Taxonomy of the bryozoan genera Oncousoecia,Microeciella and Eurystrotos (Cyclostomata: Oncousoeciidae)

The selection of Tubulipora lobulata Hincks, 1880 Hincks, T. 1880. A history of the British marine Polyzoa, London, , (UK): Van Voorst. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar] as type species when establishing Oncousoecia is interpreted as a deliberate misapplication of a name, the nominal species T. lobulata having been originally described by Hassall in 1841 Hassall, A. H. 1841. Supplement to a catalogue of Irish zoophytes.. Ann Mag Nat Hist., 7: 363–373. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]. Canu is deemed to have created a new nominal species, Oncousoecia lobulata Canu, 1918 Canu, F. 1918. Les ovicelles des bryozoaires cyclostomes. Études sur quelques familles nouvelles et anciennes.. Bull Soc Géol France, Série 4, 16[for 1916]: 324–335.  [Google Scholar], which is the valid type species of Oncousoecia. Microeciella Taylor and Sequeiros, 1982 Taylor, P. D. and Sequeiros, L. 1982. Toarcian bryozoans from Belchite in north‐east Spain.. Bull Br Mus (Nat Hist), Geol Ser., 37: 117–129.  [Google Scholar] and Eurystrotos Hayward and Ryland, 1985 have each been used to accommodate similar oncousoeciid species with subcircular colonies. The type species of Eurystrotos, Alecto compacta Norman, 1867 Norman, A. M. Report of the committee appointed for the purpose of exploring the coasts of the Hebrides by means of the dredge. – Part II. On the Crustacea, Echinodermata, Polyzoa, and Hydrozoa. Report of the 36^th Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Vol. 1866, pp.193–206.  [Google Scholar], has a branching colony‐form and does not differ appreciably from Oncousoecia with which it is here synonymized. Another species, Diastopora suborbicularis Hincks, 1880 Hincks, T. 1880. A history of the British marine Polyzoa, London, , (UK): Van Voorst. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], previously regarded as being a junior synonym of A. compacta Norman, 1867 Norman, A. M. Report of the committee appointed for the purpose of exploring the coasts of the Hebrides by means of the dredge. – Part II. On the Crustacea, Echinodermata, Polyzoa, and Hydrozoa. Report of the 36^th Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Vol. 1866, pp.193–206.  [Google Scholar] (itself a subjective junior synonym of Alecto dilatans Johnston, 1847 Johnston, G. 1847. A history of British zoophytes, London, , (UK): Van Voorst. 2nd edition [Google Scholar]), has a different ancestrular morphology and an unbranched colony‐form. It is here transferred to Microeciella.     

Revision of Pilargis de Saint‐Joseph, 1899 (Annelida,Polychaeta, Pilargidae)

Pilargis de Saint‐Joseph, 1899 includes seven species and one subspecies: P. berkeleyae Monro, 1933 Monro, C. C. A. 1933. On a new species of polychaete of the genus Pilargis from Friday Harbor, Washington.. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 10, 11: 673–675. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], P. maculata Hartman, 1947 Hartman, O. 1947. Polychaetous Annelids, 8. Pilargiidae.. Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions, 10: 483–523.  [Google Scholar], P. modesta Intes and le Loeuff, 1975 Intes, A. and le Loeuff, P. 1975. Les annélides polychètes de Côte d'Ivoire, 1. Polychètes errantes—compte rendu systématique.. Cahiers ORSTOM (Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre‐Mer) Série Océanographie, 13: 267–321.  [Google Scholar], P. mohri Gallardo, 1968 Gallardo, V. A. 1968. Polychaeta from the Bay of Nha Trang, South Viet Nam.. Naga Reports, 4: 35–279.  [Google Scholar], P. papillata Rasmussen, 1973 Rasmussen, K. J. F. 1973. A new species of Pilargis (Polychaeta Pilargidae) from the deep soft sediments of Fensfjorden, Western Norway.. Sarsia, 53: 19–24. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], P. tardigrada (Webster, 1879 Webster, H. E. 1879. On the Annelida Chaetopoda of the Virginian Coast.. Transactions of the Albany Institute, 9: 202–269.  [Google Scholar]), P. verrucosa de Saint‐Joseph, 1899, and P. verrucosa pacifica Uschakov, 1955. Two species (P. verrucosa and P. berkeleyae) have been recorded from widespread localities. However, no comparison with type material has been done, and there might be some different forms under the same name. We have reviewed all the available type material in order to clarify the taxonomy of this group. A critical analysis of morphological features and a standardization of their structure and variability have been attempted. Six species are redescribed, one species is characterized after published accounts, and one subspecies is elevated to species. Four are described as new: Pilargis angeli n. sp., P. cholae n. sp., P. rozbaczyloi n. sp., and P. wolfi n. sp. Three others based on damaged material are briefly characterized. A key for Pilargis species is included.     

Revision of the hirsuticornis‐like species of Macrothrix Baird, 1843 (Cladocera: Anomopoda: Macrothricidae) from Subantarctic and temperate regions of the southern hemisphere

The aim of this paper is to revise populations of Macrothrix cf. hirsuticornis (Cladocera: Anomopoda: Macrothricidae) from different regions of the southern hemisphere. It is demonstrated that M. hirsuticornis Norman and Brady, 1867 Norman, A. M. and Brady, G. S. 1867. A monograph of the British Entomostraca belonging to the families Bosminidae, Macrothricidae and Lynceidae.. Natural History Transactions of Northumberland and Durham, 1: 354–408.  [Google Scholar] s. str. is absent there, and five related species occupy different Subantarctic islands and the southernmost portions of South America, and Africa. Macrothrix boergeni Studer, 1878 Studer, T. 1878. Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte wirbelloser Tiere von Kerguelensland.. Archiv für Naturgeschichte, 44: 102–121.  [Google Scholar] from the Kerguelen Archipelago is redescribed and a neotype is selected. All populations in the southernmost portion of continental South America, Tierra del Fuego, Falklands, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, and on the Antarctic Peninsula belong to M. oviformis Ekman, 1900 Ekman, S. 1900. Cladoceren aus Patagonien, gesammelt von der schwedischen Expedition nach Patagonien 1899.. Zoologische Jahrbücher, Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere, 14: 62–84.  [Google Scholar]. All the taxa described from this region—M. ciliata Vávra, 1900 Vávra, W. 1900. “Süsswasser‐Cladoceren. Ergebnisse der Hamburger magalhaensische Sammelreise 1892/93. II Band. Arthropoden.”. In Hamburg 1–25.  [Google Scholar], M. odontocephala Daday, 1902 Daday, E. 1902. Mikroskopische Süsswasserthiere aus Patagonien, gesammelt von Dr. Filippo Sylvestri.. Természetrajzi Füzetek, Budapest, 25: 201–310.  [Google Scholar], M. propinqua Sars, 1909 Sars, G. O. 1909. Fresh‐water Entomostraca from South Georgia.. Archiv for Mathematik og Naturvidenskab, 30: 1–35.  [Google Scholar], and, probably, M. inflata Daday, 1902 Daday, E. 1902. Mikroskopische Süsswasserthiere aus Patagonien, gesammelt von Dr. Filippo Sylvestri.. Természetrajzi Füzetek, Budapest, 25: 201–310.  [Google Scholar]—are junior synonyms of M. oviformis. Two new species are established: M. sarsi sp. nov. from the Cape region of South Africa and M. ruehei sp. nov. from Crozet, Marion islands, and Île Amsterdam. Macrothrix cf. flagellata Smirnov and Timms, 1983 Smirnov, N. N. and Timms, B. V. 1983. A revision of the Australian Cladocera (Crustacea).. Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement, 1: 1–132. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], previously known only from Tasmania, is found on Macquarie Island too. Differences between species from the southern hemisphere and Palaearctic M. hirsuticornis are summarized. It is demonstrated that characters of the general body shape (i.e. presence of a hood or a tooth on posterior head border) have a limited value for the systematics of Macrothrix. In contrast, some fine details, mostly missed by previous authors, are valuable for species discrimination. The present study increases the number of species recorded from the Antarctic‐Subantarctic region. Probably, the current pattern of Macrothrix distribution results from a disruption of a pan‐continental (early Mesozoic?) species complex.     

Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) fauna of the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf

Mosquitoes of four Iranian islands (Abu-Musa, Hormuz, Larak and Qeshm), Hormozgan Province of southern Iran, were surveyed between 2005 Madison DR, Madison WP. 2005. MacClade 4.08 [Internet]. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates, Inc. http://macclade.org/index.html  [Google Scholar] and 2007 Tamura, K, Dudley, J, Nei, M and Kumar, S. 2007. MEGA4: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) software version 4.0. Mol Biol Evol., 24: 1596–1599. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]. In 521 specimens collected, 14 species belonging to four genera were identified: Anopheles culicifacies Giles sensu lato (s.l.), An. dthali Patton, An. fluviatilis James s.l., An. stephensi Liston, An. turkhudi Liston, Culex bitaeniorhynchus Giles, Cx. perexiguus Theobald, Cx. pseudovishnui Colless, Cx. quinquefasciatus Say, Cx. sitiens Wiedemann, Cx. theileri Theobald, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus Giles, Culiseta longiareolata (Macquart) and Ochlerotatus (= Aedes) caspius (Pallas) s.l. This is the first record of all of these species on the islands. Cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) barcode sequences were used to confirm the taxonomic identity of An. stephensi, Cx. quinquefasciatus and Oc. caspius s.l. from the islands and mainland of Hormozgan Province, with genetic isolation noted in both Oc. caspius s.l. and Cx. quinquefasciatus samples collected in Abu-Musa Island. Morphological anomalies in island specimens of Cx. quinquefasciatus and Cx. pseudovishnui are discussed.     

The early stages and breeding sites of four rare saproxylic hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Spain

The puparial stage is described for each of four saproxylic hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae): Ferdinandea fumipennis Kassebeer, 1999 Kassebeer, C. F. 1999. Eine neue Art der Gattung Ferdinandea Rondani, 1844 (Diptera: Syrphidae) aus Nordafrika.. Dipteron, 2: 153–162.  [Google Scholar], Mallota dusmeti Andréu, 1926 Andréu, J. 1926. Una lista de sírfidos para contribuir al conocimiento de los dípteros de España.. Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Española, 9(5): 98–126.  [Google Scholar], Myolepta difformis Strobl, 1909 Strobl, G. 1909. Neue österreichische Muscidae Acalyptratae II.. Weiner Entomlogische Zeitung, 28: 283–301.  [Google Scholar], and Myolepta obscura Becher, 1882 Becher, E. 1882. Ueber die ersten Stande einiger Syrphiden und eine neue Myiolepta Art.. Wiener Entomologische Zeitung, 1: 249–254. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]. Early stages were collected at Cabañeros National Park in Ciudad Real province, central Spain. Mallota dusmeti, M. difformis, and M. obscura were found in water‐filled holes of live Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl. trees and the larva of F. fumipennis was found in a sap run on a live Quercus pyrenaica Wild. tree. Larvae were identified by rearing them to the adult stage. Puparia of these species possessed generic‐level characters found in congenerics. Apparent species‐level characters separating them from early stages of congenerics are proposed. The records reported here are the first for the Iberian Peninsula of M. obscura. Mallota dusmeti, M. difformis, and Myolepta obscura are extremely rare in Europe with M. dusmeti classed as “vulnerable” in the Spanish Invertebrate Red Data Book.     

Revision of the smiling worms,genus Prosorhochmus Keferstein, 1862, and description of a new species,Prosorhochmus belizeanus sp. nov. (Prosorhochmidae,Hoplonemertea, Nemertea) from Florida and Belize

