synodontis woleuensis is a species of upside-down catfish native to equatorial guinea and gabon .

it was first described in 2008 by american zoologists john p. friel and john p. sullivan .

the original holotypes were collected in the woleu-ntem province , gabon .

the specific name " woleuensis " is derived from the woleu river , where the specimens were originally collected .

synodontis woleuensis

synodontis woleuensis <EOT> fuente : wikipedia . paginas : 26 . capitulos : synodontis njassae , synodontis multipunctata , synodontis nigriventris , synodontis eupterus , synodontis nigromaculata , synodontis membranaceus , synodontis resupinatus , synodontis nebulosus , synodontis woosnami , synodontis nigrita , synodontis dorsomaculatus , synodontis leopardina , synodontis flavitaeniatus , synodontis petricola , synodontis filamentosa , synodontis clarias , synodontis afrofischeri , synodontis macrops , synodontis macrostigma , synodontis obesus , synodontis angelica , synodontis khartoumensis , synodontis ruandae , synodontis thamalakanensis , synodontis violacea , synodontis vanderwaali , synodontis fuelleborni , synodontis rufigiensis , synodontis zambezensis , synodontis victoriae , synodontis multimaculatus , synodontis ocellifer , synodontis camelopardalis , synodontis waterloti , synodontis schall , synodontis ricardoae , synodontis rukwaensis , synodontis bastiani , synodontis schoutedeni , synodontis steindachneri , synodontis ornatipinnis , synodontis annectens , synodontis longirostris , synodontis matthesi , synodontis macrophthalmus , synodontis batesii , synodontis manni , synodontis albolineata , synodontis longispinis , synodontis tanganyicae , synodontis acanthomias , synodontis acanthoperca , synodontis macrostoma , synodontis ansorgii , synodontis dhonti , synodontis punctifer , synodontis pardalis , synodontis robbianus , synodontis polystigma , synodontis centralis , synodontis polli , synodontis arnoulti , synodontis robertsi , synodontis gobroni , synodontis greshoffi , synodontis velifer , synodontis brichardi , synodontis unicolor , synodontis lufirae , synodontis pleurops , synodontis budgetti , synodontis ouemeensis , synodontis nummifer , synodontis tessmanni , synodontis pulcher , synodontis woleuensis , synodontis katangae , synodontis koensis , synodontis iturii , synodontis alberti , synodontis depauwi , synodontis dekimpei , synodontis polyodon , synodontis soloni , synodontis laessoei , synodontis thysi , synodontis kogonensis , synodontis cou . . .

the following term was not found in genome : synodontis woleuensis [ orgn ] .

froese , rainer and pauly , daniel , eds . ( 2014 ) . " synodontis woleuensis " in fishbase . may 2014 version .

synodontis woleuensis , a new species of mochokid catfish , is described from the woleu / mbini / uoro and ntem basins of gabon and equatorial guinea .

lateral view of synodontis ornatipinnis , illustrating the striking patterns seen in some species of synodontis ; cu 91403 . ©

synodontis woleuensis has previously been misidentified in the literature and museum collections as s . batesii , a closely related species also known from the lower guinea ichthyofaunal region , as well as the congo basin .

friel , j . p . , and j . p . sullivan . 2008 . synodontis woleuensis ( siluriformes : mochokidae ) , a new species of catfish from gabon and equatorial guinea , africa . proceedings of the academy of natural sciences of philadelphia 157 : 312 .

friel , j . p . and j . p . sullivan , 2008 . synodontis woleuensis ( siluriformes : mochokidae ) , a new species of catfish from gabon and equatorial guinea , africa . proc . acad . nat . sci . philad . 157 ( 1 ) : 3 - 12 . ( ref . 78430 )

distribution map for synodontis woleuensis with the type locality indicated by a star symbol . note two points within equatorial guinea are estimated from records with incomplete locality data ( i . e . , mrac 173144 from the kyé river , and uncataloged specimens cited by roman ( 1971 ) from the kyé and bolo rivers ) . from friel & sullivan 2008 .

diagnosis . — synodontis woleuensis can be distinguished from all congeners by the combination of well developed serrations on the anterior margin of the dorsal spine and a distinctive pigmentation pattern . its unique pigmentation is characterized by : 1 ) a variable pattern and number of light , cream colored spots—irregular in size and shape , but always smaller than the orbit diameter—distributed over a largely uniform dark brown upper body and over a more lightly pigmented ventral surface , and 2 ) a narrow , depigmented , curved band along the entire anterior margin of the caudal fin . while the position and number of light spots on the body is variable , one spot always occurs on the dorsum at the origin of the adipose fin and another at the terminus of this fin . synodontis woleuensis differs markedly in its pigmentation from the two other species of synodontis in west central africa that possess an anteriorly serrated dorsal spine : s . batesii boulenger 1907 and s . albolineata pellegrin 1924 . in these species , pigmentation on the ventral surface is as dark or darker than the sides and dorsal surface of the body , not lighter as in s . woleuensis . synodontis albolineata has a prominent white band overlaying the lateral line and head and flanks are characterized by irregular small dark brown spots and blotches over a lighter brown background . synodontis batesii in contrast has three broad , irregular dark brown bands along its flanks : the first below the dorsal fin , the second below the adipose fin and the third in advance of the caudal fin and elsewhere irregular dark brown blotches superimposed over a light brown background . synodontis batesii and s . albolineata have neither the spotted pattern of s . woleuensis , nor the depigmented curved band at the anterior margin of the caudal fin .

musschoot , t . , and p . lalèyè . 2008 . designation of a neotype for synodontis schall ( bloch and schneider , 1801 ) and description of two new species of synodontis ( siluriformes : mochokidae ) . journal of natural history 42 ( 17 - 18 ) : 13031331 .

synodontis : from the greek syn , meaning together , and odontos , meaning tooth ; in reference to the closely - spaced lower jaw teeth .

fossil mochokids , of the genus synodontis , have been found in deposits from eastern and northern africa dating to at least the early miocene ( at least 20 mya ) ( stewart , 2001 ) . interestingly , fragments of pectoral spines of synodontis dating from the early oligocene have been found in oman , an area where mochokids do not exist today ( otero & gayet , 2001 ) . fossil mochokids outside of the genus synodontis are presently unknown .

6a . eyes with free orbital margin ; 17 principal caudal - fin rays ( only 13 in synodontis contracta ) ; tail forked ; 6 to 10 pectoral - fin rays ( usually 8 or 9 ) ; lateral mandibular barbels with single , gracile branches at each point along length or doubly branched ( fig . 27a–b ) … synodontis

day , j . j . , and m . wilkinson . 2006 . on the origin of the synodontis catfish species flock from lake tanganyika . biology letters 2 : 548552 .

bishai h . m . and y . b . abu gideiri . 1968 . studies on the biology of genus synodontis at khartoum . iii . reproduction . hydrobiologia 31 : 193202 .

sanyanga , r . a . 1998 . food composition and selectivity of synodontis zambezensis ( pisces : mochokidae ) in lake kariba , and the ecological implications . hydrobiologia 361 : 8999 .

synodontis woleuensis has a relatively restricted distribution , and is known only from the woleu river of gabon ( in equatorial guinea called the mbini or uoro river on modern maps , or the benito river on older maps ) and the ky ( kie ) river , a tributary of the ntem river , that runs along the border between equatorial guinea and gabon . the species has only recently been described ( 2008 ) and may be more widespread than currently known . father investigation is needed before a compete red list assessment can be made .

bishai h . m . and y . b . abu gideiri . 1965a . studies on the biology of genus synodontis at khartoum . i . age and growth . hydrobiologia 26 : 8597 .

justification : synodontis woleuensis has a relatively restricted distribution , and is known only from the woleu river of gabon ( in equatorial guinea called the mbini or uoro river on modern maps , or the benito river on older maps ) and the kyé ( kie ) river , a tributary of the ntem river , that runs along the border between equatorial guinea and gabon . the species has only recently been described ( 2008 ) and may be more widespread than currently known . father investigation is needed before a compete red list assessment can be made .

bishai h . m . and y . b . abu gideiri . 1965b . studies on the biology of genus synodontis at khartoum . ii . food and feeding habits . hydrobiologia 26 : 98113 .

thirteen papers on the taxonomy and systematics of catfishes from africa , asia and south america , including descriptions of one new tribe , one new genus , and 13 new species , and phylogenetic studies of the families mochokidae and amblycipitidae . contents : new species : “synodontis woleuensis” ; “atopodontus adriaensi” ; “chrysichthys” ; “liobagrus” ; geographic variation in “parauchenoglanis ngamensis” ; “nanobagrus” ; “glyptothorax plectilis” ; “pimelodus pintado” ; the venezuelan species of “phenacorhamdia” , with the description of two new species and a new tooth morphology for siluriforms ; “gelanoglanis” ; taxonomic revision of extant “doras” lacepede , 1803 with descriptions of 3 new species .

wright , j . j . and l . m . page . 2006 . taxonomic revision of the lake tanganyikan synodontis ( siluriformes : mochokidae ) . the bulletin of the florida museum of natural history 46 : 99154 .

wright , j . j . and l . m . page . 2008 . a new species of synodontis ( siluriformes : mochokidae ) from tributaries of the kasai river in northern angola . copeia 2008 ( 2 ) : 294300 .

koblmüller , s . , c . sturmbauer , e . verheyen , a . meyer , and w . salzburger . 2006 . mitochondrial phylogeny and phylogeography of east african squeaker catfishes ( siluriformes : synodontis ) . bmc evolutionary biology 6 : 49 .

friel , j . p . and t . r . vigliotta . 2006 . synodontis acanthoperca , a new species from the ogôoué river system , gabon with comments on spiny ornamentation and sexual dimorphism in mochokid catfishes ( siluriformes : mochokidae ) . zootaxa 1125 : 4556 .

de weirdt , d . , e . vreven , and y . fermon . 2008 . synodontis ngouniensis , a new species ( siluriformes : mochikidae ) from ngounié and nyanga basins , gabon and republic of congo . ichthyological exploration of freshwaters 19 ( 2 ) : 121128 .

