Helminth communities of two sympatric skinks (Mabuya agilis and Mabuya macrorhyncha ) from two ‘restinga’ habitats in southeastern Brazil

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Abstract
The helminth fauna of two sympatric congeneric skinks (Mabuya agilisandM. macrorhyncha) from two distinct ‘restinga’ habitats (Praia das Neves and Grussaí) in southeastern Brazil were studied, totalling four data sets (sample sizes ranging from 11 to 28). A total of ten helminth species were associated with the skinks:Raillietiellasp.,Paradistomum parvissimum,Pulchrosomoides elegans,Oochoristica ameivae,Hexametra boddaertii,parapharyngodon sceleratus,Physalopteroides venancioi,Physalopterasp., an unidentified acuariid nematode and an unidentified centrorhynchid acanthocephalan. Except forHexametra boddaertii(found only in Grussaí) andPulchrosomoides elegans(found only in Praia das Neves), all helminth species were present at both localities. Half of the helminth species were present only as larvae and, in most cases, appear to represent paratenic parasitism. Overall prevalences of infection were high for both host species in both localities.Mabuya agilistended to have richer and more diverse infracommunities thanM. macrorhyncha. Some parameters of infection by individual helminth species seem to be related to the ecology of eachMabuyaspecies. The parasite faunas were qualitatively very similar among species and/or localities, but quantitative similarities were more varied, due to differential representativeness of individual helminth species among host populations. The helminth communities of both skink species can be classified as non-interactive, being composed of site-specialists and immature stages of non-lizard parasites.

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