A new species of Prosorhochmus is described from Belize and Florida based on morphological, reproductive and sequence data. Similar to Prosorhochmus nelsoni (Sanchez, 1973 Sanchez, M. 1973. Sobre 4 especies de nemertinos de Quintero (Chile) [On the four nemertean species from Quintero (Chile)].. Studies on Neoropical Fauna, 8: 195–214. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), Prosorhochmus belizeanus sp. nov. is gonochoric and oviparous; all other species of Prosorhochmus are viviparous hermaphrodites. Prosorhochmus belizeanus sp. nov. differs from P. nelsoni by having significantly larger stylets and different arrangement of acidophilic cephalic glands. Sequence divergence between the two is 7.4% (16S) and 9.1% (COI), comparable to divergence from the viviparous hermaphroditic species. Prosorhochmus Keferstein, 1862 Keferstein, W. 1862. Untersuchungen über niedere Seethiere [Studies on lower marine animals].. Zeitschrift für Wissenschafliche Zoologie, 12: 1–147. German [Google Scholar] is revised based on re‐evaluation of the type and voucher material as well as fresh specimens collected by us. We conclude that Prosorhochmus adriaticus Senz, 1993 Senz, W. 1993. Nemertinen europäischer Küstenbereiche (Nebst ergänzenden Angaben zur Anatomie von Apatronemertes albimaculosa Wilfert & Gibson, 1974) [Nemerteans of the European shores (with additional data on anatomy of Apatronemertes albimaculosa Wilfert & Gibson, 1974)].. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums, Series B, 94/95(B): 47–145. German [Google Scholar] is insufficiently described and cannot be distinguished from Prosorhochmus claparedii Keferstein, 1862 Keferstein, W. 1862. Untersuchungen über niedere Seethiere [Studies on lower marine animals].. Zeitschrift für Wissenschafliche Zoologie, 12: 1–147. German [Google Scholar]. We re‐establish Prosorhochmus korotneffi Bürger, 1895 Bürger, O. 1895. Die Nemertinen des Golfes von Neapel und der angrenzenden Meeres‐Abschnitte [The nemerteans of the Gulf of Naples and adjacent waters]. Fauna and Flora der Solfes von Neapel.. 22: 1–743. German [Google Scholar] from its previous synonymization with P. claparedii and designate it as type species of Arhochmus gen. nov.     

The diverse Grania fauna (Clitellata: Enchytraeidae) of the Esperance area,Western Australia,with descriptions of two new species

Seven species of the marine enchytraeid genus Grania Southern, 1913 are described from sediments sampled during the 2003 International Workshop on the Marine Flora and Fauna of Esperance Bay and the Recherche Archipelago, on the southern coast of Western Australia. Two species are new to science, the euryhaline Tasmanian G. dolichura Rota and Erséus, 2000 Rota, E. and Erséus, C. 2000. Two new and peculiar species of Grania (Annelida: Clitellata: Enchytraeidae) inhabiting Tasmanian estuaries.. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 27: 245–254. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] represents a new record for the state, and the remaining four species were known from other parts of Western Australia. Grania quaerens sp. n. is recognized by having a high chaetal index ( = short chaetal foot), small coelomocytes, penial apparati with long whip‐like terminal stylets, conspicuous spermathecae with ectally bulbous ducts, and ectally granulated ampullae housing sperm rings in their ental region. Grania sperantia sp. n. is readily distinguishable by the complete lack of lateral chaetae, a multiple‐banded pattern of the clitellum, extremely long sperm funnels, and the intrasegmental location of the spermathecal pores. The latter new species and four others in the collection (G. bykane Coates, 1990 Coates, K. A. 1990. “Marine Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida) of the Albany area, Western Australia.”. In The marine flora and fauna of Albany, Western Australia, 1, Edited by: Wells, F. E, Walker, D. I, Kirkman, H and Lethbridge, R. 13–41. Perth: Western Australian Museum.  [Google Scholar], G. crassiducta Coates, 1990 Coates, K. A. 1990. “Marine Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida) of the Albany area, Western Australia.”. In The marine flora and fauna of Albany, Western Australia, 1, Edited by: Wells, F. E, Walker, D. I, Kirkman, H and Lethbridge, R. 13–41. Perth: Western Australian Museum.  [Google Scholar], G. dolichura, and G. ersei Coates, 1990 Coates, K. A. 1990. “Marine Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida) of the Albany area, Western Australia.”. In The marine flora and fauna of Albany, Western Australia, 1, Edited by: Wells, F. E, Walker, D. I, Kirkman, H and Lethbridge, R. 13–41. Perth: Western Australian Museum.  [Google Scholar]) are remarkable in possessing the head organ, a sensory structure unique to Grania that was not noted previously in Western Australian species. When considering the whole genus, the geographic pattern of the head organ appears southern‐centred: of the 17 species of Grania reported to possess it, as many as 13 inhabit the southern latitudes. The seventh species of the Esperance collection, G. vacivasa Coates and Stacey, 1993 Coates, K. A. and Stacey, D. 1993. “The marine Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida) of Rottnest Island, Western Australia.”. In The marine flora and fauna of Rottnest Island, Western Australia, Edited by: Wells, F. E, Walker, D. I, Kirkman, H and Lethbridge, R. 391–414. Perth: Western Australian Museum.  [Google Scholar], is notable for the kind of items found in its gut and the unusual appearance of its pygidium.     

