Papers by Alejandro Oceguera-Figueroa
Parasitology International
Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad
The identity of the freshwater nemertean Prostoma graecense (Böhming, 1892) from Lake Xochimilco ... more The identity of the freshwater nemertean Prostoma graecense (Böhming, 1892) from Lake Xochimilco is solved 75 years after its first recording. Identification of the specimens was accomplished via both morphological and molecular means, the latter employing the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I. Recent literature and our results suggest that this species has a cosmopolitan distribution and has, presumably, been recently introduced to areas well removed from its original distribution, which is unknown. The current study provides a background for continuing the work with freshwater and marine nemerteans and underscores the importance of including molecular data in future studies of the group.
Journal of Parasitology, 2016
Fertilization through hypodermic implantation of spermatophores has been recorded in at least 4 g... more Fertilization through hypodermic implantation of spermatophores has been recorded in at least 4 groups of leeches: Glossiphoniidae, Piscicolidae, Ozobranchidae and Erpobdelliformes. In Piscicola respirans (Piscicolidae), vector tissue responsible for sperm transfer from a specialized region of the body to the ovaries has led to the non-random attachment of spermatophores on the body surface of the recipient leech. It has been suggested that in glossiphoniid leeches, spermatophores are implanted in any part of the body surface of the recipient leech without a clear pattern or preference for region. In order to determine if the donor leech implants its spermatophores in a specific area of the conspecific recipient's body, we surveyed 81 specimens of Haementeria officinalis (Clitellata: Glossiphoniidae) from a wild population in Guanajuato, Mexico and recorded the distribution of the spermatophores over the recipients' body surface. We describe for the first time a spermatophore of H. officinalis using scanning electron and light microscopy. Spermatophores were found attached dorsally between somites XVII - XXI 59.57% of the times and the rest were found in other parts of the body including on the ventral surface. The non-specific attachment for spermatophores does not support the presence of specialized tissue responsible for sperm transfer and instead attributes the placement of implantation to mechanical characteristics of the copulation process.
Revista de Biología Tropical, 2014
Human gnathostomiasis is a food-born parasitic disease of relative importance in many countries i... more Human gnathostomiasis is a food-born parasitic disease of relative importance in many countries in Southeast Asia. It is caused by several species of nematodes of the genus Gnathostoma. In Mexico is an emerging public health problem since 1970, when first cases were reported. Until today, larval morphometric characters that have been proposed to differentiate between the three species of Gnathostoma present in this country, are not satisfactory. Recently, the presence of advanced third-stage larvae AdvL 3 (infective form for humans) in freshwater fishes from Pantanos de Centla, Tabasco, was recorded but their specific identity was not clarified. Examination of four species of freshwater fishes from the same locality revealed that three of them: Petenia splendida (n=58), Cichlasoma managuense (n=35) and Gobiomorus dormitor (n=9) were infected by 15 AdvL 3 of Gnathostoma binucleatum. Specific identity was obtained comparing the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA with sequences reported in Genbank. This is the first record of G. binucleatum in P. splendida and G. dormitor from Tabasco and the first specific determination of the parasite in the locality.
Mitochondrial …, 2011
We investigated the genetic distances and taxonomic status among species of Helobdella, a genus o... more We investigated the genetic distances and taxonomic status among species of Helobdella, a genus of non-blood-feeding leeches, based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences. Sampling included 20 specimens representing nine nominal species collected in 11 states in Mexico as well as previously published sequences of different species of Helobdella from several places. A neighbor-joining tree, as well as identification of diagnostic nucleotides, was used to suggest the presence of seven species of Helobdella in Mexico including potentially two undescribed forms.
We report two new, curious records of freshwater worms collected in the Panama Canal, Panama: the... more We report two new, curious records of freshwater worms collected in the Panama Canal, Panama: the ribbon worm, Apatronemertes albimaculosa Wilfert and Gibson, 1974, and the leech, Placobdella parasitica (Say, 1824). Identification of these specimens relied on morphological examinations and, more heavily, on molecular barcoding using the mitochondrial COI locus. Both phylogenetic and genetic distance analyses were employed to robustly establish the identities of the specimens. Whereas the native range of A. albimaculosa is currently unknown, P. parasitica was first described from Minnesota, USA and is possibly native to southern Canada and most of the USA. Neither species has previously been recorded from Central America. We briefly discuss possible scenarios for the dispersal of both species, and conclude that the introduction of P. parasitica into Panamanian waters was likely human-mediated in association with the introduction of its turtle host. Insofar as ours is the first record of wild-caught A. albimaculosa worldwide, we do not exclude the possibility of Panama being within the native range of the species. However, it is also possible that the species has been transported with ballast water into the Panama Canal; a relatively common phenomenon.
Comparative Parasitology, 2020
Herein, we present the first Mexican record of
Morelet’s crocodile, Crocodylus moreletii, as a ho... more Herein, we present the first Mexican record of
Morelet’s crocodile, Crocodylus moreletii, as a host for the
proboscis-bearing leech, Haementeria acuecueyetzin. From
November 2004 to October 2017, we captured 111 crocodiles
during spotlight surveys in lagoons of the Dziuché ejido,
municipality of José MaríaMorelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Twenty-one (18.9%) individuals had leeches identified as H.
acuecueyetzin. It is the first report of H. acuecueyetzin for the
State of Quintana Roo, Mexico, and the northernmost record
of the species. This is also the second case of leech parasitism
in C. moreletii. Haementeria acuecueyetzin likely parasitize
a large array of vertebrates, and its role as a potential vector of
blood parasites in C. moreletii requires further investigation.
