Biodiversity Commons^™

Where Are The Parasites? [Letters], Susan J. Kutz, Andy P. Dobson, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

First paragraph:

The review by E. Post et al. ("Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change," 11 September 2009, p. 1,355) paid little heed to parasites and other pathogens. The rapidly growing literature on parasites in arctic and subarctic ecosystems provides empirical and observational evidence that climate-linked changes have already occurred. The life cycle of the protostrongylid lungworm of muskoxen, Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis, has changed, and the range of that organism and the winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus, has expanded.

Trematoda (Platyhelminthes) Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Robin M. Overstreet, Joshua O. Cook, Richard W. Heard

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

First paragraph:

The platyhelminth class Trematoda, consisting of the subclasses Aspidogastrea and Digenea, contains individuals referred to as digeneans, trematodes, or flukes. Aspidogastreans, not digeneans in the strict sense2 number about 80 species in total (Rohde 2005), but adults in the Gulf of Mexico of 4 species have been reported from teleost and chondrichthyan fishes (Hendrix and Overstreet I 977) and one from a turtle (Wharton 1939). Consequently, this chapter deals with trematodes rather than just digeneans, even though all the records but the 5 refer to digeneans. Trematoda is the largest group of platyhelminths, and trematode adults, other than …

Muscleworms, Parelaphostrongylus Andersoni (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae), Discovered In Columbia White-Tailed Deer From Oregon And Washington: Implications For Biogeography And Host Associations, Ingrid M. Asmundsson, Jack A. Mortenson, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Parelaphostrongylus andersoni is considered a characteristic nematode infecting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Host and geographic distribution for this parasite, however, remain poorly defined in the region of western North America. Fecal samples collected from Columbia white-tailed deer (O. v. leucurus) in a restricted range endemic to Oregon and Washington, USA, were examined for dorsal-spined larvae characteristic of many protostrongylid nematodes. Multilocus DNA sequence data (internal transcribed spacer 2 and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) established the identity and a new record for P. andersoni in a subspecies of white-tailed deer previously unrecognized as hosts. Populations of …

A Macroevolutionary Mosaic: Episodic Host-Switching, Geographical Colonization And Diversification In Complex Host–Parasite Systems [Special Paper], Eric P. Hoberg, Daniel R. Brooks

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Aim: To integrate ecological fitting, the oscillation hypothesis and the taxon pulse hypothesis into a coherent null model for the evolution of complex host–parasite associations.

Location: Global.

Methods: This paper reviews and synthesizes literature that focuses on phylogenetic analyses and reciprocal mapping of a model system of hosts and their parasites to determine patterns of host–parasite associations and geographical distributions through time.

Results: Host-switching and geographical dispersal of parasites are common phenomena, occurring on many temporal and spatial scales. Diversification involving both co-evolution and colonization explains complex host–parasite associations. Across the expanse of Earth history, the major radiations in host– …

Parelaphostrongylus Odocoilei In Columbia Black-Tailed Deer From Oregon, Jack A. Mortenson, Arthur Abrams, Benjamin M. Rosenthal, Detiger Dunams, Eric P. Hoberg, Robert J. Bildfell, Richard L. Green

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Documenting the occurrence of Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei has historically relied on the morphological examination of adult worms collected from the skeletal muscle of definitive hosts, including deer. Recent advances in the knowledge of protostrongylid genetic sequences now permit larvae to be identified. Dorsal-spined larvae (DSLs) collected in 2003–2004 from the lung and feces of six Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) from Oregon were characterized genetically. The sequences from unknown DSLs were compared to those from morphologically validated adults and larvae of P. odocoilei at both the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of ribosomal DNA and the mitochondrial cytochrome …

Possible Recent Range Expansion Of Alcataenia Longicervica (Eucestoda: Dilepididae) Parasitic In Murres Uria Spp. (Alcidae) Into The North Atlantic [Short Communications], Sabir B. Muzaffar, Eric P. Hoberg, Ian L. Jones

