Aspectos histológicos e histoquímicos da cloaca feminina de Columba livia (Gmelin) (Columbidae, Columbiformes)

The domestic dove Columba livia (Gmelin, 1789) is a species well adapted to Brazil and the study of its reproductive biology is part of a broad research project on birds. This essay describes the morphological aspects of the cloaca of female Columba livia, describing compartments lengthwise starting from the head such as the coprodeo, urodeo and proctodeo limited by mucosal folds. Each compartment of the cloaca presents its own morphological characteristics which differ one from the other in form, height and position of mucosal projections, kinds of tissues, presence and histological aspects of glands, presence of lymphonodus. The rectum opens into the coprodeo, the ureter opens into the oviduct and the cloacal sac opening into the proctodeo. Histochemical studies have shown the presence of glycoproteins in tissue cells and gland cells on the three segments of the cloaca.