RESUMEN
Leucochloridium spp. have been established in Taiwan since the 1930s, with five species listed: Leucochloridium turdi, Leucochloridium passeri, Leucochloridium muscularae, Leucochloridium sime, and Leucochloridium taiwanese listed until now. Because of the similar morphology among the adults of the Leucochloridiidae family, the taxonomic status of most of them should be reconsidered. Broodsacs are the most distinct characteristic shared by Leucochloridium flukes, and L. passeri is, by far, the only one whose broodsacs have been described. In this study, broodsacs collected from an infected Succinea sp. (amber snails) in Taiwan were morphologically compared to previous descriptions and sequenced using both nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers for identification. Our samples resembled broodsacs of L. passeri previously described in northern Taiwan and those recently collected in Okinawa, Japan. The conspecific status of the broodsacs collected in Taiwan and Okinawa was supported by the identical DNA sequences identified in this study. Broodsacs have rarely been reported in tropical and subtropical regions, although some Leucochloridium spp. have been recorded. In such cases, genetic markers will be crucial to link Leucochloridium broodsacs in snails (intermediate host) with their corresponding adult stage in birds (definitive host).
Asunto(s)
Trematodos , Animales , Aves , Marcadores Genéticos , Caracoles , Taiwán , Trematodos/genéticaRESUMEN
Gordius chiashanus sp. nov., a newly described horsehair worm that parasitizes the Spirobolus millipede, is one of the three described horsehair worm species in Taiwan. It is morphologically similar to G. helveticus Schmidt-Rhaesa, 2010 because of the progressively broadening distribution of bristles concentrated on the male tail lobes, but it is distinguishable from G. helveticus because of the stout bristles on the mid-body. In addition, a vertical white stripe on the anterior ventral side and areoles on the inside wall of the cloacal opening are rarely mentioned in other Gordius species. Free-living adults emerged and mated on wet soil under the forest canopy in the winter (late November to early February) at medium altitudes (1100-1700 m). Mucus-like structure covering on the body surface, which creates a rainbow-like reflection, might endow the worm with high tolerance to dehydration. Although Gordius chiashanus sp. nov. seems to be more adaptive to the terrestrial environment than other horsehair worm species, cysts putatively identified as belonging to this hairworm species found in the aquatic paratenic host, Ephemera orientalis McLachlan, 1875, suggest the life cycle of Gordius chiashanus sp. nov. could involve water and land. The free-living adults emerged from the definitive hosts might reproduce in the terrestrial environment or enter an aquatic habitat by moving or being washed away by heavy rain instead of manipulating the behavior of their terrestrial definitive hosts.