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A wide range of helminths has been recorded from murres Uria spp. (Threlfall 1971, reviewed by Hoberg 1984a, Muzaffar & Jones 2004). Of the cyclophyllidean cestodes that parasitize murres, the genus Alcataenia Spasskaya 1971 (Dilepididae) is represented by ten species, eight of which are restricted and specific to the auks; the other two species occur in gulls (Laridae). The intermediate hosts of Alcataenia are euphausiid crustaceans such as species of Thysanoessa (Shimazu 1975), which also form an important dietary component of breeding and wintering murres, particularly Thick-billed Murres Uria lomvia (Gaston & Noble 1985, Birkhead & Nettleship 1987, Elliot et …

Contributions To The Mammalogy Of Mongolia, With A Checklist Of The Species Of The Country, David S. Tinnin, Jon L. Dunnum, Jorge A. Salazar-Bravo, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, M. Scott Burt, Scott Lyell Gardner, Terry L. Yates

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

We present accounts for 40 species of mammals collected from 15 localities in the Mongolian People's Republic. Accounts include taxonomic, morphometric, reproductive and ecological information, as well as trap effort and success. In addition, we include a brief history of mammalogical work within Mongolia, a taxonomically updated species list for the country, and a list of institutions with holdings of Mongolian mammals.

Development Of The Muskox Lungworm, Umingmakstrongylus Pallikuukensis (Protostrongylidae), In Gastropods In The Arctic, Susan J. Kutz, Eric P. Hoberg, John Nishi, Lydden Polley

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Development of the muskox protostrongylid lungworm, Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis, in its slug intermediate host, Deroceras laeve, was investigated under field conditions in the Arctic. Every two weeks, from 19 June to 28 August 1997, groups of ten experimentally infected slugs were placed in tundra enclosures in a mesic sedge meadow near Kugluktuk, Nunavut, Canada. First-stage larvae (L1) infecting slugs on or before 17 July developed to third-stage larvae (L3) in 4–6 weeks. Intensity of L3 in slugs peaked at 6–8 weeks post infection (PI) and then progressively declined by 10, 12, and 48–50 weeks PI. Abundance of L3 in …

Foundations For An Integrative Parasitology: Collections, Archives, And Biodiversity Informatics, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Burgeoning awareness about biodiversity emphasizes the fundamental importance of museum collections and the contributions of systematists and taxonomists in documenting the structure and history of the biosphere. An essential role is served by this infrastructure in collecting, preparing, analyzing, and disseminating information about the specimens that represent species, document a range of complex biological associations from symbioses to parasitism, and form the tapestry and the myriad facets of biodiversity (e.g., Wilson, 2000). As parasitologists we can examine how we may contribute to this broader documentation and understanding of global biodiversity, and we can articulate and communicate our role as vital …

Protostrongylus Stilesi (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae): Ecological Isolation And Putative Host-Switching Between Dall’S Sheep And Muskoxen In A Contact Zone, Eric P. Hoberg, Susan J. Kutz, John Nagy, Emily Jenkins, Brett Elkin, Marsha Branigan, Dorothy Cooley

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The occurrence of Protostrongylus stilesi in a population of introduced muskoxen, Ovibos moschatus wardi, on the Arctic Coastal Plain, Yukon Territory (YT) and Northwest Territories (NT), Canada, is consistent with a contemporary colonization event from Dall’s sheep, Ovis dalli dalli, which indicates that host specificity may be ecologically based and contextual for this parasite. Colonization of muskoxen by P. stilesi may be a predictable event in zones of sympatry with Dall’s sheep; exposure to infection may coincide with occupation of winter ranges of Dall’s sheep by muskoxen during the summer season. Disruption of contemporary ecological isolating barriers can …

New Host And Geographic Records For Two Protostrongylids In Dall's Sheep, Susan J. Kutz, A. M. Veitch, Eric P. Hoberg, B. T. Elkin, Emily J. Jenkins, L. Polley

