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Vol 58, No 6 (2024)
Articles
Molecular and morphological description of Diplostomum spathaceum metacercariae from Abramis brama l. Of Lake Syamozero (North-West Russia)
Abstract
Trematodes Diplostomum von Nordmann, 1832 are widely distributed parasites with complex life cycles involving freshwater snails as the first intermediate hosts, various fish species as the second intermediate hosts, and fish-eating birds as definitive hosts. Metacercariae of Diplostomum spp. are important fish pathogens with problematic morphological identification. The present research of Diplostomum larvae in the eyes of the freshwater bream Abramis brama was carried out within the framework of the long-term parasitological monitoring of fish in Lake Syamozero. The study has provided molecular and morphological characterization of Diplostomum spathaceum metacercariae from the lens of the freshwater bream. The partial cox1 mtDNA sequences used for molecular identification of the isolates were identical with those obtained previously, but morphological features of the metacercariae matched the literature data only in part. Comparison of different dimensions of parasites by discriminant analysis suggests that Diplostomum rutili is a junior synonym of Diplostomum spathaceum. New and archival data on diplostomids from bream’s eyes demonstrate a long-term increase in the infection prevalence.
457-479
The Fauna of Fleas (Insecta, Siphonaptera) of the Republic of Karelia
Abstract
The paper explores the specific features of the fauna of fleas (Siphonaptera) that inhabit Karelia, as part of a larger geographic region comprising Northwest Russia, as well as Northern Europe – Fennoscandia. Information was primarily derived from summary reports. Data from AIS PARHOST1 on the world flea fauna, which has been supplemented constantly since 2001 and is hosted by the Zoological Institute RAS, were involved in the analysis. As of now, 28 flea species of 13 genera have been reported from Karelia, amounting to around 35% of the regional fauna and 13% of the flea fauna of Russia. The species occurring in Northwest Russia but not reported from Karelia can be split into two major groups. The first group includes parasites of those hosts whose fleas remain unstudied. The second group comprises fleas missing from the Karelian fauna as a result of vicariation.
470–486
Species composition and ecological features of bat flies (Nycteribiidae, Diptera), parasites of bats (Vespertilionidae, Chiroptera) in the center of the European part of Russia (Vladimir Province)
Abstract
The material for this work was based on our collection of nycteribiid flies that we obtained during bat banding in the Vladimir region in 2016–2023. A total of 1308 bats belonging to 11 species were examined. In the process of banding bats, three species of blood-sucking flies from the family Nycteribiidae parasitizing bats were discovered: Basilia nattereri Kolenati, 1857, Penicillidia monoceros Speiser, 1900, Nycteribia kolenatii Theodor et Moscona, 1954. The most widespread and frequently encountered species of nycteribiidae is Nycteribia kolenatii.
487–496
Fleas (Siphonaptera) of eulipotyphla in the Caucasus
Abstract
Species of the order Eulipotyphla are important components of terrestrial ecosystems. These are active consumers of small animals, primarily arthropods, the main carriers of infectious diseases in a number of natural foci of tularemia, hanoviruses, and leptospirosis They may be infected with the causative agent of the plague. Arthropods that parasitize Eulipotyphla may also be infected with the pathogens of these diseases and serve as their vectors.
The taxonomic diversity, distribution pattern and parasite-host relationships of flea species noted as parasites of Eulipotyphla in the Caucasus are analyzed. Insectivores and their fleas entered the Caucasus from Southern Europe, Asia Minor and Near East in the Pliocene in parallel with the migration of floral complexes.
497–507
Ixodid ticks (Parasitiformes, Ixodidae) of the nothern red-backed vole (Myodes rutilus pallas, 1779) in the West Siberian Plain
Abstract
The article presents the complex of ixodid ticks of the red-backed vole on the West Siberia Plain. The following seven species (Ixodes persulcatus, I. apronophorus, I. trianguliceps, I. pavlovskyi, Dermacentor marginatus, D. reticulatus, and D. silvarum) were distinguished as parasites of the red-black vole. The quantitative indicators of ticks were traced from the herb-bunchgrass steppe to the northern taiga inclusive. I. persulcatus and I. apronophorus are widespread.
The optimum range of ixodid ticks of the red-backed vole is located in the sub-taiga. Their high diversity and abundance were recorded just there. The lowest quantitative indices are characteristic of the northern taiga. As a result, the northern and southern boundaries of the taiga tick range in the Western Siberia Plain were clarified.
508–519
History of the study of blood-sucking mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) in Saratov Province (literary review)
Abstract
Mosquitoes (Culicidae) are the most significant arthropods of medical importance because of the burden of diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, and West Nile fever, that they transmit to humans. In 2017, the most recently published checklist of mosquitoes from Saratov Province included 34 species representing six genera. This article provides a review of historical and recent studies on the fauna of blood-sucking mosquitoes in Saratov Province. Based on the analysis of literature data, the checklist of mosquitoes has been updated. The updated checklist includes 37 species of five genera.
520–530
Gooch crucible used for making total preparations of trematodes
531–534
Professor Kirill Vladimirovich Galaktionov. To the 70th anniversary of the researcher-parasitologist
535–538