Journal highlights
- Journal made by "PARASITOLOGISTS for PARASITOLOGISTS"
- IN-HOUSE production with careful revision & proof-reading
- Increase of APC from January 1, 2025
- Current ISI Impact Factor: IF 2025 = 2.0
- Current volume: 73: 2026
- Special Issue: Three Decades of Latent Toxoplasmosis
- Published since 1954 – freely available!
International journal that covers all branches of animal parasitology, including morphology, taxonomy, biology, biochemistry, physiology, immunology and molecular biology of parasites, host-parasite relationships and parasite evolution.
Special Issue: Three Decades of Latent Toxoplasmosis

Flegr J., Ullmann J., Španiel F., Toman J., Hůla M., Šebánková B., Petrusová J., Novotný P., Včelák J., Kaňková Š. 2026: Does latent Toxoplasma infection mimic the immune profile of schizophrenia? Sex-specific cytokine and brain-marker alterations suggest partial overlap. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 73: 006

Torrey E.F. 2024: The linking of toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia. Folia Parasitol. 71: 016.

Ullmann J., Flegr J., Nouzová K., Včelák J., Kaňková Š. 2025: Chronic inflammation in pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis and explanation of discordant results of serological tests for toxoplasmosis. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 021.

Tautanova A., Kiyan V., Dusmagambetov M., Almysheva T.A., Dusmagambetova A. 2026: Three decades of research on molecular genetic characteristics of Echinococcus spp.: a bibliometric study. Folia Parasitol. 73: 001.

Postolache T.T., Duncan E., Yen P., Potocki E., Barnhart M., Federline A., Massa N., Dagdag A., Joseph J., Wadhawan A., Capan C., Forton C., Lowry C.A., Ortmeyer H.K., Brenner L.A. 2025: Toxoplasma gondii, suicidal behavior and suicide risk factors in US Veterans enrolled in mental health treatment. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 002.

Flegr J. 2025: Thirty years of studying latent toxoplasmosis: behavioural, physiological, and health insights: description of a struggle. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 005.

Postolache T.T. 2025: Toxoplasma gondii and suicidal behaviour: discovery, cross-diagnostic confirmation and pathway exploration. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 025.

Latifi A., Flegr J., Kaňková Š. 2025: Re-assessing host manipulation in Toxoplasma: the underexplored role of sexual transmission – evidence, mechanisms, implications. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 015.

Vyas A. 2024: Nuts and bolts of the behavioural manipulation by Toxoplasma gondii. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 71: 017.

Catchpole A., Zabriskie B.N., Embley B., Kharazi H., Clarke R., Templeton G., Hunt C., Gale S.D., Hedges D.W. 2025: Association between type-2 diabetes and Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 024.

Webster J.P. 2025: Who makes the decisions? Uncovering the evolutionary implications and clinical applications of Toxoplasma gondii’s Fatal Feline Attraction. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 016
Folia Parasitologica - Most viewed articles
Results 121 to 150 of 3110:
A new species of Paracapillaroides (Nematoda: Capillariidae) parasitizing Nemadactylus bergi (Perciformes: Latridae) from the Argentine Sea
María Alejandra Rossin, Juan Tomás Timi
Folia Parasitologica 56[1] 37-40 (2009) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2009.007 
A new nematode species, Paracapillaroides acanthocotylus sp. n., is described from the marine fish Nemadactylus bergi (Norman) (Latridae, Perciformes) from waters off Mar del Plata, Argentina (38°08'S, 57°32'W) (prevalence 81.8%, mean intensity 12.4 ± 10.3). The new species is readily distinguished from P. agonostomi Moravec, Salgado-Maldonado et Caspeta-Mandujano, 1999, the only known species of the genus, by having in both sexes a longer oesophagus in relation to total body length. Males of the new species have a shorter and more complex spicule and a markedly different morphology of the spicular sheath; the rays supporting...