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Biodiversity survey and inventory have resulted in new information on the distribution of Protostrongylidae in Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) from the Northwest Territories (Northwest Territories, Canada) and from Alaska (Alaska, USA). In 1998, Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei adults were found for the first time in the skeletal muscles of Dall’s sheep in the Mackenzie Mountains (Northwest Territories). Adult P. odocoilei were associated with petechial and ecchymotic hemorrhages and localized myositis; eggs and larvae in the lungs were associated with diffuse granulomatous pneumonia. Experimental infections of the slugs Deroceras laeve and Deroceras reticulatum with dorsal-spined first-stage larvae assumed to be …

Onchocercosis In Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus) From Spain, Mónica Santín-Durán, José M. Alunda, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Onchocercosis, caused by Onchocerca flexuosa, was observed in red deer (Cervus elaphus) from Spain for the first time. Adult specimens of O. flexuosa were found in nodules in subcutaneous tissues in 42 of 125 (33%) red deer between October 1994 and September 1995; intensity of infection 6 SD was 3.93 ± 5.26 nodules per infected host. A clear seasonal pattern in the distribution of nodules was observed, with higher values of prevalence and intensity in fall and winter in contrast to spring and summer. Significant differences were found among age groups in prevalence, but not in the …

A Phylogenetic Hypothesis For Species Of The Genus Taenia (Eucestoda: Taeniidae), Eric P. Hoberg, Arlene Jones, Robert L. Rausch, Keeseon S. Eom, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Cladistic analysis of a numerical data matrix describing 27 characters for species of Taenia resulted in four most parsimonious phylogenetic trees (174 steps; consistency index = 0.28; homoplasy index = 0.72; retention index = 0.48). Monophyly for Taenia is diagnosed by the metacestode that is either a cysticercus or a form derived from a bladder-like larva; no other unequivocal synapomorphies are evident. Tree structure provides no support for recognition of a diversity of tribes or genera within the Taeniinae: Fimbriotaeniini and Taeniini have no phylogenetic basis. Hydatigera, Fimbriotaenia, Fossor, Monordotaenia, Multiceps, Taeniarhynchus, Tetratirotaenia must …

Elaeophorosis In Red Deer From Spain, Mónica Santín-Durán, J. M. Alunda, J. M. San Miguel, Eric P. Hoberg, C. De La Fuente

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Elaeophorosis, caused by Elaeophora elaphi, was observed in red deer (Cervus elaphus) from Toledo Province (Spain) for the first time. Adult specimens of Elaeophora elaphi were found in the hepatic vessels of nine of 151 red deer between October 1994 and September 1995; intensity of infection was two to 18 nematodes per host. Adult nematodes were only found during the period from fall through early spring. No differences were present between sex or age groups. Parasites were not found in a limited sample from fallow deer (Dama dama). Blood samples were negative for the presence of …

Relationships Of Nematodirus Species And Nematodirus Battus Isolates (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea) Based On Nuclear Ribosomal Dna Sequences, Steven A. Nadler, Eric P. Hoberg, Deborah S.S. Hudspeth, Lora G. Rickard

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Nuclear ribosomal sequence data from the internal transcribed spacers (ITS-1 and ITS-2), 5.8S subunit, and regions of the 18S and 28S genes were used to investigate sequence diversity among geographic samples of Nematodirus battus, and to infer phylogenetic relationships among Nematodirus species. Phylogenetic analysis of these data yielded strong support for relationships among species, depicting Nematodirus helvetianus and Nematodirus spathiger as sister-taxa and a clade of these two species and Nematodirus filicollis. This tree is consistent with caprine bovids as ancestral hosts, with a subsequent host shift to Bovinae in N. helvetianus. Eleven of fourteen N. battus sequences …

