In contrast to the well-studied trematode fauna of lymnaeid snails, only little is known about the role of small planorbid snails as first intermediate hosts for trematodes in temperate freshwater systems. This study aims at closing this gap by assessing the diversity and composition of larval trematode communities in Gyraulus albus and Segmentina nitida in a Central European reservoir system, and by providing an updated comprehensive review of the published trematode records of these snail hosts. A total of 3691 planorbid snails (3270 G. albus; 421 S. nitida) was collected in three consecutive years from four reservoirs of the River Ruhr catchment area in Germany. Gyraulus albus showed a higher overall trematode prevalence (11.7%) and more diverse trematode fauna (12 species) compared to S. nitida, which harboured three species and showed a lower trematode prevalence (1.7%). Altogether, 13 trematode species belonging to four families were identified in both hosts. Seven trematode species encountered in this study represent novel records for these hosts, and/or constitute first records of these larval stages from Germany. Trematode component communities in G. albus were stable across seasons and years, indicating excellent conditions for trematodes in this snail host and the continuous presence of the final hosts of the most dominant trematode species. Overall, this study reveals the importance of small planorbid snails, in particular G. albus, as first intermediate hosts for a species-rich trematode fauna in European freshwater systems, and highlights the parasites' contribution to the ecosystem's biodiversity.

• Klíčová slova
• Community composition, Digenea, Europe, Parasite diversity, Planorbidae, Reservoir,
• MeSH
• biodiverzita * MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• hlemýždi parazitologie   MeSH
• infekce červy třídy Trematoda parazitologie   veterinární   MeSH
• larva MeSH
• řeky MeSH
• roční období MeSH
• sladká voda MeSH
• Trematoda fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Německo epidemiologie   MeSH

Neopsilotrema n. g. (Digenea: Psilostomidae) and three new species of psilostomid digeneans are described from birds in North America and Europe: Neopsilotrema lakotae n. sp. from Aythya americana (Eyton) in North Dakota, USA, Neopsilotrema affine n. sp. from Aythya affinis (Eyton) in Minnesota, USA and Neopsilotrema lisitsynae n. sp. from Anas crecca L. in Kherson Region, Ukraine. Neopsilotrema n. g. shares a bipartite seminal vesicle with only three genera within the Psilostomidae, Psilotornus Byrd & Prestwood, 1969, Psilostomum Looss, 1899 and Grysoma Byrd, Bogitsh & Maples, 1961. The new genus differs from Psilotornus in the presence of a muscular pharynx and a massive ventral sucker; the location of the cirrus-sac in relation to the ventral sucker and more posterior location of ovary; the nature of the vitellarium (i.e. comprising large, compact follicles with small vitelline cells vs weakly defined follicles with large vitelline cells); a proportionately shorter forebody; and in parasitisation in anseriform (vs passeriform) birds. Differences between the new genus and Psilostomum comprise the shape of the body, the relative size of the suckers, somewhat longer forebody and a more anterior location of the testes. Neopsilotrema n. g. differs from Grysoma in the relative size of the suckers, the degree of development of prostatic cells, the nature of the vitellarium and the size of the eggs in relation to body length. The European species Neopsilotrema lisitsynae n. sp. is distinguished from its congeners in having a longer, narrower and distinctly more elongate body with a longer post-testicular region and anterior limits of the vitelline fields posterior to ventral sucker. The two North American forms, Neopsilotrema lakotae n. sp. and Neopsilotrema affine n. sp., are cryptic species with largely overlapping metrical data; these are distinguished by comparing genetic data. The phylogenetic hypotheses for the Psilostomidae developed from sequence data analyses based on partial 28S rDNA support the erection of the new genus and the distinction of the three new species. Grysoma marilae (Price, 1942) agrees more closely with the generic diagnosis of Neopsilotrema, especially in relation to the size and shape of the body, the relative length of the forebody and post-testicular field, the structure of the vitellarium, the location of the reproductive organs and the sucker ratio. Consequently, it is here transferred to the new genus as Neopsilotrema marilae (Price, 1942) n. comb.