nine genera and approximately 200 valid species are currently recognized . some fossilized pectoral spines have been attributed to synodontis , but none of them are described as new . phylogenetic relationships among the mochokid genera were investigated by vigliotta ( 2008 ) who found that chiloglanis is possibly a paraphyletic assemblage , that synodontis must include s . membranaceous and s . batensoda ( formerly placed in hemisynodontis and brachysynodontis respectively ) and that the reciprocal monophyly of atopochilus and euchilichthys are questionable at best ; all remaining genera are recovered as valid and monophyletic . the general relationships between mochokid genera are illustrated in the phylogeny below .

even more peculiar is the habit of some species of synodontis that are known to swim upside - down . this habit seems to be correlated with feeding while upside - down at the water’s surface ( bishai & abu gideiri , 1965b ) , but upside - down catfishes will rest and swim in the inverted position on a regular basis . chapman et al . ( 1994 ) showed that an upside - down posture near the surface also facilitates respiration in poorly oxygenated water . while the genus synodontis presents the most well - known species with their fascinating behaviors and natural histories , the family is actually much more interesting when taken as a whole .

synodontis : from the greek syn , meaning together , and odontos , meaning tooth ; in reference to the closely - spaced lower jaw teeth . in honour of the german researcher dr . g . a . fischer , who collected the first species of fishes known to science from lake victoria and some other places within east africa .

beyond information gleaned from captive breeding of certain species of synodontis , very little is known about reproduction in mochokids . the best studied mochokids in this regard are most likely nile river synodontis ( including s . membranacea and s . batensoda , previously placed in other genera ) . still , details are limited ; the studies indicate that spawning occurs from july to october , which coincides with the flooding season , and that pairs swim in unison during spawning bouts ( bishai & abu gideiri , 1968 ) . the most interesting and detailed information on mochokid reproduction relates to a species from lake tanganyika , synodontis multipunctatus , which is a brood parasite of mouth brooding cichlids such as simochromis and haplochromis ( sato , 1986 ; wisenden , 1999 ) . adults of this species spawn in the midst of spawning cichlids and the fertilized catfish eggs are taken into the mouth of a cichlid . the catfish eggs hatch first and will eat the host eggs before they leave the host mouth . most amazingly , this species has been able to parasitize mouth brooding cichlids from south america in captivity ( loiselle , 1998 ) .

synodontis : from the greek syn , meaning together , and odontos , meaning tooth ; in reference to the closely - spaced lower jaw teeth . the species is named for the collector of the holotype , dr . ben van der waal , in recognition of his donations of fish collections from northern nanibian rivers to the j . l . b . smith institute of icthyology and the albany museum .

dorsal view of heads illustrating sexual dimorphism of the opercular spine in synodontis acanthoperca : a . cu 89005 , male holotype , 44 . 1 mm sl ; b . cu 89006 , female paratype , 40 . 4 mm sl . the pectoral spines in both specimens have been removed from the images to make the margins of the head more distinct against the background . scale bar equals 1 mm . ©

little is known about the ecology of most mochokids . what is known pertains mostly to diet and is biased towards species of synodontis . stomach contents from synodontis have included insects , nematodes , crustaceans , mollusks , annelids , seeds , algae , diatoms , fish scales and , incidentally , sand ( bishai & abu gideiri , 1965a ; bishai & abu gideiri , 1965b ; winemiller & kelso - winemiller , 1996 ; sanyanga , 1998 ) . from observations of stomach contents , the diet of most mochokids is probably very similar ; that is , they are omnivores . for some of the larger sucker - mouthed species ( i . e . , atopochilus and euchilichthys ) the stomach contents contain a high proportion of silt , algae and detritus . for these taxa it seems likely that scraping or grazing is the predominant method of feeding .

all species in the genus synodontis have a hardened head cap that has attached a process ( humeral process ) which is situated behind the gill opening and pointed towards the posterior . the dorsal fin and pectoral fins have a hardened first ray which is serrated . caudal fin is always forked . there is one pair of maxillary barbels , sometimes having membranes and occasionally branched . the two pairs of mandibular barbels are often branched and can have nodes attached . the cone - shaped teeth in the upper jaw are short . s - shaped and movable in the lower jaw . these fish produce audible sounds when disturbed rubbing the base of the pectoral spine against the pectoral girdle . it is very similar in colour pattern to the more commonly encountered synodontis nigriventris . the main differences being that s . contracta has a bigger head , broader mouth and far larger eye .

the mochokidae are a family of african catfishes known commonly as ‘squeakers’ and ‘upside - down catfishes . ’ these common names refer to some unusual habits of certain members of the large genus synodontis . the name squeaker refers to the fact that , when agitated , many species in the genus are capable of making a squeaking noise by stridulation of the pectoral spine against the pectoral girdle ( jubb , 1967 ) ; stridulation is also apparent in mochokiella paynei and some species of atopochilus .

pigmentation and patterning of mochokid skin is also diverse . mochokids are popular in the pet trade because they have showy colors , sharply contrasting patterns like stripes and polka - dots and , quite often , extravagant fins . as some of the largest and most active mochokids , species of synodontis display an amazing array of patterns and pigmentation that may , in some cases , serve as visual cues to conspecifics . it might also be true that the bright , contrasting coloration found in some species serves as a warning to predators . like many catfishes , some mochokids possess specialized poison glands for delivering offensive chemicals along with a ‘stick’ by the pectoral spine ; anecdotal accounts indicate that these wounds can be very painful . however , field studies that might demonstrate function of these varied patterns have not been done .

many mochokid species exhibit obvious sexual dimorphism . for example , many species in the genus chiloglanis show dimorphism of the caudal and anal fins ( roberts , 1989 ; seegers , 1996 ; friel & vigliotta , 2006 ) ; some chiloglanis also display sexual dimorphism of the cleithral process , wherein males possess a greatly enlarged process shielding the flank . in the closely related genus atopochilus , sexual dimorphism of the anal fin is sometimes evident . some mochokids exhibit spiny ornamentation of the skull roof bones , opercular series and pectoral girdle ( friel & vigliotta , 2006 ) . in the case of synodontis acanthoperca , a spine found at the rear of the opercle is , itself , sexually dimorphic . the spines of males are much larger than those of females . this is also true for mochokiella paynei ( personal observation ) , which was previously unknown to possess opercular spines or exhibit sexual dimorphism .

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brummett , r . , mbe tawe , a . n . , dening touokong , c . , reid , g . m . , snoeks , j . staissny , m . , moelants , t . , mamonekene , v . , ndodet , b . , ifuta , s . n . b . , chilala , a . , monsembula , r . , ibala zamba , a . , opoye itoua , o . , pouomogne , v . , darwall , w . & smith , k .

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greek , syn , symphysis = grown together + greek , odous = teeth ( ref . 45335 )

the specific name is in reference to the woleu river of gabon , the type locality for this new species ( ref . 78430 )

maturity : l m ? range ? - ? cm max length : 5 . 1 cm sl male / unsexed ; ( ref . 78430 ) ; 6 . 5 cm sl ( female )

dorsal spines ( total ) : 2 ; dorsal soft rays ( total ) : 7 ; anal spines : 1 - 3 ; anal soft rays : 8 - 9 ; vertebrae : 34 - 36 . this species has well - developed serrations on the anterior margin of the dorsal spine and a distinctive pigmentation pattern : a variable pattern and number of light , cream colored spots distributed over a largely uniform dark brown upper body and over a more lightly pigmented ventral surface , and a narrow , depigmented , curved band along the entireanterior margin of the caudal fin ( ref . 78430 ) .

phylogenetic diversity index ( ref . 82805 ) : pd 50 = 0 . 5000 [ uniqueness , from 0 . 5 = low to 2 . 0 = high ] .

bayesian length - weight : a = 0 . 01380 ( 0 . 00613 - 0 . 03110 ) , b = 2 . 95 ( 2 . 77 - 3 . 13 ) , in cm total length , based on lwr estimates for this genus - body shape ( ref . 93245 ) .

trophic level ( ref . 69278 ) : 2 . 9 ±0 . 4 se ; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

resilience ( ref . 69278 ) : high , minimum population doubling time less than 15 months ( preliminary k or fecundity . ) .

vulnerability ( ref . 59153 ) : low vulnerability ( 10 of 100 ) .

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pan - africa freshwater assessment references . currently , full citations for references used in the pan - africa biodiversity assessments are unavailable on the red list web site . these will be added to the site in 2011 . we apologise for any inconvenience this causes .

iucn . 2010 . iucn red list of threatened species ( ver . 2010 . 3 ) . available at : urltoken . ( accessed : 2 september 2010 ) .

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the root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the tree of life . the basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree . this ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups , which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right .

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mochokid catfishes are currently restricted to the freshwaters of africa , but are nearly ubiquitous in the habitable waters of the continent . a high degree of morphological diversity allows mochokid catfishes to inhabit some of the fastest flowing streams and cataracts to the widest and deepest stretches of the congo river . mochokids also inhabit the massive african rift lakes like tanganyika , victoria and nyasa . the greatest diversity of mochokids almost certainly occurs in the congo river and its numerous tributaries , but they are also found in many of the rivers and lakes of western africa , southern africa , eastern africa and in the nile . like a handful of other catfishes , some mochokids are known to swim in mid - water ; other members of the family are primarily benthic . likewise , some mochokids shoal while others are rather solitary . as a rule they are most active during the night , but they can be found hiding amongst plants , logs and other submerged structure during the day .

lateral view of atopochilus vogti , illustrating typical body shape in sucker - mouthed mochokids ; cu 93752 . ©

vigliotta ( 2008 ) provides several synapomorphies as diagnostic features for the mochokidae including : absense of the ascending process of meckel’s cartilage ; a shortened horizontal process of meckel’s cartilage ; coronomeckalian extremely reduced or even absent ; absence of a coronoid process ; absence of an interhyal ; presence of a pectoral locking foramen ( absence / reversal in most suckermouthed species ) ; seven pelvic - fin rays ; fusion of upper caudal - fin elements ( absence / reversal in atopochilus and euchilichthys ) ; a reduced number of mandibular sensory canal pores ( 3 or fewer ) ; and distinctive , ramified inner and outer mandibular barbels ( absence / reversal in suckermouthed mochokids where these barbels are partially or completely incorporated into an expanded lower lip ) .

1a . lips and barbels modified into oral disc ( fig . 27c ) ; postcleithral process short ( fig . 22c ) ; 5 infraorbitals ( figs . 2c , 4b ) ; pelvic - fin origin at vertical at end of dorsal - fin base . . . 2

1b . lips and barbels not modified into oral disc ; postcleithral process quite long ( fig . 22b ) ; 4 infraorbitals figs . 2b , 4a ) ; pelvic - fin origin beyond end of dorsal - fin base . . . 5

2a . mandibular teeth bunched ( in bouquet ) at midline ( fig . 3d in friel and vigliotta , 2008 ) in or spread across mouth opening in one or two discrete rows ( fig . 3e–f in friel and vigliotta , 2008 ) ; eyes without free orbital margin ; mandibular sensory - canal absent ; 4 to 6 dorsalfin rays ( typically 5 ) ; 5 to 7 branchiostegal rays ( typically 5 or 6 ) … chiloglanis

2b . mandibular teeth spread across mouth opening in more than two discrete rows ( fig . 3a–c in friel and vigliotta , 2008 ) ; eyes with free orbital margin ; mandibular sensory canal present , with 2 pores on each side ; 6 to 7 dorsal - fin rays ; 7 to 8 branchiostegal rays . . . 3

3a . small anteriorly directed pocket underneath lower lip produced by folds of skin ( fig . 4a in friel and vigliotta , 2008 ) ; width of mandibular tooth rows less than 66 % width of paired premaxillae ( fig . 3a in friel and vigliotta , 2008 ) ; caudal fin emarginate ; gas bladder extremely reduced to two small bulbs ( fig . 5 ) … atopodontus

3b . small anteriorly directed pocket underneath lower lip absent ( fig . 4b in friel and vigliotta , 2008 ) ; width of mandibular tooth rows more than 66 % width of paired premaxillae ( fig . 3b–c in friel and vigliotta , 2008 ) ; caudal fin forked ; gas bladder only modestly reduced ( fig . 3c ) . . . 4

4a . mandibular teeth spatulate and unicuspid ( fig . 10c ) ; large posterior pectoral - spine serrae ; one or only a few pores at sites along the cephalic sensory canals ; fewer than 40 vertebrae … atopochilus

4b . mandibular teeth with lengthwise keel creating trowel shape and sometimes bicuspid from wear ( fig . 10a ) ; small posterior pectoral - spine serrae ; several pores at various sites along the cephalic sensory canals ; more than 40 vertebrae … euchilichthys

5a . s - shaped auxiliary dentary teeth present ( fig . 10a , c–f ) ; premaxillary teeth differentiated by shape and size front to back ; lips plicate ( with folds at corners of mouth ) . . . 6

5b . s - shaped auxiliary dentary teeth absent ( fig . 10b ) ; premaxillary teeth showing little , if any , differentiation from front to back ; lips papillose , but not plicate ( without folds ) . . . 7

6b . eyes without free orbital margin ; 12 to 14 principal caudal - fin rays ; tail truncate or rounded ; 6 or 7 pectoral - fin rays ( typically 6 ) ; lateral mandibular barbels with single , gracile branches at each point along length ( fig . 27a ) … microsynodontis

7a . dorsal surface of the head and nuchal shield covered by large ridges and spinous projections ; cleithrum bearing spine in males ; rounded , blunt postcleithral process ; anus and urogenital opening distant ; free orbital margin present ; gill openings open to isthmus ; tips of mandibular teeth spatulate ; medial mandibular barbels with multiple , thick branches at each point along length ( fig . 27b ) ; 8 to 9 pectoral - fin rays ; 17 caudal - fin rays ; more than 40 vertebrae … acanthocliethron

7b . dorsal surface of the head and nuchal shield without ridges and spinous projections ; cleithrum without spine in males ; pointed postcleithral process ; anus and urogenital opening very close ; free orbital margin absent ; gill openings restricted to sides of the head ; tips of mandibular teeth pointed ; medial mandibular barbels with single , gracile branches at each point along length ( fig . 27a ) ; 5 to 7 pectoral - fin rays ; 13 or 15 caudal - fin rays ; fewer than 36 vertebrae . . . 8

chapman , l . j . , l . kaufman , and c . a . chapman . 1994 . why swim upside - down - a comparative study of 2 mochokid catfishes . copeia 1994 : 130135 .

ferraris , c . j . , jr . 2007 . checklist of catfishes , recent and fossil ( osteichthyes : siluriformes ) , and catalogue of siluriform primary types . zootaxa 1418 : 1628 .

friel , j . p . and t . r . vigliotta . 2008 . atopodontus adriaensi , a new genus and species of african suckermouth catfish from the ogôoué and nyanga river systems of gabon ( siluriformes mochokidae ) . proceedings of the academy of natural sciences of philadelphia 157 : 1323 .

jubb , r . a . 1967 . freshwater fishes of southern africa . cape town , amsterdam , balkema , 248 pp .

ng , h . h . and r . m . bailey . 2006 . chiloglanis productus , a new species of suckermouth catfish ( siluriformes : mochokidae ) from zambia . occasional papers of the university of michigan museum of zoology 738 : 113 .

otero , o . and m . gayet . 2001 . palaeoichthyofaunas from the lower oligocene and miocene of the arabian plate : palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical implications . palaeogeography palaeoclimatology palaeoecology 165 : 141169 .

roberts , t . r . 1989 . systematic revision and description of new species of suckermouth catfishes ( chiloglanis , mochokidae ) from cameroun . proceedings of the california academy of sciences series 4 , 46 : 151178 .

sato , t . 1986 . a brood parasitic catfish of mouthbrooding cichlid fishes in lake tanganyika . nature 323 : 5859 .

seegers , l . 1996 . the fishes of the lake rukwa drainage . musée royal de lafrique centrale , annales , sciences zoologiques 278 : 1407 .

seegers , l . 2008 . the catfishes of africa . a handbook for identification and maintenance . aqualog verlag , rodgau , germany . 604 pp .

stewart , k . m . 2001 . the freshwater fish of neogene africa ( miocene - pleistocene ) : systematics and biogeography . fish and fisheries ( oxford ) 2 : 177230

vigliotta , t . r . 2008 . a phylogenetic study of the african catfish family mochokidae ( osteichthyes , ostariophysi , siluriformes ) , with a key to genera . proceedings of the academy of natural sciences of philadelphia 157 : 73136 .

winemiller , k . o . , and l . c . kelso - winemiller . 1996 . comparative ecology of catfishes of the upper zambezi river floodplain . journal of fish biology 49 : 10431061 .

wisenden , b . d . 1999 . alloparental care in fishes . reviews in fish biology and fisheries 9 : 4570 .

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the following bibliography has been generated by bringing together all references provided by our content partners . there may be duplication .

ferraris , carl j . , jr . , and mário c . c . de pinna . 1999 . higher - level names for catfishes ( actinopterygii : ostariophysi : siluriformes ) . proceedings of the california academy of sciences , vol . 51 , no . 1 . 1 - 17

nelson , joseph s . 1994 . fishes of the world , third edition . xvii + 600

annales du musee royal de l ' afrique centrale serie 8 zoologie . 1 - 497 .

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plusieurs espèces de la famille mochokidae sont importées pour les aquariums , mais peu se reproduisent régulièrement en captivité . de nouvelles et rares espèces de la famille mochokidae sont fréquemment introduites sur le marché .

distribution : l’afrique . nageoire adipeuse généralement très grande ; anale à moins de 10 rayons ; les épines des nageoires dorsale et pectorale sont généralement forte , trois paires de barbillons sensitifs tactiles , barbeaux nasales barbillons absents et le mandibulaire peut avoir de nombreuses branches , d’autres espèces possèdent des lèvres et une partie de barbillons modifié dans une ventouse orale ( atopochilus , chiloglanis et euchilichthys ) , longueur maximale 72 cm .

209 espèces dans la famille mochokidae . liste nominale des espèces appartenant à la famille mochokidae

177mm or 7 " sl . find near , nearer or same sized spp .

first lay the fish in your hand with its head toward your palm and the tail toward your fingers . hold the dorsal spine between your middle and ring finger so the fish is belly up and you won ' t get stuck ( which by the way , hurts like crazy ! ) . the genital pore is in a small furrow of tissue ( in healthy fish ) and will be obstructed by the pelvic fins . pull down on the tail gently to arch the fishes spine and the pelvic fins will stand and the furrow open to display the genital pore and the anus of the fish . the male has a somewhat ridged genital papillae on which the spermatoduct is on the back side , facing the tail fin . a gravid female will also show an extended papillae but the oviduct is on the ventral side of the papillae ( and may also show a little redness if really gravid ) . a thin or emaciated female will have just two pink pores , the oviduct and the anus .

rarely grows to lengths greater than 15 cm sl . in the piti river specimens at two occasions were caught between dense vegetation near the river banks . this species has adapted to a wide variety of habitats and thrives equally as well in the hard , alkaline waters of lake victoria as in the soft , acidic waters of swamps .

africa : lake victoria , lake nabugabo , victoria nile , lake kyoga , kagera river , ihema lake , kingani river , malagarasi ( nile basin ) .

historically ( until the 1960s ) this species was found throughout the lake victoria basin in a wide variety of habitats . today , due to predation by the nile perch , they are primarily restricted to heavily vegetated swamps and feeder rivers that nile perch can not enter , as well as thick strands of reeds or hippo grass on the lake ' s margins . in captivity they will thrive in set ups as diverse as a rock habitat for victorian haplochromids to a victorian papyrus swamp populated with ctenopoma and larger killie fishes .

a peaceful fish , but should not be kept with very small fishes which it may mistake for food .

chapman , kaufman , and chapman ( 1994 ) why swim upside down ? a comparative study of two mochokid catfishes . copeia . 1994 ( 1 ) pp 130 - 135 . references that some of the s . afrofischeri used in their study were specimens obtained from a captive spawning in the lake victoria exhibit at the franklin park zoo in boston . no further details are given . is thought to spawn in the piti river or the rungwa drainage at the beginning of the rains in november / december .

sitzungsber . ges . naturf . freunde berlin1888 - pp77 the fishes of the lake rukwa drainage , seegers pg . 236

( 1 ) corybreed , ( 2 ) synodont _ fan , ( 3 ) photizo379 ( p : 2 ) . click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species . you can also view all " my cats " data for this species .

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60mm or 2 . 4 " sl . find near , nearer or same sized spp .

unknown , hard to tell differences in genital papillae in such a small species .

live foods , frozen foods , tablet , granulated and flake foods . the species is fond of snails and some vegetable matter should be included in the diet .

well planted tank would best suit this fish as it lives in this type of habitat in the wild over muddy substrate .

most small to medium sized community fishes . african tetras would be the most appropriate . this species is found in large shoals in the wild and should be kept in a group of at least 3 or 4 individuals preferably more .

although not hatched , at least one aquarium spawning has been encountered . a small group produced one batch of thirty , large ( 3 . 0 mm diameter ) bright orange eggs , these were hidden away at the back of the tank .

ann . mus . civ . stor . nat . ` giacomo doria ' v . 53 - pp24 [ 20 ] - pl . 1

( 1 ) synoguy ( k : 4 ) , ( 2 ) ak viking , ( 3 ) jools ( k : 6 ) , ( 4 ) synodont _ fan , ( 5 ) robdoran1 , ( 6 ) jeox , ( 7 ) richard b , ( 8 ) reginator ( k : 2 ) , ( 9 ) jippo ( k : 6 ) , ( 10 ) fuzzytigerbird , ( 11 ) matsp ( k : 9 ) , ( 12 ) corybreed ( k : 10 ) , ( 13 ) long barbels , ( 14 ) johanwre , ( 15 ) protopterus , ( 16 ) caninesrock , ( 17 ) catfishchaos , who also notes : " very secretive only coming out when food is added . remained hidden at lfs for at least 3 months before being discovered . " . click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species . you can also view all " my cats " data for this species .

156mm or 6 . 1 " sl . find near , nearer or same sized spp .

occurs in the kwando river ( upper zambezi ) , okavango river and delta and the cunene river .

skelton [ p . h . ] & white [ p . n . ] 1990 : 284 , figs . 5 ( a - b ) [ ichthyological exploration of freshwaters v . 1 ( no . 3 ) . skelton , p ( 2001 ) a guide to the freshwater fishes of southern africa . struik , pg256 . seegers , ( 2008 ) the catfishes of africa pg . 503 .

html public " - / / w3c / / dtd html + rdfa 1 . 1 / / en "

description . —small species with a maximum standard length < 70 mm . body compressed . predorsal profile gently convex ; postdorsal body sloping gently ventrally . preanal profile horizontal . anus and urogenital opening located slightly anterior to vertical though origin of adipose fin . skin on body smooth without any enlarged tubercles , lateral line complete and midlateral along entire side of body . head depressed and broad , obtusely pointed when viewed laterally with a slightly pointed margin when viewed dorsally . gill opening restricted to lateral aspect of head from level of the base of pectoral spine dorsally to level of the ventral margin of the eye . gill membranes broadly united to , and attached across the isthmus , supported by 6 branchiostegal rays . bony elements of skull roof with superficial , granular ornamentation . skin covering skull

roof with a few small unculiferous tubercles . occipital - nuchal shield large , without prominent sutures , terminat - ing posteriorly with two rounded processes on each side of dorsal fin .

barbels in three pairs . maxillary barbel long , slend - er and unbranched , extending well beyond base of last pectoral - fin ray when intact . no basal membrane present on maxillary barbel . mandibular barbels originate immed - iately posterior to lower lip in a transverse row . lateral mandibular barbels long , reaching just beyond pectoral fin insertion , with 5 or 6 primary , unpaired , simple branches . medial mandibular barbels , somewhat less than 2 / 3rds the length of the lateral barbels , with 3 or 4 paired proximal branches with secondary ramifications , and 2 or 3 more distal , unpaired branches .

eyes relatively small , slightly ovoid ; horizontal diam - eter approximately half orbital interspace . orbit with a free margin . anterior nares slightly closer together than poste - rior nares . anterior nares tubular with a short raised rim . posterior nares with elevated flaps along anterior margin .

mouth inferior and crescent shaped ; lips plicate . all teeth unicuspid . primary , secondary and tertiary premaxil - lary teeth discrete . primary teeth robust and conical , 25–40 . secondary teeth , shorter and conical , 22–50 . tertiary teeth slender and elongate , 40–65 . mandibular teeth 26–41 ; concentrated in a clump at jaw symphysis ; individual teeth

dorsal fin located at anterior third of body . dorsal fin with spinelet , spine and 7 rays ; fin membrane not adnate with body . dorsal - fin spine long and straight ; with 14–19 well - developed serrations along proximal 2 / 3rd of anterior margin ; a few weakly developed serrations on distal 1 / 3rd of posterior margin . adipose fin well developed ; margin convex . caudal fin forked , count i , 7 , 8 , i . procurrent caudal - fin rays symmetrical and extend only slightly anterior to fin base . anal - fin base located ventral to adipose fin ; margin convex . anal - fin count usually iii , 8 . pelvic - fin origin slight - ly behind vertical from posterior end of dorsal fin base . pelvic - fin margins convex , tip of appressed fin just reaches anal - fin origin . pelvic - fin count i , 6 . pectoral - fin count i , 7 . pectoral fin with straight , stout spine bearing 19–27 large , distally directed serrations on anterior margin and 10–15 large , proximally directed serrations on posterior margin . cleithral process with a distinct lateral ridge , elongated and narrow with concave dorsal profile and terminating in a sharp point just beyond vertical from terminus of nuchal

no apparent sexual dimorphism in shape or size of fins , body ornamentation , or tuberculation of skin . dimorphism in body size present : largest specimens in all samples examined are females .

appear uniformly medium to dark brown with numerous , small , irregular , light spots . spots on flanks often bear raised neuromasts near their centers . all specimens with a light spot at both anterior and posterior margins of adipose fin . commonly specimens also bear a light spot at posterior margin of dorsal fin

5 . 1 cm sl ( male / unsexed ; ( ref . 78430 ) ) ; 6 . 47 cm sl ( female )

where it is known only from the woleu river , after which it was named , and the kyé river .

this species grows to a length of 6 . 5 centimetres ( 2 . 6 in )

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a lavishly and profusely illustrated treatise on the plant - life resources of spanish continental guinea and neighboring territories in central africa .

understanding the impact of hunting on wildlife populations is crucial to achieving sustainability and requires knowledge of prey abundance responses to different levels of exploitation . while the abundance of primates has been shown to respond independently to hunting and habitat , habitat is rarely considered simultaneously when evaluating the impacts of hunting . furthermore , the importance of these two factors in determining the abundance of other species has not been well investigated . we evaluate the independent effects of hunting and habitat on the abundance of a diverse assemblage of species , using a series of predictions and data from a study in equatorial guinea .

habitat preference of the russet - eared guenon was analyzed on bioko island , republic of equatorial guinea . almost all the island is inhabited by this primate , that is able to live near human settlements . ecological plasticity and adaptability are shown to be the main characters of this guenon on bioko island .

habitat preference of the spot - nosed guenon and the crowned guenon was analysed on bioko island , republic of equatorial guinea .

a census was made of gorilla populations throughout the rio muni region in equatorial guinea between july 1989 and december 1990 . the aim of the census was to estimate the total numbers of this species in relation with its distribution on rio muni region . the estimated size of the gorilla population in rio muni stands between 1000 and 2000 individuals .


fascioloides magna , also known as giant liver fluke , large american liver fluke or deer fluke , is trematode parasite that occurs in wild and domestic ruminants in north america and europe .

adult flukes occur in the liver of the definitive host and feed on blood .

mature flukes measure 4 to 10 cm in length × 2 to 3.5 cm in width , and have an oval dorso-ventrally flattened body with oral and ventral sucker .

the flukes are reddish-brown in colour and are covered by tegument .

as with other digenean trematodes , the life cycle includes intramolluscan phase in snails .

the parasite is currently distributed in wild ruminants in north america and europe , including austria , canada , czechia , croatia , germany , hungary , italy , poland , serbia , slovakia , and usa .

fascioloides magna

fascioloides magna <EOT> giant liver fluke ( fascioloides magna ) , an important liver parasite of ruminants .

foreyt wj , leathers cw . experimental infection of domestic goats with fascioloides magna .

distribution of potential intermediate hosts for fasciola hepatica and fascioloides magna in montana , usa .

susceptibility of bighorn sheep ( ovis canadensis ) to experimentally - induced fascioloides magna infections .

experimental infection of lymnaeid snails in wisconsin with miracidia of fascioloides magna and fasciola hepatica .

efficacy of triclabendazole against natural infections of fascioloides magna in wapiti . - pubmed - ncbi

predilection site of fascioloides magna is the liver , occasionally the lungs and the intestine .

life history and biology of fascioloides magna ( trematoda ) and its native and exotic hosts .

describe the pathophysiology of fascioloides magna ( the large american liver fluke ) infections in cattle .

a natural infection of fascioloides magna in a llama ( lama glama ) . - pubmed - ncbi

fascioloides magna ( bassi , 1875 ) in feral swine from southern texas . - pubmed - ncbi

sequences of primers used to amplify fragments of fascioloides magna mitochondrial genome . ( docx 13 kb )

molecular characterization of fascioloides magna ( trematoda : fasciolidae ) from south - western poland . . .

adult stage of the giant liver fluke , fascioloides magna . the photo was taken by martin kašný .

kennedy mj , acorn rc . moraiko dt . survey of fascioloides magna in farmed wapiti in alberta .

summary of statistical parameters for 11 microsatellite loci of fascioloides magna from europe . ( docx 26 kb )

wherefrom and whereabouts of an alien : the american liver fluke fascioloides magna in austria : an overview .