Systematics Of The Eucestoda: Advances Toward A New Phylogenetic Paradigm And Observations On The Early Diversification Of Tapeworms And Vertebrates, Eric P. Hoberg, Scott Lyell Gardner, Ronald A. Campbell

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Evolutionary relationships of the Eucestoda have received intense but sporadic attention over the past century. Since 1996, the landscape has dramatically changed with respect to our knowledge of the phylogenetic relationships among the tapeworms. The 2nd International Workshop for Tapeworm Systematics (IWTS) held in Lincoln, Nebraska in October of that year provided the catalyst for development of novel hypotheses for inter-and intra-ordinal phylogeny. The working-group structure of the 2nd IWTS and results of phylogenetic studies are briefly introduced in the present manuscript. Higher-level phylogenies derived from parsimony analysis of independent data bases representing comparative morphology or molecular sequences were largely …

Experimental Infections Of Muskoxen (Ovibos Moschatus) And Domestic Sheep With Umingmakstrongylus Pallikuukensis (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae): Parasite Development, Population Structure, And Pathology, Susan J. Kutz, Eric P. Hoberg, Lydden Polley

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Three captive muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) were successfully infected with third-stage larvae of Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis digested or emerged from the slugs Deroceras reticulatum and D. laeve, for the first time completing the life cycle of this parasite under experimental conditions. The course of parasite development and patency was followed for 26 months post infection (p.i.) using fecal examinations and radiography. The prepatent periods in two of the muskoxen were 91 and 95 days and the patent period in one extended for 23 months. Larval production peaked 13–14 months p.i. On postmortem of two of the muskoxen at months …

Metazoan Parasites And Other Symbionts Of Cetaceans In The Caribbean, Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni, Eric P. Hoberg, Doug Siegel-Causey, Ernest H. Williams Jr.

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The parasite fauna in cetaceans from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the larger Caribbean region is poorly known. We provide the first records for parasite biodiversity among a diverse assemblage of cetaceans from the Caribbean Sea. Internal and external parasites and commensals were collected from stranded whales and dolphins salvaged in Puerto Rico, the United States and British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and Venezuela between 1989 and 1997. A total of 47 individuals of 16 species of whales and dolphins (15 odontocetes and one mysticete) were examined. Overall, parasites and commensals were found in 34 (72.3%) animals, representing 13 species …

Parasite Biodiversity And Emerging Pathogens: A Role For Systematics In Limiting Impacts On Genetic Resources, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Emergence of pathogenic organisms continues as a threat to overall biodiversity and genetic resources. Macroparasites including helminths constitute a potential threat to economically important resources in agriculture and conservation biology. Limitation of this threat can be achieved through survey and inventory for biodiversity and the application of systematics to understand the host range , biogeography and history of faunas. Systematics constitutes the foundation for recognition of endemic and introduced elements of faunas and the basis for predicting the behavior of pathogens introduced to new ecological settings or host groups. The basis for emergence of pathogens has both a deep historical …

Técnicas De Parasitología De Practicas De Campo Para El Uso Durante La Investigación De Mamíferos, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

First paragraph of the introduction:

La obtención de parásitos de mamíferos que son colectados durante las investigaciones o bio-inventarios toma mucho tiempo; y en el pasado, estas colectas ráramente se realizaban. De cualquier forma, los parásitos y otros simbiotas forman un componente importante de las características biologicas y ecologicas de los hospederos y deben ser muestreados. Por ejemplo, trabajos recientes en la diversidad parasitaria y la biogeografía en mamíferos de Bolivia por Gardner y Duszynski (1990), Gardner (1991), y Gardner y Campbell (1992 a,b) no hubiera popdido realizarse sin el trabajo de colección apropiado de la fauna parasitaria/simbiótica de los …