• MeSH
• druhová specificita MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• kachny parazitologie   MeSH
• molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 28S genetika   MeSH
• Trematoda anatomie a histologie   klasifikace   genetika   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Severní Amerika MeSH
• Ukrajina MeSH
• Názvy látek
• RNA ribozomální 28S MeSH

We analysed two novel databases containing 2,380 and 8,202 host-parasite-locality records for trematode parasites of molluscs and fishes, respectively, to assess the biodiversity of trematodes in their intermediate mollusc and fish hosts in the freshwater environment in Europe. The "mollusc" dataset covers large numbers of pulmonate (29 spp.), "prosobranch" (15 spp.) and bivalve (11 spp.) molluscs acting as first intermediate hosts for 171 trematode species of 89 genera and 35 families. Of these, 23 and 40 species utilise freshwater fishes as definitive and second intermediate hosts, respectively. The most frequently recorded families are the Echinostomatidae Looss, 1899, Diplostomidae Poirier, 1886 and Schistosomatidae Stilles & Hassal, 1898, and the most frequently recorded species are Diplostomum spathaceum (Rudolphi, 1819), D. pseudospathaceum Niewiadomska, 1984 and Echinoparyphium recurvatum (von Linstow, 1873). Four snail species harbour extremely rich trematode faunas: Lymnaea stagnalis (L.) (41 spp.); Planorbis planorbis (L.) (39 spp.); Radix peregra (O.F. Müller) (33 spp.); and R. ovata (Draparnaud) (31 spp.). The "fish" dataset covers 99 fish species of 63 genera and 19 families acting as second intermediate hosts for 66 species of 33 genera and nine families. The most frequently recorded families are the Diplostomidae Poirier, 1886, Strigeidae Railliet, 1919 and Bucephalidae Poche, 1907, and the most frequently recorded species are Diplostomum spathaceum (Rudolphi, 1819), Tylodelphys clavata (von Nordmann, 1832) and Posthodiplostomum cuticola (von Nordmann, 1832). Four cyprinid fishes exhibit the highest species richness of larval trematodes: Rutilus rutilus (L.) (41 spp.); Abramis brama (L.) (34 spp.); Blicca bjoerkna (L.) (33 spp.); and Scardinius erythrophthalmus (L.) (33 spp.). Larval stages of 50 species reported in fish are also reported in freshwater molluscs, thus indicating a relatively good knowledge of the life-cycles of fish trematodes in Europe. We provide host-parasite lists for 55 species of molluscs with a European distribution comprising 413 host-parasite associations.

• MeSH
• biodiverzita * MeSH
• ekosystém * MeSH
• larva MeSH
• měkkýši parazitologie   MeSH
• ryby parazitologie   MeSH
• Trematoda klasifikace   fyziologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH

Digenean trematodes are common and abundant in aquatic habitats and their free-living larvae, the cercariae, have recently been recognized as important components of ecosystems in terms of comprising a significant proportion of biomass and in having a potentially strong influence on food web dynamics. One strategy to enhance their transmission success is to produce high numbers of cercariae which are available during the activity peak of the next host. In laboratory experiments with 13 Lymnaea stagnalis snails infected with Trichobilharzia szidati the average daily emergence rate per snail was determined as 2,621 cercariae, with a maximum of 29,560. During a snail's lifetime this summed up to a mass equivalent of or even exceeding the snail's own body mass. Extrapolated for the eutrophic pond where the snails were collected, annual T. szidati biomass may reach 4.65 tons, a value equivalent to a large Asian elephant. Emission peaks were observed after the onset of illumination, indicating emission synchronizing with the high morning activities of the definitive hosts, ducks. However, high cercarial emission is possible throughout the day under favorable lightning conditions. Therefore, although bird schistosomes, such as T. szidati constitute only a fraction of the diverse trematode communities in the studied aquatic ecosystem, their cercariae can still pose a considerable risk for humans of getting cercarial dermatitis (swimmer's itch) due to the high number of cercariae emitted from infected snails.

• MeSH
• biomasa MeSH
• cerkárie růst a vývoj   MeSH
• chronobiologické jevy MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• Lymnaea parazitologie   fyziologie   MeSH
• neparametrická statistika MeSH
• plavání MeSH
• Schistosomatidae růst a vývoj   MeSH
• stadia vývoje MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH