Host-parasite interactions of Pomphorhynchus laevis (Müller, 1776) in naturally infected amphipod, Echinogammarus stammeri (Karaman), from the Brenta River (northern Italy) are described. A fully developed acanthocephalan larva occupies a large portion of an amphipod's haemocoelic space; thus, the parasite frequently induces displacement of host digestive tract and other internal organs. Howeve...

One aspect of the continuation of our earlier work on the environment of the acanthocephalan parasite Polymorphus minutus in the intestine of domestic ducks (Crompton & Nesheim, 1970) made it necessary to devise a surgical method for preventing bile from entering the duck's intestine. In outline, the method was to ligate the bile ducts and to cannulate the gall-bladder so that all the bile synt...

Filial cannibalism (the consumption of one's own offspring) is thought to represent an adaptive strategy in many animals. However, little is known about the details of which offspring are consumed when a parent cannibalizes. Here, we examined patterns of within-brood filial cannibalism in the sand goby (Pomatoschistus minutus). Males spawned sequentially with two females, and we asked whether m...

Sphaeriusidae is a small family of tiny aquatic beetles in the suborder Myxophaga. In this study we characterize two new sphaeriusid fossils from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber with help confocal laser scanning microscopy. Sphaerius martini Li & Cai sp. nov. displays similarities both extant Bezesporum and , although it can be readily recognized based on parallel-sided prosternum. Crowson...

The taxonomy and ecology of the cyclopoid copepod genus Thermocyclops were studied. Samples were collected in 207 water bodies located in the 22 hydrographic basins of São Paulo State, Brazil, including large reservoirs, small and shallow lakes, and ponds and rivers. The genus Thermocyclops inhabits mainly water bodies within a limnetic region. Four species were found, of which one is new: Ther...

Nearly all of the 906 embryos from a male-tended nest of the sand goby (Pomatoschistus minutus) were genotyped at two hypervariable microsatellite loci to document conclusively the number of mothers and their relative genetic contributions to the nest. The true number of mothers determined by this nearly exhaustive genetic appraisal was compared to computer simulation treatments based on allele...

Recently, we completed a revision of the Termitidae from New Guinea and neighboring islands, recording a total of 45 species. Here, we revise a second family, the Rhinotermitidae, to progress towards a full picture of the termite diversity in New Guinea. Altogether, 6 genera and 15 species are recorded, among which two species, Coptotermes gambrinus and Parrhinotermes barbatus, are new to scien...