distribution of potential intermediate hosts for fasciola hepatica and fascioloides magna in montana , usa . - pubmed - ncbi

susceptibility of bighorn sheep ( ovis canadensis ) to experimentally - induced fascioloides magna infections . - pubmed - ncbi

experimental infection of lymnaeid snails in wisconsin with miracidia of fascioloides magna and fasciola hepatica . - pubmed - ncbi

summary of statistical parameters for 11 microsatellite loci of fascioloides magna from north america . ( docx 31 kb )

recovery of fascioloides magna ( digenea ) population in spite of treatment programme ? screening of ga . . .

prevalence of fascioloides magna in galba truncatula in the danube backwater area east of vienna , au . . .

lankester mw . parelaphostrongylus tenuis ( nematoda ) and fascioloides magna ( trematoda ) in moose of southeastern manitoba .

mule deer ( odocoileus hemionus ) and elk ( cervus elaphus ) as experimental definitive hosts for fascioloides magna .

fascioloides magna ( a , a ) and fasciola hepatica ( b , b ) , adults and eggs .

diagnosis and therapy of liver fluke ( fascioloides magna ) infection in fallow deer ( dama dama ) in serbia .

effect of fascioloides magna ( digenea ) on fecundity , shell height , and survival rate of pseudosuccin . . .

the origin of the giant liver fluke , fascioloides magna ( trematoda : fasciolidae ) from croatia determ . . .

impact of the giant liver fluke ( fascioloides magna ) on elk and other ungulates in banff and kootney national parks .

fascioloides magna , the giant liver fluke , parasite of cattle , sheep and other livestock . biology , prevention and control

fascioloides magna - the giant liver fluke - parasite of cattle , sheep and other livestock . biology , prevention and control

dutson vj , shaw jn , knapp se . epizootiologic factors of fascioloides magna ( trematoda ) in oregon and southern washington .

wherefrom and whereabouts of an alien : the american liver fluke fascioloides magna in austria : an overview . - pubmed - ncbi

foreyt wj . hunter rl . clinical fascioloides magna infection in sheep in oregon on pasture shared by columbian white - tailed deer .

mule deer ( odocoileus hemionus ) and elk ( cervus elaphus ) as experimental definitive hosts for fascioloides magna . - pubmed - ncbi

diagnosis and therapy of liver fluke ( fascioloides magna ) infection in fallow deer ( dama dama ) in serbia . - pubmed - ncbi

pursglove sr , prestwood ak , ridgeway tr , hayes fa . fascioloides magna infection in white - tailed deer of southeastern united states .

. in : the giant liver fluke , fascioloides magna : past , present and future research . springerbriefs in animal sciences . springer , cham

and figure s2 . models of historical gene flow of fascioloides magna populations tested in migrate and estimates of relative population sizes . ( docx 218 kb )

foreyt wj , todd ac . development of the large american liver fluke , fascioloides magna , in white - tailed deer , cattle , and sheep .

erhardová - kotrlá b : the occurence of fascioloides magna ( bassi , 1875 ) in czechoslovakia . prague : academia ; 1971 : 1 - 124 .

primer pairs and multiplex panels for 11 microsatellite loci applied in fascioloides magna genotyping ( modified according to minárik et al . 2014 ) . ( docx 19 kb )

prevalence of fascioloides magna in red deer in southwestern slovakia in the respective years during the period of 2005–2015 . n – number of examined red deer , np – number of red deer infected with f . magna , % – prevalence of fascioloidosis

to cite this page : nguyen , s . 2011 . " fascioloides magna " ( on - line ) , animal diversity web . accessed july 09 , 2018 at urltoken

active ingredients with efficacy against flukes are usually called flukicides or fasciolicides . the following anthelmintics have reported efficacy against fascioloides magna in livestock ( mainly cattle , sheep , goats ) :

comparison of a + t content of mitochondrial genomes of fascioloides magna ( fm ) , fasciola hepatica ( fh ) and fasciola gigantica ( fg ) . ( docx 20 kb )

infection with fascioloides magna ( digenea ) causes serious damage to liver tissue in definitive hosts represented by ruminants , especially cervids . the distribution of f . magna includes the indigenous areas in north america , and the areas to which f . magna was introduced - central europe , southeast europe , and italy . the north american intermediate host of f . magna , the freshwater snail . . . [ show full abstract ]

distribution of intermediate hosts of fascioloides magna based on baker ' s ( 1911 ) division of north american regions embracing natural drainage areas , and after dunkel et al . ( 1996 )

faltýnková a , horáčková e , hirtová l , novobilský a , modrý d . scholz t . is radix peregra a new intermediate host of fascioloides magna ( trematoda ) in europe ?

a young , female llama ( lama glama ) was euthanized following the onset of hindleg paresis and paralysis . live trematodes , identified as fascioloides magna , were identified from the liver of this animal . this represents the first report of f . magna in a llama .

špakulová m , rajský d , vodňanský j , sokol j : giant liver fluke ( fascioloides magna ) , an important liver parasite of ruminants . bratislava : parpress ; 2003 : 61 .

population structure and genetic interrelationships of giant liver fluke fascioloides magna from all enzootic north american regions were revealed in close relation with geographical distribution of its obligate definitive cervid hosts for the first time .

comparative analysis among mt genomes of f . magna , fa . hepatica and fa . gigantica

examination of definitive hosts and determination of f . magna / f . hepatica adults / eggs

analyses of population size changes . wilcoxon sign - rank tests for heterozygosity excess in native and introduced areas of fascioloides magna under a two - phase model ( tpm ) and stepwise mutation model ( smm ) from bottleneck and coalescent estimates of theta ( θ ) for source and introduced f . magna populations

in last few years , a great effort has been made to understand genetic interrelationships of european and north american populations of giant liver fluke fascioloides magna ( trematoda , fasciolidae ) . in europe , spatial distribution of this parasite is evidently dynamic and ongoing process since new f . magna populations have constantly been emerging . most recently , occurrence of f . magna in red . . . [ show full abstract ]

for the first time , radix labiata was confirmed as the snail host for f . magna under natural conditions and , together with the finding of f . magna infection in cattle , we can expect further transmission of f . magna from wildlife to livestock in localities shared by these hosts .

for dead - end hosts such as cattle or horses , most infections with fascioloides magna remain without clinical symptoms . the massive cysts in the liver tissue can impair the liver function . and the livers are condemned at slaughter .

the large american liver fluke , fascioloides magna , is an economically relevant parasite of both domestic and wild ungulates . f . magna was repeatedly introduced into europe , for the first time already in the 19th century . in austria , a stable population of f . magna has established in the danube floodplain forests southeast of vienna . the aim of this study was to determine the genetic diversity . . . [ show full abstract ]

the complete f . magna mt genome sequence is 14 , 047 bp . the gene content and arrangement of the f . magna mt genome is similar to those of fasciola spp . , except that trn e is located between trn g and the only non - coding region in f . magna mt genome . phylogenetic relationships of f . magna with selected trematodes using bayesian inference ( bi ) was reconstructed based on the concatenated amino acid sequences for 12 protein - coding genes , which confirmed that the genus fascioloides is closely related to the genus fasciola ; the intergeneric differences of amino acid composition between the genera fascioloides and fasciola ranged 17 . 97–18 . 24 % .

organization of the mitochondrial genome of fascioloides magna . the scales are approximate . all genes are transcribed in the clockwise direction , using standard nomenclature . “ncr” refers to the only non - coding region in f . magna data . the a + t content is shown for each gene or region of the mt genome and represented by colour

n a number of f . magna specimens from the respective usa state or canadian ( ca ) province

schematic presentation of the most possible scenarios of migration routes of f . magna on both continents using migrate

marinkovic d . nesic v . 2008 . zlatibor , serbia , and changes on the liver of fallow deer ( dama dama ) caused by american giant liver fluke ( fascioloides magna ) infection . the proceedings of savetovanje veterinara srbije , 20 .

the first preventative measure against fascioloides magna is is to keep livestock from sharing pastures with deer . if this is not possible , in endemic regions keeping the pastures dry will reduce the suitable habitats for infected snails , e . g . :

choquette lp , gibson gg , simard b . fascioloides magna ( bassi , 1875 ) ward , 1917 ( trematoda ) in woodland caribou , rangifer tarandus caribou ( gmelin ) , of northeastern quebec , and its distribution in wild ungulates in canada .

fascioloides magna is a flatworm parasite native to north america . its final hosts are deer , moose , and related cervids , but it can infect cattle , sheep , goats , horses , buffaloes , etc . if they share the pastures with wild cervids .

phylogenetic relationships of fascioloides magna and other trematodes . tree inferred from the concatenated amino acid sequence dataset for 12 protein - coding genes from 19 trematodes was performed by bayesian inference ( bi ) . gyrodactylus derjavinoides ( nc _ 010976 ) was chosen as the outgroup

juhásová ľ , bazsalovicsová e , králová - hromadová i , karamon j . a genetic structure of novel population of fascioloides magna from poland , podkarpackie province , indicates an expanding second european natural focus of fascioloidosis . acta parasitol . 2016 ; 61 : 790–5 .

dunkel , a . m . , rognlie , m . c . , johnson , g . r . , & knapp , s . e . ( 1996 ) . distribution of potential intermediate hosts for fasciola hepatica and fascioloides magna in montana , usa .

representatives of the trematode family fasciolidae are responsible for major socio - economic losses worldwide . fascioloides magna is an important pathogenic liver fluke of wild and domestic ungulates . to date , only a limited number of studies concerning the molecular biology of f . magna exist . therefore , the objective of the present study was to determine the complete mitochondrial ( mt ) genome sequence of f . magna , and assess the phylogenetic relationships of this fluke with other trematodes based on the mtdna dataset .

no . if livestock is infected with stomach flukes , they are not contagious for humans , neither through contact , nor after consuming meat , milk or blood of contaminated animals , nor through the feces . the reason is that fascioloides magna is not parasitic for humans .

for aberrant hosts such as sheep and goats , infection with fascioloides magna is mostly fatal , usually about 6 months after infection , often without previous clinical signs . excessive fluke migration leads to strong bleeding and peritonitis , heavy damage to the liver tissue and subsequent fibrosis .

