title: Description of Litomosoides ysoguazu n. sp. (Nematoda, Onchocercidae), a parasite of the tuft-toed rice rat Sooretamys angouya (Fischer) (Rodentia: Cricetidae), and a first record of L. esslingeri Bain, Petit & Berteaux, 1989 in Paraguay.
abstract: Paraguay is a small landlocked country whose mammalian fauna is among the least studied in South America, as well as their parasites. As a result of a study of the effects of habitat fragmentation on small mammal biodiversity in eastern Paraguay, we have collected some parasites of cricetid rodents. Herein, we describe a new species of Litomosoides Chandler, 1931 parasitising the body cavity of the tuft-toed rice rat Sooretamys angouya (Fischer) and Litomosoides esslingeri Bain, Petit & Diagne, 1989 parasitising Oligoryzomys nigripes (Olfers), thus expanding its geographical distribution into Paraguay. Litomosoides ysoguazu n. sp. is characterised by the large size of the females (92.2-117.6 mm long) and by having buccal capsule with an anterior widening with rounded edges on the chitinous segment and a rounded widening at the base; male tail with a single pair of adcloacal papillae, three to five pairs of asymmetrical postcloacal papillae, and one or two unpaired papillae in the median ventral line; spicules corresponding to the "sigmodontis" species group; and microfilaria with a sheath stuck to the body and visible in the anterior extremity. We also describe a fourth-stage female larva. Oligoryzomys nigripes is a new host record of L. esslingeri; this enlarges the host record to eight species highlighting the low specificity of this species.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores - CEPAVE - CCT La Plata-CONICET-UNLP, Boulevard 120 entre 61 y 62, 1900, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina, julinota@yahoo.com.ar.
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Notarnicola
authors.forename: Noé Ulises
authors.initials: NU
authors.lastname: de la Sancha
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005370:Filarioidea / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D007814:Larva / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D010239:Paraguay; D016205:Sigmodontinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D013045:Species Specificity