Comparative Parasitology, 2014
Placobdella sophieae Oceguera-Figueroa et al., 2010 (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae) is reported fro... more Placobdella sophieae Oceguera-Figueroa et al., 2010 (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae) is reported from Oregon, California, and British Columbia for the first time. New hosts reported for P. sophieae include Taricha granulosa (roughskinned newt), Rana pretiosa (Oregon spotted frog), and Anaxyrus boreas (western toad). Placobdella sophieae exhibits relatively low host specificity and all amphibians occurring in the Pacific Northwest are potential hosts.
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An assessment of the hirudinifauna of Washington State is presented. in total, 11 distinct leech ... more An assessment of the hirudinifauna of Washington State is presented. in total, 11 distinct leech species were found representing two new records for the state and two new species of the genus Placobdella, both described herein. Placobdella kwetlumye, n. sp., and Placobdella sophieae, n. sp., both collected in Squires Lake, Whatcom County, are morphologically similar to P. burresonae and P. pediculata respectively, but exhibit morphological features that readily separate them from congeners. in addition to the descriptions of the new species, here we provide a brief summary of the morphological traits possessed by each species found.
Page 1. Acta Zoológica Mexicana (nueva serie) Instituto de Ecología AC [email protected] ISSN (... more Page 1. Acta Zoológica Mexicana (nueva serie) Instituto de Ecología AC [email protected] ISSN (Versión impresa): 0065-1737 MÉXICO 2007 Alejandro Oceguera Figueroa ESPECIE NUEVA DE SANGUIJUELA DEL GÉNERO ...
Semiscolex lamothei sp. nov. from Catemaco lake, Veracruz, México, is described based on the exam... more Semiscolex lamothei sp. nov. from Catemaco lake, Veracruz, México, is described based on the examination of 18 specimens. The new species differs from other species of the genus by the presence of 1/2 + 5 + 1/2 annuli between gonopores. The new species has morphological features previously not described for any other member of the genus, such as well-developed ejaculatory
Journal of Parasitology, Jan 1, 2008
Haementeria acuecueyetzin n. sp. from Catemaco Lake, Veracruz, Mexico, is described based on the ... more Haementeria acuecueyetzin n. sp. from Catemaco Lake, Veracruz, Mexico, is described based on the examination of 6 specimens. This new hematophagous leech species resembles other members of the genus in the number and position of the eyespots, number of compact salivary glands, and in the presence of 2 pairs of spheroidal mycetomes, but it is distinguished from the other species by having 6 rows of longitudinal smooth white papillae in the dorsal surface and numerous tubercles in dorsal and ventral surfaces. This new species represents the third species of Haementeria in the Northern Hemisphere of the Americas.
Journal of Parasitology, Jan 1, 2009
A new species of rhynchobdellid leech, Placobdella ringueleti n. sp., is described based on the e... more A new species of rhynchobdellid leech, Placobdella ringueleti n. sp., is described based on the examination of 25 specimens. Leeches were collected from body appendages of freshwater turtles (Kinosternon leucostomum, Dermatemys mawii, and Staurotypus triporcatus) from Chiapas, Mexico. The new species resembles other members of the genus in the ocular morphology, bilobated ovaries, and presence of 1 pair of elongated mycetomes, but it is distinguished from them by the dorsal papillar pattern, by having a continuous longitudinal mid-dorsal stripe along the dorsal surface and papillae on the dorsal surface of the posterior sucker. Placobdella ringueleti represents the third species of the genus in Mexico. The type locality of the new species is part of the ''El Ocote'' Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico.
Parasitology International, Jan 1, 2005
Gnathostomiasis is an emerging zoonosis in Mexico. However, for most endemic zones, the source of... more Gnathostomiasis is an emerging zoonosis in Mexico. However, for most endemic zones, the source of human infection has not been established. During 2000–2003, we investigated 2168 vertebrates (2047 fish, 31 amphibians, 4 reptiles, 19 birds and 67 mammals) from 39 localities distributed in nine states. We registered 7 vertebrate species as new hosts for Gnathostoma, and 22 new locality records for this nematode.
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Papers by Alejandro Oceguera-Figueroa
Morelet’s crocodile, Crocodylus moreletii, as a host for the
proboscis-bearing leech, Haementeria acuecueyetzin. From
November 2004 to October 2017, we captured 111 crocodiles
during spotlight surveys in lagoons of the Dziuché ejido,
municipality of José MaríaMorelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Twenty-one (18.9%) individuals had leeches identified as H.
acuecueyetzin. It is the first report of H. acuecueyetzin for the
State of Quintana Roo, Mexico, and the northernmost record
of the species. This is also the second case of leech parasitism
in C. moreletii. Haementeria acuecueyetzin likely parasitize
a large array of vertebrates, and its role as a potential vector of
blood parasites in C. moreletii requires further investigation.
Morelet’s crocodile, Crocodylus moreletii, as a host for the
proboscis-bearing leech, Haementeria acuecueyetzin. From
November 2004 to October 2017, we captured 111 crocodiles
during spotlight surveys in lagoons of the Dziuché ejido,
municipality of José MaríaMorelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Twenty-one (18.9%) individuals had leeches identified as H.
acuecueyetzin. It is the first report of H. acuecueyetzin for the
State of Quintana Roo, Mexico, and the northernmost record
of the species. This is also the second case of leech parasitism
in C. moreletii. Haementeria acuecueyetzin likely parasitize
a large array of vertebrates, and its role as a potential vector of
blood parasites in C. moreletii requires further investigation.