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Abstract Despite mammals constituting fewer than 0.3% of all described species, their conservation is compelling for a number of reasons. They contribute to biodiversity and are important in maintaining and regulating ecological communities. Many mammals have significant cultural and economic value, serving as sources of food, medicine, and tourism revenue. Furthermore, the conservation of mammals often leads to the protection of entire habitats, benefiting numerous other species and preserving ecosystem services that are critical for human well-­being. Humans share a unique evolutionary history with other mammal species, making their preservation important for scientific research, education, and understanding of our own biology and evolution. In spite of this, mammalian biodiversity is at severe risk, with 26% of all mammal species threatened with extinction. Here, we propose to use a 4-step framework with which to approach conservation strategy for mammalian biodiversity. The framework is structured and based on a protocol initially established from the standpoint of parasites by Daniel R. Brooks and collaborators in 2014. The 4 key phases are documentation (species discovery and specimen collection); assessment (species relationships, genetic diversity, and climate change vulnerability); monitoring (tracking populations and habitats over time); and action (addressing the taxonomic impediment—the lack of human and financial resources to undertake taxonomy, as well as the discrepancy between real number of existing species and human knowledge of biodiversity—and expanding protected areas). The successful integration of politics, politicians, and stakeholders into the process of conservation is critical to the success of the protocol because of the requirement to enact policy. And the urgency is now, because nothing is more vital to the human condition than preservation of biodiversity. 

Abstract The Nippostrongylinae is a group of strongylid nematodes that includes species typically associated with coprophagous mammals; in the New World, it is represented by 82 species within 11 genera. Two main morphological features, the synlophe and the caudal bursa, are used to evaluate the characteristics that allow identification and classification of the organisms in the taxon. However, the analysis of these characters often requires a partial or total destruction of specimens and therefore morphological variation is studied in only a very small subset of organisms per species. To evaluate the phylogenetic signal from these characteristics, we use genetic data to reconstruct the first phylogeny for the Nippostrongylinae using nuclear and mitochondrial genes and include representatives of the most common and diverse genera. The reconstructed phylogeny features five distinct clades and allows us to identify three non-monophyletic taxa includingCarolinensis, VexillataandHassalstrongylus. From these,Carolinensis s. l. is divided into four genera includingCarolinensis, Boreostrongylus, Neoboreostrongylusn. gen. andTepalcuaneman. gen.Stunkardionemais resurrected to includeVexillata noviberiaeandHassalstrongylusis divided into two, establishingLovostrongylusn. gen. to include species that are closely related toGuerrerostrongylusandTrichofreitasia. Organisms in these three genera feature a caudal arrangement of type 2-2-1. Furthermore, species inHassalstrongylus sensu strictoare more closely related to species inMalvinemaandStilestrongylus. Our results reveal the existence of an additional unnamed genus and underscore the usefulness of framing morphological characters in a comparative framework. A key for genera from the Americas is proposed. 

Abstract In this first report of endoparasites from endemic land-mammals of the Galápagos Islands, we describe a new species of cestode of the genusRaillietina(Cyclophyllidea: Davaineidae) from a species ofNesoryzomysand summarize the extent of helminth parasitism in both oryzomyine endemics and introduced species ofRattus. Up to the current time, no helminth parasites have been reported from rodents of the Galápagos, and little work has yet been done describing and synthesizing Galápagos parasite diversity. In historical times, several species of autochthonous rodents have occupied the islands including:Nesoryzomys narboroughiHeller 1904,N. fernandinaeHutterer and Hirsch 1979,N. swarthiOrr, 1938, andAegialomys galapagoensis(Waterhouse, 1839). Colonization of the islands by humans brought 3 known species of synanthropic rodents:Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus, andMus musculuswhich are suspected to have caused the extinction of at least 3 other oryzomyines in historical times. 

Abstract A total of 32 taxa of helminths were recovered from 52 individuals corresponding to 17 species of didelphiomorph marsupials collected across Bolivia. From these, 20 taxa are registered for the first time in this landlocked South American country, including the cestodeMathevotaenia bivittata, and the nematodesMoennigiasp.,Travassostrongylus callis,Viannaia didelphis,V. hamata,V. metachirops,V. minispicula,V. philanderi,V.simplicispicula, V. skrjabini,V. viannai,Cruzia tentaculata,Monodelphoxyuris dollmeiri,Neohilgertia venusti,Pterygodermatites elegans,Pterygodermatites jeagerskioldi,Spirura guianensis, Gongylonemoides marsupialis, Turgida turgidaandTrichuris reesali. We report for the first time parasites forMarmosops bishopi, Monodelphis emiliae,Monodeplhis glirina,Monodelphis sanctarosae,Monodelphis peruvianaandThylamys sponsoriusand document 38 new records of parasites infecting marsupials. Twenty-six taxa of helminths infect 2 or more species of didelphiomorph marsupials, with the exception ofTravassostrongylus callis,Viannaia didelphis,V. hamata,V. minispiculaandV. hamate, which infected individuals of a single species. 

Abstract Parasites are key components of the biosphere not only due to their huge diversity, but also because they exert important influences on ecological processes. Nevertheless, we lack an understanding of the biogeographical patterns of parasite diversity. Here, we tap into the potential of biodiversity collections for understanding parasite biogeography. We assess species richness of supracommunities of helminth parasites infecting mammal assemblages in the Nearctic, and describe its relation to latitude, climate, host diversity, and land area. We compiled data from parasitology collections and assessed parasite diversity in Nearctic ecoregions for the entire parasite supracommunity of mammals in each ecoregion, as well as separately from carnivores and rodents to explore the effect of host taxonomic resolution on observed patterns. For carnivores, we found evidence of a negative latitudinal gradient, while parasites of rodents displayed no clear pattern. We found that parasite diversity was positively correlated with mean annual temperature and negatively correlated with seasonal precipitation. Parasite richness shows a diversity peak at intermediate host richness values and in carnivores correlates with temperature and seasonal precipitation. Rodent parasite diversity did not correlate with explored factors. Other researchers are encouraged to use parasitology collections to continue exploring patterns of parasite biogeography and macroecology. 

Abstract Rodents living in a subterranean ecotope face a unique combination of evolutionary and ecological pressures and while host species evolution may be driven by the selective pressure from the parasites they harbour, the parasites may be responding to the selective pressures of the host. Here, we obtained all available subterranean rodent host–parasite records from the literature and integrated these data by utilizing a bipartite network analysis to determine multiple critical parameters to quantify and measure the structure and interactions of the organisms present in host–parasite communities. A total of 163 species of subterranean rodent hosts, 174 parasite species and 282 interactions were used to create 4 networks with data well-represented from all habitable continents. The results show that there was no single species of parasite that infects subterranean rodents throughout all zoogeographical regions. Nevertheless, species representing the generaEimeriaandTrichuriswere common across all communities of subterranean rodents studied. Based on our analysis of host–parasite interactions across all communities studied, the parasite linkages show that community connectance (due to climate change or other anthropogenic factors) appears to show degraded linkages in both the Nearctic and Ethiopian regions: in this case parasites are acting as bell-weather probes signalling the loss of biodiversity. 

Abstract South American subterranean rodents of the genus Ctenomys (Rodentia, Ctenomyidae, tuco-tuco) are one of the most diverse genera among mammals. Recently described species, new taxonomic revisions, and new distribution range delimitation made the revision of distribution areas and conservation status of these mammals mandatory. Implementing the first part of the DAMA protocol (document, assess, monitor, act), here we compile updated sets of species distribution range maps and use these and the number of collection localities to assess the conservation status of ctenomyids. We integrate potential for conservation in protected areas, and levels of habitat transformation to revise previous conservation status assessments and propose the first assessment for all Data Deficient or not evaluated species of tuco-tucos. Our results indicate that 53 (78%) of these species are threatened and that 47 (69%) have little or no overlap with protected areas, emphasizing the urgent need to conduct conservation efforts. Here, 18 of 22 species previously classified as Data Deficient resulted in them being put in an at-risk category (VU, EN, CR). In addition, nine species that have not been previously evaluated were classified as threatened, with these two groups comprising more than 47% of the known species. These results posit that the Ctenomyidae are the rodent family with the greatest number of species at risk of extinction. Finally, a total of 33 (49%) species have been reported from three or fewer localities; all considered threatened through the approach implemented in this study. These geographically restricted taxa should be given more attention in conservation programs since the richness of this genus relies on the survival of such species. 

Abstract Cestodes of the genusArostrilepisMas-Coma and Tenora 1997 have a Holarctic distribution with 16 species occurring among 28 species of mostly arvicoline hosts. The type species of the genus isArostrilepis horrida(von Linstow, 1901), described initially asTaenia horridavon Linstow, 1901, from murine rodents in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. Here we report the first helminth parasite from the mole-vole,Ellobius tancrei, in Mongolia which is the first subterranean rodent known to be infected withArostrilepisin the Palearctic. In addition, we describe a new species:Arostrilepis batsaikhanin. sp. which most closely resemblesA. microtisGulyaev and Chechulin 1997, differing from this species with a genetic distance of about 4% (using cytochrome-b) and by having distinctly large cirrus spines, testes that are larger and fill the whole segment measured anterior–posterior and larger eggs. 

Anoplocephalid cestodes collected from the southern mountain viscacha, Lagidium viscacia, in Boliva in 1986 are here examined, and a new species of Viscachataenia is described. The new species has numerous body measurements that are larger than the existing species, V. quadrata, but the eggs and corresponding structures of the new species are all smaller than those of V. quadrata 

Published studies and ten new unpublished records included herein reveal that approximately 174 species of endoparasites (helminths and protozoans) are known from 65 of 163 species of rodents that occupy the subterranean ecotope globally. Of those, 94 endoparasite species were originally described from these rodents. A total of 282 host-parasite associations are summarized from four major zoogeographic regions including Ethiopian, Palearctic/Oriental, Nearctic, and Neotropical. Thirty-four parasite records from the literature have been identified to only the level of the genus. In this summary, ten new records have been added, and the most current taxonomic status of each parasite species is noted. Interestingly, there are no data on endoparasites from more than 68% of described subterranean rodents, which indicates that discovery and documentation are at an early stage and must continue.