Paramarteilia canceri sp. n. (Cercozoa) in the European edible crab (Cancer pagurus) with a proposal for the revision of the order Paramyxida Chatton, 1911
Stephen W. Feist, P. Mike Hine, Kelly S. Bateman, Grant D. Stentiford, Matt Longshaw
Folia Parasitologica 56[2] 73-85 (2009) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2009.012 
A new species, Paramarteilia canceri sp. n., is described using light and electron microscopy from the edible crab Cancer pagurus L. captured from the English Channel. No external symptoms were noted, although infected animals were typically lethargic and unresponsive to external stimuli. Organs of infected animals were shrunken and collapsed compared with apparently healthy individuals. Although the infection was systemic, marked host responses were only noted in the hepatopancreas where the parasite induced a pronounced haemocytic infiltration. Prevalence of infection throughout the study was 1.1%, with a maximum monthly prevalence...
Five new species of Acanthobothrium (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea) from an unusual species of Himantura (Rajiformes: Dasyatidae) from northern Australia
Carrie A. Fyler, Janine N. Caira, Kirsten Jensen
Folia Parasitologica 56[2] 107-128 (2009) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2009.016 
Five new species of Acanthobothrium van Beneden, 1850 from the spiral intestine of a specimen of an unusual species of Himantura from the Arafura Sea off northern Australia are described. Acanthobothrium oceanharvestae sp. n. is one of 26 category 1 species (sensu Ghoshroy and Caira 2001) lacking post-ovarian testes; it differs from these in total length, number of proglottids, number of testes, cirrus sac size and details of the terminal genitalia. Acanthobothrium popi sp. n. is unique among category 2 species in its possession of post-ovarian testes. Acanthobothrium rodmani sp. n. is a category 6 species distinct...
Experimental transmission of Sparicotyle chrysophrii (Monogenea: Polyopisthocotylea) to gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and histopathology of the infection
Ariadna Sitjà-Bobadilla, Pilar Alvarez-Pellitero
Folia Parasitologica 56[2] 143-151 (2009) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2009.018 
The polyopisthocotylean Sparicotyle chrysophrii (Van Beneden et Hesse, 1863) was experimentally transmitted to gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) by exposure to eggs (EGT) and by cohabitation with naturally parasitized fish (CT). In EGT trials, the infection was successfully transmitted by introducing containers with monogenean eggs in the fish tanks, with the highest infection level (85.7% prevalence, 3.3 mean intensity) achieved at 6 weeks post exposure (p.e.) to the infection dose of 650 eggs per tank. In CT trials, the progression of the infection was faster and reached higher levels than in EGT. When using small fish juveniles...
Experimental studies on the development of Contracaecum rudolphii (Nematoda: Anisakidae) in copepod and fish paratenic hosts
František Moravec
Folia Parasitologica 56[3] 185-193 (2009) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2009.023 
The larval development of the nematode Contracaecum rudolphii (Rudolphi, 1819), a common parasite of the proventriculus of cormorants, was experimentally studied. Within the eggs cultivated in freshwater under laboratory temperatures of 20-22 °C, the developing larva undergoes two moults on days 4-5, attaining the third larval stage. Most of the ensheathed third-stage larvae, 291-457 µm long, hatch spontaneously from egg shells on days 5-6. Experiments have indicated that hatched ensheated third-stage larvae and those still inside egg capsules are already infective to copepods and fishes, which both can be considered paratenic (metaparatenic)...
Toxoplasmosis as a cause for behaviour disorders - overview of evidence and mechanisms
Abebaw Fekadu, Teshome Shibre, Anthony J. Cleare
Folia Parasitologica 57[2] 105-113 (2010) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2010.013 
Background - There is growing interest in the role of microbial agents in the causation of psychiatric disorders. The neurotropic protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is one of the main candidates and has been associated with various psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia. Methods - A narrative review of the literature from the main medical databases (Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO), Google Scholar and Google using combinations of applicable terms. Results - T. gondii affects the brain in both the acute and the latent stages of infection causing apparent brain pathologies in infected rodents and both immuno-compromised and immuno-competent...
Henneguya cynoscioni sp. n. (Myxosporea: Bivalvulida), an agent of severe cardiac lesions in the spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus (Teleostei: Sciaenidae)
Iva Dyková, Isaurede Buron, William A. Roumillat, Ivan Fiala
Folia Parasitologica 58[3] 169-177 (2011) 
A new myxosporean species, Henneguya cynoscioni sp. n., is described from the spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuvier) (Sciaenidae) as a causative agent of cardiac henneguyosis. This new myxosporean species is characterized by the morphology of spores and the sequence of SSU rDNA. Examination of 227 spotted seatrout from four South Carolina estuaries in 2008-2010 revealed a 33.5% total prevalence of H. cynoscioni. Henneguya cynoscioni produces lesions in the bulbus arteriosus, its specific site of infection. The severity of lesions and their impact on the bulbus arteriosus is proportional to the number of plasmodial...
Two new species of Rhabdochona (Nematoda: Rhabdochonidae) from freshwater fishes in Thailand
František Moravec, Thanapon Yooyen
Folia Parasitologica 58[3] 224-232 (2011) 
Two new species of rhabdochonid nematodes are described from the intestine of freshwater fishes in Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand: Rhabdochona (Rhabdochona) pseudomysti sp. n. from the catfish Pseudomystus siamensis (Regan) (Bagridae, Siluriformes) in the Fang Brook, a tributary of the Kok River (the Mekong River basin), Fang District and Rhabdochona (Globochona) thaiensis sp. n. from the cyprinid Mystacoleucus marginatus (Valenciennes) (Cyprinidae, Cypriniformes) in the Ping River (the Chao Phraya River basin), Muang District. Rhabdochona pseudomysti is mainly characterized by...
Five new species of philometrid nematodes (Philometridae) from marine fishes off Java, Indonesia
František Moravec, Thorsten Walter, Asri Trisnani Yuniar
Folia Parasitologica 59[2] 115-130 (2012) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2012.017 
Based on light and scanning electron microscopical studies, the following five species of the Philometridae (Nematoda: Dracunculoidea) are described from female specimens collected from marine fishes off the southwestern coast of Java, Indonesia: Philometra lobotidis sp. n. from the abdominal cavity of the Atlantic tripletail Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch) (Lobotidae, Perciformes); Philometra javaensis sp. n. from the abdominal cavity of the immaculate puffer Arothron immaculatus (Bloch et Schneider) (Tetraodontidae, Tetraodontiformes); Philometra psettoditis sp. n. from the musculature of the Indian spiny turbot Psettodes...
A synthesis of our current knowledge of philometrid nematodes, a group of increasingly important fish parasites
František Moravec, Isaure de Buron
Folia Parasitologica 60[2] 81-101 (2013) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2013.010 
Abstract: Members of the Philometridae represent the most important group of dracunculoid nematodes parasitizing fishes. In his monograph treating the Dracunculoidea, Moravec (2006) reported a total of 11 genera and 105 species of philometrids parasitizing freshwater, brackish-water and marine fishes. However, during the last six years (2007-2012), an additional 42 new species of Philometridae have been described, representing a 40% increase of the number of nominal species. Most of these species (30) belong to Philometra Costa, 1845, mainly represented by parasites of marine fishes, a few others (8) to Philometroides Yamaguti, 1935,...
Gyrodactylus aff. mugili Zhukov, 1970 (Monogenoidea: Gyro-dactylidae) from the gills of mullets (Mugiliformes: Mugilidae) collected from the inland waters of southern Iraq, with an evalutation of previous records of Gyrodactylus spp. on mullets in Iraq
Delane C. Kritsky, Atheer H. Ali, Najim R. Khamees
Folia Parasitologica 60[5] 441-447 (2013) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2013.047 
Abstract: Gyrodactylus aff. mugili Zhukov, 1970 (Monogenoidea: Gyrodactylidae) is recorded and described from the gill lamellae of 11 of 35 greenback mullet, Chelon subviridis (Valenciennes) (minimum prevalence 31%), from the brackish waters of the Shatt Al-Arab Estuary in southern Iraq. The gyrodactylid was also found on the gill lamellae of one of eight Speigler's mullet, Valamugil speigleri (Bleeker), from the brackish waters of the Shatt Al-Basrah Canal (minimum prevalence 13%). Fifteen Klunzinger's mullet, Liza klunzingeri (Day), and 13 keeled mullet, Liza carinata (Valenciennes), collected and examined...
