Charles De Sousa Silva

Biological inventories are essential tools for understanding parasite diversity. In this study, we describe the helminth parasite communities associated with anuran amphibians from five localities within the Caatinga domain of Northeastern Brazil. A total of 1,198 individuals, belonging to 22 species and six anuran families (Bufonidae, Hylidae, Leptodactylidae, Microhylidae, Odontoprhynidae, and Phyllomedusidae), were examined. Of these, 629 specimens (52.5%) were parasitized, and 27,004 helminths were recovered. The helminths represented 34 taxa, including 24 Nematoda, 7 Digenea, 1 Cestoda, and 2 Acanthocephala. We present parasitological descriptors such as prevalence, abundance range, infection site, and life stage. Additionally, we report 18 new host-parasite records and provide updated data on geographical occurrence. Our findings emphasize the importance of regional surveys in expanding knowledge on host-parasite interactions and in highlighting hidden components of biodiversity within the Caatinga biome.

Agricultural landscapes impact the diversity of amphibians, with few species adapted to these anthropized and fragmented environments. Leptodactilids are commonly found on crops because they are tolerant species. Despite the increase in parasitological studies in agricultural areas, information on parasite-anuran interactions in these environments is still lacking. