Incidence of Groundnut Leafminer (GLM), Aproaerema modicella (Deventer) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) and its Parasitic Fauna on Alternate Leguminous Hosts in Tamil Nadu, India

Background: The groundnut leafminer (GLM), Aproaerema modicella is an important pest of several legume crops which causes 50 to 100 per cent yield loss in India. The exploration of indigenous natural enemies is crucial to the success of every biological control strategy. Besides, alternative host plants act as a source of both herbivorous pests and their natural enemies. In this view, occurrence of GLM and their parasitic fauna on groundnut, alternate leguminous hosts viz., redgram and babchi were recorded. Methods: Survey on damage potential of GLM and their parasitic fauna were recorded on groundnut at Sivagangai and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu, India during 2016 to 2018. Survey was also conducted to find the damage potential of A. modicella on alternate leguminous hosts viz., redgram, babchi and their parasitic fauna at Coimbatore district. The damage potential of A. modicella, per cent parasitization and parasitoid emergence were assessed from A. modicella infested groundnut, redgram and babchi leaves. Result: Severe incidence of A. modicella was recorded as 98.10% (2016 to 2017) and 98.45% (2017 to 2018) at Sivagangai district. The parasitization of GLM was also found higher at Sivagangai recording 46.67% in both the years which was positively related with the pest population. 13 hymenopteran parasitoids belonging to eight families were recorded. Among them, Avga choaspes Nixon recorded high per cent parasitoid emergence (20.00%). Furthermore, GLM incidence on redgram and babchi indicated the highest damage potential of 38.20 and 34.50 per cent and parasitization of 33.33 and 20.00 per cent, respectively during 2017 to 2018.

New records for chewing lice of the genus Dennyus Neumann, 1906 (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) on two swifts from Saudi Arabia

Very little is known about the chewing lice fauna of Saudi Arabia especially from swifts (Apodidae). Swifts are common resident and migratory birds throughout Saudi Arabia. Two chewing lice genera are known for parasitising swifts throughout the world: Dennyus Neumann, 1906 and Eureum Nitzsch, 1818, none of which have been recorded from the Kingdom before. Two species of resident wild swifts were examined for chewing lice for the first time in Saudi Arabia. Two rare lice species were identified: D. (Dennyus) hirundinis (Linnaeus, 1761) and Dennyus sp. (Phthiraptera: Amblycera: Menoponidae) infesting the common swift Apus apus (Linnaeus, 1758) and African palm swift Cypsiurus parvus (Lichtenstein, 1823), respectively. The described chewing lice species are considered as new country records. They will be added to the Saudi Arabia parasitic fauna. Taxonomical and ecological remarks were provided for the identified chewing lice through this work, along with notes on swift/chewing lice interaction.

Parasitic fauna of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) in Sweden (1997–1998)

Background The parasitic fauna of beavers (Castor fiber and C. canadensis) has been well studied in many parts of their respective areas of distribution. In Scandinavia there have, however, been limited investigations conducted on the parasites of beavers in recent times. The present study is the first quantitative survey of parasites on beavers living in Sweden and elsewhere in Scandinavia. We investigated the parasitic fauna of the Eurasian beaver (C. fiber) in a North–South gradient in Sweden. The aim of the study was to investigate parasite distribution and prevalence in particular, related to average yearly air temperature and different age groups of beavers. A total of 30 beavers were sampled at eight localities, spanning a 720 km North–South gradient during the springs of 1997 and 1998. Results Five parasite taxa were identified. Four of these were present in all of the examined beavers, Stichorchis subtriquetrus (trematode), Travassosius rufus (nematode), Platypsyllus castoris (coleopteran), and Schizocarpus spp. (arachnid). A higher number of new infections of S. subtriquetrus, and more adults of T. rufus, were seen in beavers in southern Sweden where temperatures are higher. One-year old beavers had a higher infestation of S. subtriquetrus, but not of T. rufus, than older individuals. Conclusions The parasite fauna of Swedish beavers mirrored the impoverished parasite fauna of the original Norwegian population, and the high prevalence of parasites could be due to low major histocompatibility complex (MHC) polymorphism. Young beavers had a higher load of trematodes, probably depending on behavioural and ecological factors. Warmer temperatures in southern localities likely contributed to increased endoparasite loads.

Diversity of ectoparasites and endoparasites infecting Brachyplatystoma vaillantii (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae), a large migratory catfish from the Amazon

ABSTRACT Brachyplatystoma vaillantii is a large migratory catfish widely distributed in the Amazon basin, but its parasitic fauna is still poorly known. As it is an important fishery resource in the region of the Amazonas River estuary, the aim of this study was to investigate the parasite community in B. vaillantii from a tributary of the Amazonas River estuary system, in Brazil. We examined 31 juvenile fish, of which 80.6% were parasitized, and a total of 586 parasites were collected. We identified Dermidospermus brachyplastystimae and Dermidospermus araguiensis (Monogenea), Genarchella genarchella (Digenea), Harriscolex piramutab (Cestoda), Pseudoterranova sp. (Nematoda), Ergasilus xinguensis (Crustacea) and mites (Acarina). The dominance was of Pseudoterranova sp. larvae. The parasite community of B. vaillantii was composed of low values of species richness (2.0 ± 1.4), evenness (0.18 ± 0.21) and diversity (0.32 ± 0.37), with predominance of ectoparasite species with low prevalence, low abundance and overdispersion. Host body weight was the main correlate of parasite diversity and abundance, and a diet rich in crustaceans and other invertebrates may be important in structuring the parasite community of B. vaillantii. This is the first report of Dermidospermus brachyplastystimae and D. araguiensis, Pseudoterranova sp. and G. genarchella for B. vaillantii.

Assessment of Diversity Indices and DNA Barcoding of Parasitic Fauna Associated with Groundnut Leafminer (GLM), Aproaerema modicella Deventer (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

Background: Parasitoid wasps have received a great share of heed in the biological control of pests. However, they are often difficult to identify because of their small body size and profound diversity. In this view, biodiversity indices of parasitic fauna was reckoned and proper identification of those biocontrol agents were done through morphological and molecular technique such as DNA barcoding.Methods: Biodiversity indices of parasitoid of Groundnut Leafminer (GLM), Aproaerema modicella Deventer were reckoned for three agroclimatic zones viz., Irrigated Eastern zone (IE), Rainfed zone (R) and Irrigated Western zone (IW) of Tamil Nadu. Biodiversity indices viz., Relative density, Simpson’s Index, Shannon-Wiener Index, Pielou’s Evenness Index, Margalef Index and Beta diversity were assessed for the parasitic fauna associated with GLM. Apart from this, morphological characterization of prominent parasitoids were done with the help of available literatures and taxonomic experts. The molecular characterization of parasitoids were done using mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I (mtCOI).Result: The relative density of parasitoid families and species indicated the dominance of braconidae and Chelonus blackburni Cameron. Among the agroclimatic zones, rainfed zone had higher species diversity, richness and evenness. In addition, the morphological and molecular confirmation revealed that the parasitoids associated with A. modicella as Temelucha spp., Stenomesius japonicus, Bracon hebetor, Sympiesis dolichogaster, Chelonus blackburni and Avga choaspes. The amplified sequences were submitted to NCBI database and accession numbers were obtained.

Parasitic fauna of the invasive house sparrow (Passer domesticus) from Ñuble region, Chile: an example of co-introduced parasites

Invasive species impact native wildlife in several ways, as they compete for resources and may transmit their specific pathogens. However, the potential consequences of co-introduced parasites are not fully understood. While the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) was introduced in Chile about a century ago, no data are available regarding its parasites. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the parasitic fauna of this avian invader and to determine whether there are co-introduced/co-invasive parasites shared with native birds. One hundred and eight birds were collected from three different localities in the Ñuble region of Chile, and a complete parasitic necropsy was performed in the laboratory. Twenty-three (21.3%) were parasitized by six arthropod species and four (3.7%) were parasitized by two helminth species. Four out of eight taxa are reported for the first time in Chile; among them, three arthropod parasites and the tapeworm, Anonchotaenia globate, are considered as co-introduced parasites. Only A. globata is a potential co-invasive parasite given its low degree specificity in terms of its definitive hosts. Future research should examine whether additional co-introduced/co-invasive parasites have been brought by the house sparrow, and what their potential consequences might be on the health of native birds in Chile.