Host specificity and metamorphosis of the glochidium of the freshwater mussel Unio tumidiformis (Bivalvia: Unionidae)
Joaquim Reis, Maria João Collares-Pereira, Rafael Araujo
Folia Parasitologica 61[1] 81-89 (2014) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2014.005 
The glochidium larvae of freshwater mussels of the family Unionidae need to find suitable hosts to attach themselves and metamorphose into free-living juveniles. The specificity of the host-parasite relationship was investigated for the Iberian Unio tumidiformis Castro, 1885 by means of experimental infections and also by analyzing naturally infected fish. The process of encapsulation of glochidia was studied using scanning electron microscopy. Unio tumidiformis has proven to be an unusual host-specific unionid mussel, apparently parasitizing only fish of the genus Squalius Bonaparte, 1837. Successful encapsulation or complete...
New genus of opecoelid trematode from Pristipomoides aquilonaris (Perciformes: Lutjanidae) and its phylogenetic affinity within the family Opecoelidae
Michael J. Andres, Eric E. Pulis, Robin M. Overstreet
Folia Parasitologica 61[3] 223-230 (2014) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2014.033 
Bentholebouria colubrosa gen. n. et sp. n. (Digenea: Opecoelidae) is described in the wenchman, Pristipomoides aquilonaris (Goode et Bean), from the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and new combinations are proposed: Bentholebouria blatta (Bray et Justine, 2009) comb. n., Bentholebouria longisaccula (Yamaguti, 1970) comb. n., Bentholebouria rooseveltiae (Yamaguti, 1970) comb. n., and Bentholebouria ulaula (Yamaguti, 1970) comb. n. The new genus is morphologically similar to Neolebouria Gibson, 1976, but with a longer cirrus sac, entire testes, a rounded posterior margin with a cleft, and an apparent restriction to the...
Host-parasite and phylogenetic relationships of Myxobolus filamentum sp. n. (Myxozoa: Myxosporea), a parasite of Brycon orthotaenia (Characiformes: Bryconidae) in Brazil
Juliana Naldoni, Suellen A. Zatti, Kassia R.H. Capodifoglio, Tiago Milanin, Antônio A.M. Maia, Marcia R.M. Silva, Edson A. Adriano
Folia Parasitologica 62[1] 14 (2015) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2015.014 
Myxobolus filamentum sp. n. was found infecting gill filaments of three of 39 Brycon orthotaenia Günther specimens examined (8%), which were taken from the river São Francisco in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Plasmodia of the parasite were white and long, measuring 5 mm in lenght. Mature spores of M. filamentum sp. n. were oval from the frontal view and biconvex from the lateral view, measuring 7.5-9.7 µm (9.0 ± 0.3 µm) in length and 5.2-7.3 µm (6.2 ± 0.4 µm) in width. The polar capsules were elongated and equal in size, measuring 3.8-5.5 µm (4.7 ± 0.3 µm) in length and 1.3-2.2 µm...
An additional genus and two additional species of Forticulcitinae (Digenea: Haploporidae)
Michael J. Andres, Stephen S. Curran, Thomas J. Fayton, Eric E. Pulis, Robin M. Overstreet
Folia Parasitologica 62[1] 25 (2015) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2015.025 
Forticulcita platana sp. n. and Forticulcita apiensis sp. n. are described from Mugil liza Valenciennes in Argentina, and from Mugil cephalus Linnaeus in Salt Springs, Florida, USA, respectively. Supplemental material relating to the hermaphroditic sac of Forticulcita gibsoni Blasco-Costa, Montero, Balbuena, Raga et Kostadinova, 2009 is provided from a specimen isolated from M. cephalus off Crete, Greece. Forticulcita platana can be distinguished from all species of Forticulcita Overstreet, 1982 except F. gibsoni, based on possessing small pads or gland cells along the hermaphroditic duct. It...
The molecular phylogeny of the digenean family Opecoelidae Ozaki, 1925 and the value of morphological characters, with the erection of a new subfamily
Rodney A. Bray, Thomas H. Cribb, D. Timothy J. Littlewood, Andrea Waeschenbach
Folia Parasitologica 63:013 (2016) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2016.013 
Large and small rDNA sequences of 41 species of the family Opecoelidae are utilised to produce phylogenetic inference trees, using brachycladioids and lepocreadioids as outgroups. Sequences were newly generated for 13 species. The resulting Bayesian trees show a monophyletic Opecoelidae. The earliest divergent group is the Stenakrinae, based on two species which are not of the type-genus. The next well-supported clade to diverge is constituted of three species of Helicometra Odhner, 1902. Based on this tree and the characters of the egg and uterus, a new subfamily, the Helicometrinae, is erected and defined to include the genera Helicometra,...
Variability of species of Babesia Starcovici, 1893 in three sympatric ticks (Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus and Haemaphysalis concinna) at the edge of Pannonia in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
Markéta Rybářová, Michaela Honsová, Ivo Papoušek, Pavel Široký
Folia Parasitologica 64:028 (2017) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2017.028 
The distribution, variability and host specificity of species of Babesia Starcovici, 1893 were studied in questing ticks collected on the northwestern edge of the Pannonian Basin in the south-easternmost part of the Czech Republic and in western Slovakia. The area is characterised by relatively natural floodplain habitats and the sympatric occurrence of three tick species possessing wide host spectra, namely Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus), Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius) and Haemaphysalis concinna Koch. Analysis was carried out on 1,408 I. ricinus, 2,999 D. reticulatus and 150 H. concinna altogether,...
Feeding strategies and competition between terrestrial Haemadipsa leeches (Euhirudinea: Arhynchobdellida) in Danum Valley rainforest (Borneo, Sabah)
Piotr Gąsiorek, Hanna Różycka
Folia Parasitologica 64:031 (2017) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2017.031 
Haemadipsid leeches are among the most successful terrestrial invertebrates in Bornean rainforests. They are very common ectoparasites of vertebrates, and their abundance has facilitated the conduction of numerous projects in the fields of ecology, zoogeography and taxonomy. We undertook research on two species inhabiting lowland dipterocarp forest, Haemadipsa picta Moore, 1929 and Haemadipsa subagilis (Moore, 1929), in order to address the following questions: (a) is there a difference in leech abundance between trails and off-trails?; (b) is ambush location dependent on specimen size or is species-specific?; (c) is intra- and interspecific...
Stray cats are more frequently infected with zoonotic protists than pet cats
Martin Kváč, Lada Hofmannová, Ynes Ortega, Nikola Holubová, Michaela Horčičková, Marta Kicia, Lenka Hlásková, Dana Květoňová, Bohumil Sak, John McEvoy
Folia Parasitologica 64:034 (2017) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2017.034 
Faecal samples were collected from cats kept as pets (n = 120) and stray cats (n = 135) in Central Europe (Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and screened for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis (Kunstler, 1882), Encephalitozoon spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi Desportes, Le Charpentier, Galian, Bernard, Cochand-Priollet, Lavergne, Ravisse et Modigliani, 1985 by PCR analysis of the small-subunit of rRNA (Cryptosporidium spp. and G. intestinalis) and ITS (microsporidia) genes. Sequence analysis of targeted genes revealed the presence of C. felis Iseki, 1979, G. intestinalis...
Cloning, expression and characterisation of a cysteine protease from Trichinella spiralis
Yan Yan Song, Li Ang Wang, Hua Na Ren, Xin Qi, Ge Ge Sun, Ruo Dan Liu, Peng Jiang, Xi Zhang, Jing Cui, Zhong Quan Wang
Folia Parasitologica 65:007 (2018) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2018.007 
Cysteine protease is a superfamily of widespread proteolytic enzymes and plays a major role in larval invasion, migration, exsheathing, survival and immune evasion in parasites. In the present study, the gene coding cysteine proteinase of the nematode Trichinella spiralis (Owen, 1835) was cloned into pQE-80L and subsequently expressed in E. coli JM109. The rTsCP was purified and its antigenicity was identified by Western blot and ELISA. Using anti-rTsCP serum the native TsCP was identified in muscle larval crude proteins. The results of quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence test demonstrated that the TsCP was expressed in...
Molecular screening for bacterial pathogens in ticks (Ixodes ricinus) collected on migratory birds captured in northern Italy
Massimo Pajoro, Dario Pistone, Ilaria Varotto Boccazzi, Valeria Mereghetti, Claudio Bandi, Massimo Fabbi, Francesco Scattorin, Davide Sassera, Matteo Montagna
Folia Parasitologica 65:008 (2018) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2018.008 
Migratory birds have an important role in transporting ticks and associated tick-borne pathogens over long distances. In this study, 2,793 migratory birds were captured by nets in a ringing station, located in northern Italy, and checked for the presence of ticks. Two-hundred and fifty-one ticks were identified as nymphs and larvae of Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) and they were PCR-screened for the presence of bacteria belonging to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Rickettsia spp., Francisella tularensis and Coxiella burnetii. Four species of Borrelia (B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. valaisiana...
Structure of parasite communities in urban environments: the case of helminths in synanthropic rodents
Diego Hancke, Olga Virginia Suárez
Folia Parasitologica 65:009 (2018) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2018.009 
Identifying patterns with sufficient predictive power is a constant challenge for ecologists to address ecological problems related to species conservation, pollution or infectious disease control. During the last years, the amounts of parasitological studies in this sense increased, but they are still scarce in urban environments. The main aim of this study was to investigate if the helminth communities of urban rodents are structured within host assembly (compound community) or they are a result of random events occurring at each individual host scale (infracommunity). A total of 203 rodents belonging to four species, Rattus rattus (Linnaeus),...
Rhabdochona angusticaudata sp. n. (Nematoda: Rhabdochonidae) from the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica, and new records of some other nematodes from inland fishes in Japan
František Moravec, Kazuya Nagasawa
Folia Parasitologica 65:016 (2018) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2018.016 
Collections of parasitic nematodes of fishes from some freshwater and brackish-water localities in Honshu, Shikoku and Hokkaido, Japan, carried out in 1996-2009, yielded the following eight species: Hysterothylacium haze (Machida, Takahashi et Masuuchi, 1978) (Anisakidae), Paraquimperia sp., Pingus sinensis Hsü, 1933 (both Quimperiidae), Heliconema anguillae Yamaguti, 1935 (Physalopteridae), Rhabdochona angusticaudata sp. n., Rhabdochona zacconis Yamaguti, 1935 (both Rhabdochonidae), Ascarophis arctica Polyanskiy, 1952 (Cystidicolidae) and Eustrongylides sp. larvae (Dioctophymatidae). The new...
Parasites of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) in South Africa - a neglected field of marine science
Bjoern C. Schaeffner, Nico J. Smit
Folia Parasitologica 66:002 (2019) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2019.002 
Southern Africa is considered one of the world's 'hotspots' for the diversity of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes), with currently 204 reported species. Although numerous literature records and treatises on chondrichthyan fishes are available, a paucity of information exists on the biodiversity of their parasites. Chondrichthyan fishes are parasitised by several groups of protozoan and metazoan organisms that live either permanently or temporarily on and within their hosts. Reports of parasites infecting elasmobranchs and holocephalans in South Africa are sparse and information on most parasitic groups is fragmentary or entirely lacking. Parasitic...
A new genus and four new species of dactylogyrids (Monogenea), gill parasites of pimelodid catfishes (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) in South America and the reassignment of Urocleidoides megorchis Mizelle et Kritsky, 1969
Aline A. Acosta, Carlos A. Mendoza-Palmero, Reinaldo J. da Silva, Tomáš Scholz
Folia Parasitologica 66:004 (2019) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2019.004 
Nanayella gen. n. is proposed to accommodate four new species of dactylogyrid monogeneans found on the gills of two species of pimelodid catfishes (Siluriformes) from the Amazon River basin in Peru and the Upper Paraná River basin in Brazil. Nanayella gen. n. is mainly characterised by the presence of modified hook pairs 5 and 6, which have a slender shank with slightly enlarged base, inconspicuous thumb, and straight point. Nanayella aculeatrium gen. n. et sp. n. (type species) from Sorubim lima (Bloch et Schneider) (type host) differs from its congeners mainly by possessing seven sclerotised spines on one side of circular ornamentation...