Faunal Diversity Among Avian Parasite Assemblages: The Interaction Of History, Ecology, And Biogeography In Marine Systems, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Systematics and parasite biodiversity provide power and predictability in broad studies of history, ecology and biogeography in marine systems. Parasitic helminths are elegant markers of contemporary and historical ecological relationships, geographic distribution and host-phylogeny. Complex life cycles of helminths are strongly correlated with intricate food-webs. Dependence on a series of intermediate, paratenic, and definitive hosts indicates that each parasite species represents an array of organisms within a community and tracks broadly and predictably across many trophic levels. Host and geographic ranges of parasites are historically constrained by genealogical and ecological associations, and these determinents interact resulting in characteristic parasite community …

Libyostrongylus Dentatus N. Sp. (Nematoda: Trichostrongylidae) From Ostriches In North America, With Comments On The Genera Libyostrongylus And Paralibyostrongylus, Eric P. Hoberg, S. Lloyd, H. Omar

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Libyostrongylus dentatus sp. n. is described from ostriches on farms from North Carolina and Texas. Nematodes were recovered from the posterior proventriculus and under the koilon lining of the gizzard; the parasites occurred in mixed infections with Libyostrongylus douglassii. The species is distinguished from congeners by the presence of a prominent, dorsal, esophageal tooth; in males by the structure of the dorsal ray and spicules; and in females by small eggs (52-62 gm in length), a sublateral vulva situated at 93% of the body length from the anterior, and a strongly curled, digitate, tail with cuticular inflations at the …

Historical Biogeography And Modes Of Speciation Across High-Latitude Seas Of The Holarctic: Concepts For Host-Parasite Coevolution Among The Phocini (Phocidae) And Tetrabothriidae (Eucestoda), Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Species of Anophryocephalus are host-specific parasites of pinnipeds in the Holarctic. Phylogenetic analysis of 7 species postulates A. anophrys as the basal taxon and A. inuitorum as basal to A. skrjabini; A. arcticensis is basal to A. nunivakensis and A. eumetopii + A. ochotensis (single tree; consistency index = 74.4%; homoplasy slope ratio = 36.45%). Evaluation of host and geographic distributions postulates ringed seals of the Atlantic-Arctic as ancestral hosts, and the Arctic basin as a paraphyletic area with respect to the North Pacific. Cospeciation within this assemblage was dependent on intense isolation of small effective populations of definitive hosts …

Anophryocephalus Inuitorum Sp. Nov. And A. Arcticensis Sp. Nov. (Eucestoda: Tetrabothriidae) In Ringed Seals (Phoca Hispida Hispida) And Harp Seals (Phoca Groenlandica) From High-Latitude Seas Of Eastern Canada And The Arctic Basin, Eric P. Hoberg, Lena N. Measures

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Anophryocephalus inuitorum sp. nov. and A. arcticensis sp. nov. are described from ringed seals (Phoca hispida hispida) in the eastern Canadian Arctic; the latter species is also reported from harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Anophryocephalus inuitorum is most similar to A. skrjabini, but can be distinguished by fewer testes (14-27) and smaller dimensions of the strobila, neck (3.0-5.9 mm long), and cirrus sac (31-70 μm long), diameter of the genital atrium (44 -68 pm), and length of the male canal (23-42 μm long). Anophyrocephulus arcticensis resembles A. nunivakensis in the …

Phylogenetic Systematic Analysis Of The Trichostrongylidae (Nematoda), With An Initial Assessment Of Coevolution And Biogeography, Eric P. Hoberg, J. Ralph Lichtenfels

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Phylogenetic analysis of the subfamilies of the Trichostrongylidae based on 22 morphological transformation series produced a single cladogram with a consistency index (CI) = 74.2%. Monophyly for the family was supported by the structure of the female tail and copulatory bursa. Two major clades are recognized: the Cooperiinae clade with the basal Cooperiinae and Libyostrongylinae + Trichostrongylinae, and the Graphidiinae clade with the basal Graphidiinae and Ostertagiinae + Haemonchinae. Dendrograms presented by Durette- Desset (1985) (CI = 56.1%) and Lichtenfels (1987), based on the key to the Trichostrongylidae by Gibbons and Khalil (1982) (CI = 59.0%), were found to be …

New Records Of Bolivian Mammals, Jorge A. Salazar-Bravo, Mariel Campbell, Sydney Anderson, Scott Lyell Gardner, John L. Dunnum

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

We present new records of occurrence and distribution for two species of didelphid marsupials and one species of echimyid rodent. Specimens were obtained from May through August 1991 and June through August 1992 in a study of mammalian diversity of Bolivia, a joint project between the Colección Boliviana de Fauna in La Paz, the Museum of Southwestern Biology (University of New Mexico), the American Museum of Natural History (New York), the Museo “Noel Kempff Mercado” de Historia Natural in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and the University of California at Davis. This project is an attempt to strength Bolivian collections …

Spiculopteragia Spiculoptera And S. Asymmetrica (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea) From Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus) In Texas, Lora G. Rickard, Eric P. Hoberg, Nancy M. Allen, Gary L. Zimmerman, Thomas M. Craig

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Specimens of Spiculopteragia spiculoptera and S. asymmetrica were recovered from the abomasa of five of ten naturally infected red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Texas (USA). Female specimens of Spiculopteragia were present in all five animals. Male specimens of S. spiculoptera and S. asymmetrica were present in one of five and three of five red deer, respectively. Spiculopteragia spiculoptera has not previously been recognized in the United States and the present report constitutes the first records of Spiculopteragia spp. in red deer from North America. It is likely that species of Spiculopteragia have been introduced to North America with …

Enteric Coccidia (Apicomplexa) In The Small Intestine Of The Northern Spotted Owl (Strix Occidentalis Caurina), Eric P. Hoberg, R. J. Cawthorn, O. R. Hedstrom

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Sporulated oocysts (mean dimensions = 13.0 x 10.8 μm) and sporocysts (11.3 x 5.5 μm) of a coccidian resembling Frenkelia sp. or Sarcocystis sp. were present in the lamina propria of the small intestine of a naturally-infected northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) collected near Medford, Oregon, USA. Dimensions of these oocysts and sporocysts appear to be considerably smaller than those from other sarcocystid species with avian definitive hosts. Additionally, numerous developmental stages and unsporulated oocysts (mean dimensions 22.8 x 17.8 μm) of a possible species of Isospora also were observed in the intestinal epithelium. This constitutes the …

A New Species Of Linstowia (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) From Marsupials In Bolivia, Scott Lyell Gardner, Mariel L. Campbell

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A new species of cestode of the genus Linstowia (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) is described from marsupials of the genera Thylamys and Monodelphis. The new species (Linstowia schmidti) differs from L. iheringi Zschokke, 1904, in having a much smaller strobila and reduced number of proglottids, and in the distribution of the eggs in gravid proglottids. In Bolivia, cestodes of the genus Linstowia appear to have a restricted geographic distribution, occurring in marsupials only in southeastern Bolivia near the western margin of the Chaco. This host-parasite association may represent an ecological-historical relict.

Parasites Of The Extinct Shasta Ground Sloth, Nothrotheriops Shastensis, In Rampart Cave, Arizona, Gerald D. Schmidt, Donald W. Duszynski, Paul S. Martin

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Of 7 dissected dung balls of the extinct Shasta ground sloth (Edentata) from Rampart Cave, Arizona, 4 (57%) were found to contain nematode juveniles, helminth eggs, and/or coccidian oocysts. One dung ball was radiocarbon dated at 10,500 ± 180 yr, about the time of ground sloth extinction. It is supposed that the parasites also are extinct. Agamofilaria oxyura n. sp. is proposed for first-stage juveniles of an oxyurid. These juveniles measured 13-20 x 126-198 (16.8 x 159) μm. Strongyloides shastensis n. sp. is reported as first-stage juveniles, some of which clearly are molting. These juvenile worms were 23-27 …