Gall-inducing jumping plant-lice of the Neotropical genus Baccharopelma (Hemiptera,Psylloidea) associated with Baccharis (Asteraceae)

The genus Baccharopelma (new replacement name for Neopelma Burckhardt, 1987 Burckhardt, D. 1987. Jumping plant lice (Hoomoptera: Psylloidea) of the temperate neotropical region. Part 1: Psyllidae (subfamilies Aphalarinae, Rhinocolinae and Aphalaroidinae). Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society, 89: 299–392. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] nec Sclater, 1860 Sclater, P. L. 1860. Characters of ten new species of American bird. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 28: 461–467.  [Google Scholar]; and for its replacement name Burckhardtia Straube and Miretzki, 1999 Straube, F. C and Miretzki, M. 1999. A homonymy in Psyllidae (Homoptera): a new name for Neopelma Burckhardt. Revista brasileira de Zoologia, 16: 1233 [Google Scholar] nec Frech, 1907 Frech F 1907 Ueber Aviculiden von palaeozoischem Habitus aus der Trias von Zacatecas Comptes Rendus du Congrès Géologique International, Mexico, 10(1906), 327–335  [Google Scholar] nec Brown and Hodkinson, 1988 Brown, R. G and Hodkinson, I. D. 1988. Taxonomy and ecology of the jumping plant-lice of Panama (Homoptera: Psylloidea). Entomonograph, 9: 304?pp [Google Scholar]) is revised to include five named species and possibly two undescribed species. The junior homonym Burckhardtia Brown and Hodkinson nec Frech is replaced by Hodkinsonia nom. n. The introduction of the two generic replacement names necessitates two new combinations. Four species are described as new. Keys for the identification of adults and the last instar larva are provided along with species diagnoses and illustrations of taxonomically relevant structures. The galls and known biological features are briefly discussed for each species and the phylogenetic relationships among the species are analysed. Baccharopelma spp. are monophagous on Baccharis spp. (Asteraceae) on which they induce galls. The temperate South American genus has one species restricted to Chile, three to Brazil and one occurring in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.     

Notes on four corinnid species from Korea,with the description of Trachelas joopili new species (Arachnida: Araneae: Corinnidae)

Four species and two genera of corinnid spiders are recognized from Korea and are described and illustrated. Castianeira shaxianensis Gong, 1983 Gong, J. X. 1983. Neue und wenig bekannte Clubionidae aus China (Arachnida: Araneae).. Verh Natur Vereins Hamburg., 26: 61–68.  [Google Scholar] has previously been synonymized with C. paikdoensis Kim, 1997 Kim, J. P. 1997. A new species of the genus Castianeira (Araneae: Corinnidae) from Korea.. Korean Arachnol., 13(1): 1–5.  [Google Scholar] and is misidentified with C. flavimaculata Hu, Song and Zheng, 1985 in Korea. Trachelas acuminus (Zhu and An, 1988 Zhu, M. S. and An, R. 1988. Two new species of the genus Clubiona from China (Araneae: Clubionidae).. J Hebei Norm Univ (Nat. Sci. Ed.)., 1988: 72–75.  [Google Scholar]) is synonymized with Trachelas coreanus Paik, 1991 based on the copualtory duct, the position of the spermatheca and the shape of the circular genital opening of the female situated posteriorly near the epigastric furrow. Trachelas joopili, a new species, is described and is distinguished by the largely triangular apophysis and slender coiled modified cymbium at the basal and distal part, a large horn‐shaped tibial apophysis, and slender linear embolus, twice coiled along with slender distal cymbium. A map showing the distribution of these species and a key to the species of two genera (Castianeira and Trachelas) from Korea are provided.     

A new genus and species of Neotropical Anacolini and new distributional records (Insecta,Coleoptera, Cerambycidae)

A new genus is described: Acanthocornis gen. nov., type species, Acanthocornis flavus sp. nov. from Brazil, Pará. A new species is described: Atrocolus guarani sp. nov. from Paraguay, Cordillera, which differs from Atrocolus mariahelenae Monné and Monné, 2008 Monné, MA and Monné, ML. 2008. Atrocolus mariahelenae, novo gênero e espécie de Anacolini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae). Iheringia Sér Zool, 98(2): 215–217. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] principally by the sparse punctures in the occiput and pronotum and by the dull interspaces between elytral carinae. We present new distributional data for Myzomorphus gounellei Lameere, 1912 from Brazil, São Paulo, and Biribellus martinsi Galileo, 1987 Galileo, MHM. 1987. Sistemática das tribos Meroscelisini e Anacolini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae) nas Américas. II, Anacolini. Rev Bras Entomol, 31(4): 481–705.  [Google Scholar] from Brazil, Rondônia, and new country data for Myzomorphus scutellatus Sallé, 1849 Sallé, A. 1849. Coléoptères nouveaux de l'Amérique. 2e partie. Ann Soc Entomol Fr, 2(7): 429–435.  [Google Scholar] and Nicias alurnoides (Thomson, 1857), both from Trinidad and Tobago, and Xanthonicias prostrata Galileo, 1987 Galileo, MHM. 1987. Sistemática das tribos Meroscelisini e Anacolini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae) nas Américas. II, Anacolini. Rev Bras Entomol, 31(4): 481–705.  [Google Scholar] from Peru, Junin. All the species are illustrated.     

Life cycle and geographic distribution of the gymnophallid Bartolius pierrei (Digenea) on the Patagonian coast,Argentina

The life cycle of the gymnophallid Bartolius pierrei Cremonte, 2001 Cremonte, F. 2001. Bartolius pierrei n. g. n. sp. (Digenea: Gymnophallidae) from Península Valdés, Argentina. Systematic Parasitology, 49: 139–147. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] (Digenea) at Fracasso Beach (the type locality) (42°25′S, 64°07′W), Península Valdés, Argentina, was elucidated. This digenean uses the clam Darina solenoides (Mactridae) as both first and second intermediate host. The Kelp Gull, Larus dominicanus, and the Red Knot, Calidris canutus rufa, a Neotropical migratory bird, act as definitive hosts. A prevalence of infection of 92% was found in the Red Knot. The cercariae of B. pierrei did not parasitize other invertebrates, not even the tellinid clam Tellina petitiana, which shares the intertidal habitat with D. solenoides. This fact could be explained by the behaviour of the cercaria and its strategy for penetration. The cercariae enter directly in the extrapallial space of the clam by piercing the exposed mantle border. Tellina petitiana could not be invaded by B. pierrei cercariae because it does not expose the mantle border when feeding. Because the Red Knot does not feed on T. petitiana, this behaviour may constitute an adaptive strategy of the parasite. Under laboratory conditions, cercariae lived up to 2 days, metacercariae became infective in 50 days, and the adult life is considerd to be shorter than 3 days. The short adult life span in gymnophallids could be a result of adaptation to migratory birds. This fact would ensure parasite dispersion (i.e. by covering long distances in a short time) and inter-breeding with other Darina-infesting populations located far apart. Bartolius pierrei is an endemic parasite of the Magellan Region, distributed where its intermediate clam host is present, from San José Gulf in Península Valdés to the southern tip of South America.