The molecular detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia spp. in cat and dog fleas collected from companion animals
Olga Pawełczyk, Marek Asman, Krzysztof Solarz
Folia Parasitologica 66:020 (2019) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2019.020 
Companion animals can be infested by various species of parasitic insects. Cat flea Ctenocephalides felis (C. felis felis) (Bouché, 1835) and dog flea Ctenocephalides canis (Curtis, 1826) belong to multihost external parasites of mammals, which most frequently occur on domestic cats Felis catus Linnaeus and dogs Canis familiaris Linnaeus. The main aim of this study was to investigate the presence of pathogens, such as Anaplasma phagocytophilum (syn. Ehrlichia phagocytophila) and Rickettsia spp., in adult C. felis and C. canis fleas. Flea sampling has been realised from January 2013 to April...
Characterisation of sphaeractinomyxon types (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) from marine and freshwater oligochaetes in a Portuguese estuary, with the demise of the endocapsa collective group
Sónia Rocha, Ângela Alves, Carlos Antunes, Pedro Fernandes, Carlos Azevedo, Graça Casal
Folia Parasitologica 67:002 (2020) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2020.002 
Six types of sphaeractinomyxon are reported from the coelomic cavity of oligochaetes collected from the Minho River estuary in northern Portugal. Four new types are morphologically and molecularly described from freshwater species belonging to the genera Psammoryctides Hrabě and Potamothrix Vejdovský et Mrázek in the upper estuary, thus significantly increasing the number of known freshwater sphaeractinomyxon. In the lower estuary, sphaeractinomyxon types 8 and 10 of Rangel et al. (2016) are recorded infecting the marine oligochaete Tubificoides pseudogaster (Dahl). A single specimen of T. pseudogaster further displayed...
Wing morphometric variability of the malaria vector Anopheles (Cellia) epiroticus Linton et Harbach (Diptera: Culicidae) for the duration of the rainy season in coastal areas of Samut Songkhram, Thailand
Tanawat Chaiphongpachara, Sedthapong Laojun
Folia Parasitologica 67:007 (2020) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2020.007 
In Thailand, Anopheles (Cellia) epiroticus Linton et Harbach (Diptera: Culicidae) is the secondary vector of human malaria along coastal regions. While there are some studies of phenotypic variability and population structure of A. epiroticus, more information on morphological variation would enhance epidemiological understanding of medically important mosquito vectors. This research examined morphological variation at three different distances from coastlines of Samut Songkhram Province, Thailand, using landmark-based geometric morphometrics. Wing shape of A. epiroticus was significantly different in the area 0.2...
Temporal variation in infection levels and reproductive traits of the acanthocephalan Pseudoleptorhynchoides lamothei in the blue sea catfish Ariopsis guatemalensis (Günther, 1864)
Dolores I. Carpio-Hernández, Juan Violante-González, Scott Monks, Agustín A. Rojas-Herrera, Sergio García-Ibáñez, Jeiri Toribio-Jiménez, Himmer Castro-Mondragón
Folia Parasitologica 67:012 (2020) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2020.012 
Current data on reproductive biology and population dynamics of the acanthocephalans are scarce mainly in regions from the tropical Pacific. An analysis was done to identify possible factors that influence variation in infection levels of the acanthocephalan Pseudoleptorhynchoides lamothei Salgado-Maldonado, 1976 in its final host, the blue sea catfish Ariopsis guatemalensis (Günther, 1864), and describe its main reproductive traits. A total of 1,094 A. guatemalensis were collected from Tres Palos Lagoon from August 2014 to December 2015. Prevalence of P. lamothei varied from 1.47% to 38.33%, and mean abundance from 0.03...
New records of Philometra spp. (Nematoda: Philometridae) from marine perciform fishes off Florida, USA, including descriptions of two new species
František Moravec, Micah D. Bakenhaster, Theodore S. Switzer
Folia Parasitologica 67:017 (2020) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2020.017 
Recent examinations of marine perciform fishes from off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico and Straits of Florida, USA, revealed the presence of the following six species of Philometra Costa, 1845 (Nematoda: Philometridae): P. haemulontis sp. n. (males and females) from the ovary of Haemulon plumierii (Lacepède) (type host) and H. aurolineatum Cuvier (both Haemulidae); Philometra synagridis Moravec, Bakenhaster et Fajer-Ávila, 2014 (males and females) from the ovary and testes of Lutjanus synagris (Linnaeus) (Lutjanidae); P. margolisi Moravec, Vidal-Martínez et...

