Species composition of the genus Streptocara Railliet et al., 1912 and the occurrence of these avian nematodes (Acuariidae) on the Canadian Pacific coast

Abstract

Description and figures are presented for the following species and subspecies, which the writer considers should constitute the genus Streptocara: S. crassicauda crassicauda (Creplin, 1829), S. crassicauda longispiculata n. subsp., S. californica (Gedoelst, 1919), S. formosensis Sugimoto, 1930, S. incognita n. sp., and S. recta (Linstow, 1879). Host-lists and data on prevalence in birds, mainly waterfowl, from British Columbia, Canada, are given for these species and Paracuaria tridentata (Linstow, 1877). Yamaguti's 1961 list of species of Streptocara is examined critically; some of the modifications suggested in the literature since 1961 are accepted, and the following changes proposed: S. cirrohamata (Linstow, 1888) to Ingliseria cirrohamata (Linstow, 1888) new genus, new combination; S. triaenucha (Wright, 1879) to Synhimantus (D.) triaenucha (Wright, 1879) n. comb. (syn. S. (D.) canadensis Mawson, 1956); and S. somateriae Ryzhikov, 1960 to synonymy with S. formosensis Sugimoto, 1930.

Streptocara formosensis Sugimoto, 1930 (Nematoda: Acuariidae) in wild ducks from the southern coast of the Baltic Sea

“…This is due mainly to the morphology of the anterior part of the body of this parasite, which according to some authors, is characteristic for the genus Streptocara (Gibson, 1968;Wong & Anderson, 1982), or Paracuaria (Baruš, 1978;Borgsteede et al, 2005). S. formosensis was first described by Sugimoto (1930) as a parasite of the gizzard of Anas platyrhynchos and Cairina moschata (Gibson, 1968). In 1960 Ryzhikov isolated this nematode from the gizzard of Somateria mollissima and called them Streptocara somateriae, and in 1964 together with Kurochkin (Kurochkin & Ryzhikov, 1964) transferred them to the genus Paracuaria.…”

“…The characteristic features of this species are the absence of a collar, and the presence of deirids with three teeth, mostly located near the nerve ring. Deirids with four and five teeth have also been observed; however, it seems to be the result of a fissure in the the middle tooth into several smaller ones, rather than due to great diversity in deirid shapes (Gibson, 1968). Deirid length in males is slightly shorter than their width, while in females deirid width may be two times greater than their length.…”

“…The characteristic features of these parasites are the presence of lateral lips at the mouth, and deirids (cervical papillae) variously located in the cephalic segment with 5 -9 teeth. The majority of nematodes from this genus also have collar with edges covered with fine teeth (Gibson, 1968;Carreno, 2008). In Europe, so far only 5 species of Streptocara nematodes have been found: S. crassicauda (Creplin, 1892) -typical species, S. dogieli Belpolskaja, 1952, S. formosensis Sugimoto, 1930, S. pectinifera (Neuman, 1900 and S. recta (Linstow, 1879) (www.faunaeur.org).…”

“…However, morphological research of nematodes in the wild birds of northwestern Poland revealed the presence of another species -S. formosensis, previously incorrectly identified as Ingliserria cirrohamata (Linstow, 1888) (Smogorzewskaja, 1990;Kavetska, 2005aKavetska, , 2005bKavetska, 2006). The species was described for the first time by Sugimoto in 1930 as a parasite of the gizzard in Anas platyrhynchos and Cairina moschata (Gibson, 1968). Its presence also was recorded in Estonia, Kaliningrad, Canada, Russia and Italy (www.faunaeur.org).…”

“…Its presence also was recorded in Estonia, Kaliningrad, Canada, Russia and Italy (www.faunaeur.org). According to Gibson (1968), the most important diagnostic feature of this species is the absence of a collar in the anterior part of the body, a typical structure of other species from this genus, and a specific arrangement of deirids in the area of the nerve ring. The purpose of this study was to present the ecological and morphological characteristics of S. formosensis isolated from the digestive tracts of wild ducks wintering on the southern Baltic coast.…”