Philocorydoras longus sp. n. (Monogenea, Dactylogyridae) from the gills of Hoplosternum littorale (Siluriformes, Callichthyidae) in Southeastern Brazil and the reassignment of two species from the genus Urocleidoides to Philocorydoras

Philocorydoras longus sp. n. (Dactylogryridae) is described from the gills of the freshwater fish Hoplosternum littorale (Hancock, 1828) (Callichthyidae) from Jurumirim reservoir, Upper Paranapanema River, São Paulo State, Brazil. This new species belongs to the genus Philocorydoras mainly by possessing a curved cirrus accompanied by an accessory piece attached by a conspicuous filament. Philocorydoras longus sp. n. most resembles P. platensis, but differs by having delicate and smaller hooks, grooves in ventral and dorsal anchors, larger cirrus and accessory piece, and ventral bar with a long postero-medial process. Two species of the genus Urocleidoides (U. corydori Molnar, Hanek et Fernando, 1974 and U. margolisi Molnar, Hanek et Fernando, 1974) originally described from the gills of Corydoras aeneus (Gill, 1858) from Talparo River, Trinidad (near Brazil), were transferred to the genus Philocorydoras mostly by the absence of a sinistral vaginal sclerite (i. e., the primary characters of Urocleidoides) and counterclockwise cirral rings (i.e., curved tube, and tapered anteriorly in Philocorydoras). The new species is the fourth species assigned to the genus and the first recorded for Brazil.

Helminth fauna of Astyanax fasciatus Cuvier, 1819, in two distinct sites of the Taquari River, São Paulo State, Brazil

This study assessed the helminth fauna of Astyanax fasciatus in two distinct sites of the Taquari River, São Paulo State, with 30 individuals sampled in a lotic site and 30 in a lentic site, recording the monogeneans: Cacatuocotyle paranaensis, Characithecium costaricensis, Diaphorocleidus kabatai, Jainus sp., Notozothecium sp. and Gyrodactylus sp., the digenean Antorchis lintoni and no-identified metacercariae; the nematode Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus and no-identified larvae. The mean abundances of total monogeneans (U = 1053; p = 0.042) and C. costaricensis (U = 1107; p = 0.005) were higher in the lotic site. This difference may be due to the higher density of the host population in the lotic site, and the water transparence in lentic environments that prevents A. fasciatus to form shoals, precluding the exchange of parasites with direct cycle within a host population. This study is the first report of the helminth fauna of A. fasciatus in the Taquari River, with ten taxa recorded, and reports A. fasciatus as a new host for Notozothecium sp. and C. paranaensis.

First record of an epibiont protozoan Epistylis sp. (Ciliophora, Peritrichia) attached to Ergasilus chelangulatus (Ergasilidae) in Brazil

In the present paper, we described the first record of an epibiont protozoan Epistylis sp. Ehrenberg, 1830 (Ciliophora, Peritrichia) attached to Ergasilus chelangulatus Thatcher and Brasil-Sato, 2008, parasite of Pimelodus maculatus Lacépède, 1803 in Brazil, with electron microscope observations. Fish were collected in Veados River, state of São Paulo and the crustacean Ergasilus chelangulatus being registered for the first time in this river, expanding its geographical distribution in Brazil.

Bronchoalveolar lavage findings in pulmonary paracoccidioidomycosis

Bronchoalveolar fluid cytology from six progressive pulmonary paracoccidioidomycotic patients showed an alveolitis of neutrophilic pattern which was independent of the of the duration of the chronic fungal disease. The percentage of neutrophils in paracoccidioidomycotic alveolitis was higher than in other neutrophilic alveolitis conditions.