for the natural definitive hosts , i . e . various deer species , infections with fascioloides magna are mostly benign , without clinical symptoms , although the animals may be weakened ( weight loss , lethargy , depression , etc . ) . nevertheless , massive infections can be fatal .

rehbein s , hamel d , reindl h , visser m , pfister k . fascioloides magna and ashworthius sidemi – two new parasites in wild ungulates in germany . in : program & abstracts of european multicolloquium of parasitology xi . cluj - napoca , romania . 2012 . p . 565 .

fascioloides magna is a parasitic flatworm found within the livers of infected deer and other ruminants . adult liver flukes are flat , oval , purple - gray in color , and up to 8 cm ( 3 . 15 in ) long and 3 cm ( 1 . 2 in ) wide .

the high - resolution melting ( hrm ) method , recently optimized as a reliable technique for population study of the european fascioloides magna populations , was applied to determine an origin of f . magna individuals from croatia . the structure and frequency of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit i ( 439 bp ; cox1 ) haplotypes of 200 croatian flukes coming from 19 red deer ( cervus elaphus . . . [ show full abstract ]

fascioloides magna is a pathogenic fluke introduced to europe ca 140 years ago . as it is spreading over the continent , new intermediate and definitive hosts might be involved in transmission of the parasite . in europe , several studies reported potential new intermediate snail hosts ( radix spp . ) for f . magna , and also several cases of fascioloidosis of wild and domestic animals were published . . . . [ show full abstract ]

this means that if a flukicide fails to achieve the expected efficacy , chance is very high that it is not due to resistance but either the product was used incorrectly , or it was unsuited for the control of fascioloides magna . incorrect use is the most frequent cause for failure of antiparasitic drugs .

during the past decade , fascioloides magna , the large american liver fluke , has spread within free - living deer in wetlands of the danube in lower austria . the aim of this study was to determine the current infection rates with f . magna and other digenean parasites in the intermediate host snail galba truncatula from risk areas in lower austria . a total of 3444 g . truncatula were collected and . . . [ show full abstract ]

fascioloides magna is a pathogenic fluke introduced to europe ca 140 years ago . as it is spreading over the continent , new intermediate and definitive hosts might be involved in transmission of the parasite . in europe , several studies reported potential new intermediate snail hosts ( radix spp . ) for f . magna , and also several cases of fascioloidosis of wild and domestic animals were published . however , the data based on molecular and histological analyses confirming these findings remained unreported . this study aims to refer to unique findings of f . magna in european snails and domestic animals ( the first observation in the czech republic in the last 30 years ) and demonstrate the use of molecular techniques in determination of f . magna .

fascioloides magna ( trematoda : fasciolidae ) is an important liver parasite of a wide range of free - living and domestic ruminants ; it represents a remarkable species due to its large spatial distribution , invasive character , and potential to colonize new territories . the present study provides patterns of population genetic structure and admixture in f . magna across all enzootic regions in north america and natural foci in europe , and infers migratory routes of the parasite on both continents .

the giant liver fluke , fascioloides magna , is a possible contributing factor to moose ( alces alces ) declines in north america , but evidence linking f . magna infection directly to moose mortality is scarce . this review identifies knowledge gaps about the transmission and impact of f . magna infection on moose and proposes new directions for research and management of this parasite . we suggest that the importance of intermediate snail hosts has been largely neglected in current management discussions and warrants greater emphasis . the intermediate hosts responsible for f . magna transmission likely vary by region and recent genetic evidence suggests that f . magna was restricted to several isolated refugia during cervid extirpation events in north america . this distributional history represents several coevolutionary and pathological implications for definitive hosts of f . magna . we suggest that f . magna infections are most ecologically significant as they relate to sublethal impacts and multiple parasitic infections . in assessing infection risk on landscapes , most models rely heavily on monitoring white - tailed deer ( odocoileus virginianus ) , but this approach only measures risk indirectly . the reliability and accuracy of models would probably improve if snail habitat in ephemeral wetlands was included as a predictor variable .

development of the deer liver fluke , fascioloides magna , was studied in seven domestic goats , each experimentally inoculated with 250 metacercariae . six infected goats died between 89 and 195 days ( mean 139 ) after inoculation . infection did not develop in the seventh goat . mortality was the result of unrestricted fluke migration before maturation or encapsulation of the flukes . a total of 144 f magna ( mean intensity of 24 . 0 ) were recovered from inoculated goats , representing 8 . 2 % of the metacercariae administered . growth rate of f magna in goats was similar to that in cattle , white - tailed deer , and sheep .

infection with fascioloides magna ( digenea ) causes serious damage to liver tissue in definitive hosts represented by ruminants , especially cervids . the distribution of f . magna includes the indigenous areas in north america , and the areas to which f . magna was introduced—central europe , southeast europe , and italy . the north american intermediate host of f . magna , the freshwater snail pseudosuccinea columella ( lymnaeidae ) , is an invasive species recorded in south america , the caribbean , africa , australia , and west and southeast europe . in europe , galba truncatula is the snail serving for transmission , but p . columella has potential to become here a new intermediate host of f . magna . little is known about interactions between f . magna and p . columella . in this study , the susceptibility of p . columella ( oregon , usa ) to the infection by a single miracidium of the czech strain of f . magna and the influence of f . magna on snail fecundity , shell height , and survival were evaluated . the data show that the oregon strain of p . columella is a highly suitable host for the czech strain of f . magna , with the infection rate of 74 % . in addition , a negative effect on survival rate of infected snails was recorded only in the late phase of infection . the infection was accompanied by a major reduction in egg mass production and by a decrease in the number of eggs per egg mass . the shell height of infected snails did not significantly differ from that in unexposed controls .

fascioloides magna is up to 100 mm long , 2–4 . 5 mm thick , 11–26 mm wide , and oval ; it is distinguished from fasciola spp by its large size and lack of an anterior projecting cone . it is found in domestic and wild ruminants ; deer are the reservoir host . the life cycle resembles that of fasciola spp .

nucleotide differences were also found in ribosomal rna genes : between f . magna and fa . hepatica ( rrn l , 18 . 3 % ; rrn s , 22 . 2 % ) and between f . magna and fa . gigantica ( rrn l , 16 . 6 % ; rrn s , 21 . 4 % ) as well as in trna genes ( 16 . 3 % between f . magna and fa . hepatica and 16 . 0 % between f . magna and fa . gigantica ) . meaningful sequence comparisons of ncrs in mt genomes of the three fasciolid trematodes is not possible , because there is only one ncr present in f . magna mt genome , while in both fa . hepatica and fa . gigantica there are two ncrs .

this monograph presents complex data on fascioloides magna from all aspects of its research ( general information , distribution , spectrum of hosts ) and summarizes the latest information on molecular structure of informative genes which were recently applied in resolving taxonomy and biogeography of this veterinary important parasite . the giant liver fluke , fascioloides magna , is important liver parasite of free - living and domestic ruminants . due to its biology , distribution , medical impact , and invasive character , this liver fluke attracts attention of wide spectrum of specialists – veterinary doctors , hunters and farmers , as well as scientists . the parasite utilizes wide range of free living and domestic ruminants as definitive hosts , with various pathological impacts ranging from moderate infections towards lethal effects . fascioloides magna is of north american origin where it occurs in five enzootic regions . it was introduced to europe along with its deer hosts in 19th century and it has established three permanent natural foci . the giant liver fluke represents an outstanding model for studying the origin , spatial distribution , migratory routs , and invasion processes of introduced species .

infection with fascioloides magna , the large american liver fluke , was diagnosed in two moose ( alces alces ) and six wapiti ( cervus elaphus ) from central saskatchewan . this is believed to be the first record of the parasite in the province . fecal samples collected from wild wapiti at five sites in the commercial forest zone in saskatchewan contained eggs believed to be those of f . magna . trematode eggs were not found in feces from five captive herds of wapiti in the province , nor in samples from wild wapiti in moose mountain provincial park . operculate eggs were found in feces of wild wapiti from cypress hills , but these were believed to be from trematodes other than f . magna . the distribution and significance of f . magna in canada , based partially on responses to a mail questionnaire , are reviewed .

experimental infections of two different populations of lymnaea fuscus in france and sweden , with a czech isolate of fascioloides magna were carried out to determine if this lymnaeid species enables parasite larval development . species identification of both snail populations was performed using the morphology of the copulatory organ , and also confirmed by sequencing of the internal . . . [ show full abstract ]

the present study determined the complete mt genome sequence of the pathogenic liver fluke f . magna and revealed its close relationship with the species of fasciola . the complete mt genome data of f . magna provides a resource for further investigations of the phylogeny , epidemiology , biology and population genetics of the family fasciolidae and other trematodes .

the infected bulls came from a south bohemian biofarm with restricted therapeutic intervention and ideal natural condition for transmission of f . magna , e . g . , wet pastures , natural streamlet and no effective fences . erhardová - kotrlá [ 1 ] carried out detailed research in the same locality and marked this locality as f . magna free after 6 cattle postmortem examinations and 282 examinations of the red deer faecal samples . therefore , our results indicate that f . magna can spread in the czech republic .

in this paper two unique field findings of f . magna are described : larval stages of f . magna in the intermediate host r . labiata , and adult worms in the “non - specific definitive host” bos primigenius f . taurus ( highland cattle ) ; the latter case is the first report of fascioloidosis in the czech republic in the last 30 years . moreover , we refer to a unique case of co - infection of the same individual definitive host by f . magna and f . hepatica .

however , commercial anthelmintic products may not include label claim against fascioloides magna in some countries . as for other fluke species , migrating immatures are the most harmful ; therefore efficacy against these stages is essential . products without efficacy against immature flukes will not protect livestock from migrating flukes and need to be administered more frequently . triclabendazole is the active ingredient with the highest efficacy against immature stages .

two unique records of snail intermediate hosts ( r . labiata ) and mammalian definitive hosts ( bulls of highland cattle ) naturally infected with f . magna are reported in our study . molecular techniques were used to confirm host / parasite determination ; on this basis the adults of f . magna were discriminated from f . hepatica presented in the same liver . in addition , species identity of the morphologically uniform fasciolid eggs was proved . the prevalence of f . magna in r . labiata was comparable to some findings of f . magna in g . truncatula and , therefore , r . labiata might represent a potential vector of f . magna in localities ecologically unsuitable for g . truncatula ( e . g . localities with acid soils ) . ability of the parasite to be transmitted from wildlife to livestock represents a serious risk , especially for farmers breeding the animals less tolerant to f . magna infection ( e . g . , goats and sheep ) , and those animals whose are for some reason ( e . g . ecological farming ) under restrictions in terms of anthelmintic treatment . therefore , the danger of f . magna transmission should be taken into account in farm management .

the giant liver fluke , fascioloides magna , is a veterinary important liver parasite of free living and domestic ruminants . this originally north american parasite was introduced along with its cervid hosts to europe where it has established three permanent natural foci - in northern italy , central and southern parts of the czech republic and the danube floodplain forests . the first record on . . . [ show full abstract ]

. . . it may parasitize various wild and domestic herbivores . in the area of central europe this fluke can be found mainly in cervids - like red deer ( cervus elaphus ) and fallow deer ( dama dama ) ( kasny et al . , 2012 ) . fascioloides magna originated from north america , where it occurs in five major enzootic regions ( pybus , 2001 ) . . . .

. . . as noticed above , goats are aberrant hosts in which f . magna infection is lethal within 6 months , and it is not patent ( foreyt and leathers 1980 ; foreyt and todd 1976 ) . however , few authors rarely observed adult flukes of f . magna , including the presence of the eggs in the feces , in sheep ( foreyt 1990 ; swales 1935 ) . in our study , the appearance of f . magna eggs in the feces of one goat confirmed these former results . . . .

fascioloides magna is a digenean parasite of various wild ruminants . it was originally introduced to europe from north america in the 19th century and first recorded in the wild in austria in 2000 at fischamend , southeast of vienna . later , several cases were detected in the danube backwater region between vienna and bratislava . the lymnaeid snail galba truncatula is known to act as . . . [ show full abstract ]

fascioloides magna parasitizes in a broad spectrum of final hosts , mainly free living and domestic ruminants . final hosts of giant liver fluke are divided into three types ( definitive , dead - end and aberrant ) according to interrelationships between the parasite and the host , the ability of fluke to reach maturity and produce eggs , pathological changes within the host organism , and the potential . . . [ show full abstract ]

. . . the giant liver fluke ( fascioloides magna ) is a liver parasite which infects a variety of wild and domestic ruminants in north america and europe ( swales , 1935 ; erhardová - kotrlá , 1971 ) . on this last continent , fascioloidosis occurs currently in austria , croatia , the czech republic , hungary , italy , serbia and slovakia ( králováhromadová et al . , 2011 ) . . . .

two snails of r . labiata naturally infected with f . magna were found ; mature cercariae and daughter rediae were observed . maturity of cercariae was checked by histological methods , however , their ability to encyst was not confirmed . co - infection of f . magna and fasciola hepatica in the liver of two highland cattle bulls was proved . adult fasciolid flukes producing eggs were found in the liver pseudocysts ( f . magna ) and the bile ducts ( f . hepatica ) . identification of intermediate hosts , intramolluscan stages , adult flukes and eggs was performed by sequencing the its2 region . connection of f . magna pseudocysts with the gut ( via the bile ducts ) was not confirmed by means of histological and coprological examinations .

fascioloides magna ( bassi , 1875 ) ( fasciolidae ; digenea ; trematoda ) is a large visceral parasite of ruminants originating from north america . due to the international wild animal trade , f . magna was introduced to europe in the later half of the 19 th century , probably with the white - tailed deer ( odocoileus virginianus ) [ 1 ] and wapiti ( cervus elaphus canadensis ) [ 2 ] ; the parasite adapted to the local hosts ( e . g . red deer , fallow deer ) and started to spread . recent reports from at least six countries in central europe can be found [ 3 - 9 ] .

a diagnosis can be made at necropsy by identifying f . magna within the liver of an infected animal . deer liver fluke infections can also be diagnosed by identifying fluke eggs within the feces .

the present study revealed a complex picture of the population genetic structure and interrelationships of north american and european populations , global distribution and migratory routes of f . magna and an origin of european foci .

section of radix labiata hepatopancreas with fascioloides magna rediae and immature ( a ) , mature ( b ) cercariae . stained with hematoxylin and eosin . hp , hepatopancreas tissue ; c , cercaria ; r , redia ; t , tegument of redia ; a , acetabulum ; os , oral sucker ; tc , tail of cercaria ; cgp , cystogenous gland products . white arrowheads point to cercarialcystogenous glands . black arrowheads point to cercarial cystogenous products released from the glands .

between 1971 and 1975 , fascioloides magna was found in 46 of 67 ( 69 % ) feral swine ( sus scrofa ) in southern texas . flukes were recovered from swine in areas where f . magna commonly has been recovered from white - tailed deer and cattle . one to 12 flukes were recovered from each infected animal . their presence was indicated by black hematin pigment on the liver and various other internal organs . eggs were not detected in the gallbladder or feces of infected animals although mature flukes and eggs were recovered in the livers suggesting that , like cattle , feral swine can be infected but are aberrant hosts for the parasite and do not disseminate eggs .

the determination of f . magna mt genome sequence provides a valuable resource for further investigations of the phylogeny of the family fasciolidae and other trematodes , and represents a useful platform for designing appropriate molecular markers .

the presence of american liver fluke ( fascioloides magna ) in croatian wild ruminant species was detected for the first time in january 2000 . at the same time , the problem of adequate parasitological monitoring and treatment appeared in the captive deer population . quarantine and health screening protocols , as well as migration and transportation influence had to be evaluated in red deer husbandry . non - invasive methods were introduced to estimate the prevalence of f . magna in the semi - farm rearing system . coprological analysis has been performed on 264 faecal samples . the most effective antiparasitic treatment was implemented on herd and individual treatment . treatment was extended to the free - ranging population of deer in the same region .

the datasets supporting the conclusions of this article are included within the article and its additional files . the complete mt genome sequence of f . magna is deposited in the genbank database under the accession number kr006934 .

fascioloidosis of wild and domestic ruminants is caused by giant liver fluke , fascioloides magna ( trematoda ; fasciolidae ) . in slovakia , the parasite is present in the danube floodplain forests permanent focus for almost 30 years . here we provide data on 11 - year survey of f . magna acquired from 137 red deer ( cervus elaphus ) hunted in the southwestern hunting grounds ( districts komárno and dunajská streda ) . almost 47 % of all examined deer , including males , females and fawns , were infected with f . magna . during the studied period , the prevalence ranged between 33 . 3 % ( 2009 ) and 63 . 6 % ( 2007 ) . prevalence of fascioloidosis varied between sexes and age categories ; while the lowest overall prevalence was detected in females ( 33 . 3 % ) , higher values were documented for red deer males ( 50 . 6 % ) and fawns ( 43 . 3 % ) . a presence of giant liver fluke in studied regions of southwestern slovakia deserves future attention and ongoing monitoring due to a possible threat of f . magna infection of domestic ruminants in overlapping regions .

. . . the giant liver fluke , fascioloides magna ( bassi , 1875 ) , introduced to europe in the 19th century from north america , is an important parasite of wild and domestic ruminants ( swales 1935 , erhardová 1961 , erhardová - kotrlá 1971 ) . red deer ( cervus elaphus ) , fallow deer ( dama dama ) and roe deer ( capreolus capreolus ) are common european definitive hosts of the fluke ( erhardová 1961 , erhardová - kotrlá 1971 ) . . . .

the veterinary important parasite of ruminants , giant liver fluke fascioloides magna ( trematoda : fasciolidae ) , isolated from liver of farmed fallow deer ( dama dama ) from podkarpackie province ( southeastern poland ) was genotypized by mitochon - drial cytochrome c oxidase ( cox1 ) and nicotinamide dehydrogenase ( nad1 ) markers . the data on this newly emerged population were compared with mitochondrial haplotypes of recently detected polish population of f . magna from lower silesian wilderness ( southwestern poland ) and with european populations of the parasite from all three natural foci ; northern italy , czech republic and the danube floodplain forests . the flukes from podkarpackie province were found to be genetically identical with flukes from czech republic and lower silesian wilderness in poland . it is evident that central and southwestern czech republic , recognized as one of the endemic area of f . magna in europe , has been enlarging and parasite has been invading several novel localities in poland .

pathological changes in bovine liver caused by f . magna infection . a , macroscopic photo of dissected liver tissue ; b , microscopic photo – section of lesion with eggs and inflammatory infiltrate of polymorphonuclear leukocytes , stained with hematoxylin and eosin ; c , microscopic photo – section of fibrotic portobiliar space and adjacent liver parenchyma , stained with green gomori trichrome . p , pseudocyst ; lp , liver parenchyma ; e , egg of f . magna ; ipmn , infiltrate of polymorphonuclear leukocytes ; isl , inner space of lesion ; mr , migratory route through parenchyma with pigment deposits caused by f . magna juvenile worms ; flt , fibrotic liver tissue .

b metacercariae of f . magna were found on the wall of petri dish after dissection of experimentally infected r . labiata ( pankrác 2013 , unpublished ) , but experimental infection of a definitive host was not performed .

giant liver fluke has established permanent natural foci on two continents . north america represents the original continent of the parasite occurrence , while europe is the continent where f . magna was introduced along with its cervid hosts . in north america , f . magna occurs in five enzootic regions across the united states and southern canada : ( 1 ) the northern pacific coast ; ( 2 ) the rocky . . . [ show full abstract ]

in august 1992 , six mule deer ( odocoileus hemionus hemionus ) fawns and four elk ( cervus elaphus ) calves ( n = 2 ) or yearlings ( n = 2 ) each were inoculated orally with 50 , 250 , or 2 , 000 metacercariae of the liver fluke fascioloides magna to evaluate their potential to serve as definitive hosts . animals were maintained for up to 403 days . three mule deer each inoculated with 50 metacercariae survived the infection and shed eggs in feces ; thus mule deer can function as definitive hosts for f . magna . the other three mule deer inoculated with 50 ( n = 1 ) or 250 ( n = 2 ) metacercariae died from fluke infection on days 91 , 150 , and 162 days postinoculation , respectively , and only immature f . magna were recovered . one elk calf inoculated with 2 , 000 metacercariae died from fluke infection 44 days after inoculation . the remaining three elk , each inoculated with 250 metacercariae , survived infection , and two of the three shed eggs in feces . the third elk contained only one immature f . magna at necropsy . the prepatent period in mule deer and elk was approximately 6 to 7 months .

three captive rocky mountain bighorn sheep ( ovis canadensis canadensis ) , consisting of a female lamb , a yearling ram , and a 2 1 / 2 - yr - old castrated ram were inoculated orally with 50 ( n = 1 ) or 100 ( n = 2 ) metacercariae of fascioloides magna in november 1991 . all three sheep died from fluke infection on post - inoculation days 104 , 140 , and 197 , respectively . numbers of f . magna recovered were 3 ( 3 % ) , 18 ( 36 % ) , and 21 ( 21 % ) . all dukes were immature and were recovered from liver ( n = 36 ) , lungs ( n = 2 ) , or peritoneal spaces ( n = 4 ) . two white - tailed deer ( odocoileus virginianus ) , each were inoculated orally with 100 metacercariae at the same time as the bighorn sheep . eggs of f . magna were detected in the feces of the deer on postinoculation days 199 and 211 , respectively . both deer remained healthy for the year - long experiment . thus , bighorn sheep are susceptible to infection with f . magna and are likely to die within approximately 6 months of exposure .

discussion : fascioloides magna , the large american liver fluke or deer liver fluke , is a common parasite of elk . the flukes are usually confined to the fibrotic cysts in the liver and , except for causing some liver damage , are of little clinical consequence . in this case , aberrant migration of the immature flukes was observed in the spinal cord and was considered a likely cause of the reported hind limb paralysis prior to death . the emaciation of this animal was considered to be due to marked gastrointestinal parasitism .

. . . several studies on susceptibility of stagnicolid species to f . magna have already been reported . in north america , both s . palustris and s . palustris nuttuliana were shown as suitable intermediate hosts of f . magna ( swales , 1935 ; griffiths , 1962 ) . however , l . palustris has also been synonymised with nearctic stagnicolid species such as hinkleyia ( stagnicola ) elodes ( burch , 1989 ) in the past . . . .

at the nucleotide level , sequence differences in protein - coding genes ranged from 13 . 1 to 24 . 2 % ( between f . magna and fa . hepatica ) and from 12 . 8 to 26 . 2 % ( between f . magna and fa . gigantica ) , with cox 1 , nad 1 , nad 4l and cyt b being the most conserved genes , and nad 6 , nad 5 and nad 2 being the least conserved genes among those three species . at the amino acid level , sequence differences ranged from 9 . 2 to 25 . 4 % between f . magna and fa . hepatica , and from 8 . 4 to 27 . 8 % between f . magna and fa . gigantica : cox 1 , cyt b , nad 4l and nad 1 were the most conserved protein - coding genes , while nad 6 , nad 2 and nad 5 were the least conserved .

the complexity of the life cycle of fascioloides magna and its ability to invade new region is ensured by the presence of suitable intermediate hosts , in particular aquatic pulmonate mollusks , in which larval development of the parasite takes place . this chapter summarizes intermediate snail hosts of giant liver fluke specific in north america and europe . in north america , six species of the family lymnaeidae were found to be naturally infected with f . magna ( lymnaea caperata , lymnaea modicella , stagnicola palustris nuttalliana , pseudosuccinea columella , galba bulimoides techella and fossaria parva ) . in europe , galba ( syn . lymnaea ) truncatula , radix labiata and radix peregra were found to be naturally infected . besides natural infections , number of snail species were experimentally infected with f . magna in order to determine their potential to serve as the intermediate hosts of giant liver fluke . the mature cercariae able to develop into infective metacercariae stages , were detected in snails of the genera lymnaea and pseudosuccinea ( family lymnaeidae ) in north america and in lymnaeid genera galba , lymnaea , omphiscola , pseudosuccinea and stagnicola in europe . it is evident , that broader spectrum of aquatic mollusks is susceptible to f . magna infection and may serve as its potential intermediate hosts .

. . . later , kašný et al . ( 2012 ) provided an extensive monitoring of fascioloidosis in the czech republic , which showed a regular occurrence of the parasite in the south - western part of the country . besides , f . magna was detected also close to the german and polish border in the western and northern part of the czech republic that more strongly supported the assumption of a high risk of spread of f . magna to the neighbouring european countries ( kašný et al . 2012 ) . the presented result on close genetic interrelationships between f . magna from poland and the czech republic indicate that the czech focus of fascioloidosis has probably been much larger that previously expected . . . .

while the eggs of f magna resemble those of fasciola hepatica , this is of limited use ; eggs usually are not passed by cattle and sheep and probably not by alpacas and llamas . recovery of the parasites at necropsy as well as differentiation of f hepatica is necessary for definitive diagnosis . when domestic ruminants and deer share the same grazing , the presence of disease due to f magna should be kept in mind . mixed infections with f hepatica are seen in cattle .

the prevalence of f . magna - infected r . labiata in sedliště was 0 . 18 % ( similarly low prevalence from the same locality has been reported by faltýnková et al . [ 16 ] ) , and the prevalence of infected g . truncatula snails was 64 % ( 100 % in 2011 ) ; such prevalence rate is quite unusual ( e . g . [ 14 ] ) and it indicates a high contamination of the locality by f . magna eggs .

. . . fascioloides magna , known as the large american liver fluke , giant liver fluke or deer fluke , is an important digenetic trematode of the family fasciolidae [ 3 , 4 ] . this species , which is of north america origin [ 5 , 6 ] and invasive in european countries [ 7 ] , has high potential to colonize new geographic territories ( a variety of wild and domestic ungulates [ 3 , [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] ) , and can establish expanding populations from a natural epidemic focus through translocated hosts [ 5 , 6 , 11 ] . migration of f . magna immature flukes within the host body often leads to profound damage to the liver and other organ tissues [ 8 , 12 ] , causing economic losses worldwide [ 13 ] . . . .

. . . a wide spectrum of mammals can be infected with f . magna ; these animals can generally be divided into three groups with respect to compatibility of the host and the parasite , and pathological impact of the fluke [ 11 , 23 , 24 ] . successful completion of the f . magna life cycle with eggs released via bile ducts to the host intestine is enabled in " specific definitive hosts " such as red deer ( cervus elaphus ) , fallow deer ( dama dama ) and roe deer ( capreolus capreolus ) [ 1 , 11 ] . infection with f . magna is tolerated by red deer and fallow deer which can survive , usually with hardly distinguishable symptoms , severe infection by hundreds of flukes . . . .

( bassi , 1875 ) , the large liver fluke of ruminants in canada with observations on the bionomics of the larval stages and the intermediate hosts , pathology of fascioloidiasis magna , and control measures . can j res 1935 , 12 , 177–215 .

. . . since p . columella is a common snail in european greenhouses adapting to the central european climatic conditions [ 22 ] , potential risk of f . magna transmission via this snail can not be excluded [ 20 ] . a wide spectrum of mammals can be infected with f . magna ; these animals can generally be divided into three groups with respect to compatibility of the host and the parasite , and pathological impact of the fluke [ 11 , 23 , 24 ] . successful completion of the f . magna life cycle with eggs released via bile ducts to the host intestine is enabled in " specific definitive hosts " such as red deer ( cervus elaphus ) , fallow deer ( dama dama ) and roe deer ( capreolus capreolus ) [ 1 , 11 ] . . . .

liver flukes are parasites . parasites are organisms that live on or in another organism for survival purposes and contribute nothing or harm the organisms they parasitize . effective control of any parasite requires some knowledge about them , including what they are , where they come from and how they live . the fluke we are concerned about on canadian elk farms is the giant liver fluke ( fascioloides magna ) . it is a very large parasitic flat worm which lives as an adult in a thick - walled cyst within the liver of elk and deer . the adult liver fluke averages about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide .

fourteen free - ranging adult wapiti ( cervus elaphus nelsoni ) were captured in banff national park , alberta ( canada ) and held in captivity near edmonton . a 24 % suspension of triclabendazole at doses of 30 to 100 mg / kg body weight was drenched into the rumen of eight females and four males . two male wapiti were used as untreated controls . animals were killed and examined at 4 ( n = 3 ) , 6 ( n = 4 ) , or 8 ( n = 4 ) wk after treatment . efficacy was 90 % against immature fascioloides magna collected 4 wk after treatment and 98 % against adult flukes collected 4 , 6 or 8 wk after treatment . all 32 flukes recovered from control wapiti were active and apparently healthy . treatment at 50 to 60 mg / kg is recommended against f . magna in wapiti . a protocol for treating infected wapiti is outlined .

. . . the czech focus of fascioloidosis was restricted to the above mentioned regions of the country until the finding of novobilský et al . ( 2007 ) who reported the presence of f . magna in the south - western border of the czech republic indicating a threat of its possible spread into germany . later , kašný et al . ( 2012 ) provided an extensive monitoring of fascioloidosis in the czech republic , which showed a regular occurrence of the parasite in the south - western part of the country . besides , f . magna was detected also close to the german and polish border in the western and northern part of the czech republic that more strongly supported the assumption of a high risk of spread of f . magna to the neighbouring european countries ( kašný et al . 2012 ) . . . .

geographic origin of fascioloides magna from southwestern slovakia analyzed in current study . 1 – vojka nad dunajom , 2 – bodíky , 3 – číčov , 4 – trávnik , 5 – klížská nemá , 6 – holiare , 7 – tôň , 8 – zemianska olča , 9 – vel’ké kosihy , 10 – okolicná na ostrove , 11 – zlatná na ostrove , 12 – calovec , 13 – chotín , 14 – svätý peter , 15 – modrany , 16 – bátorové kosihy , 17 – búč , 18 – kravany nad dunajom , 19 – svätý juraj , pereš . the respective localities were visualized using the diva - gis available from urltoken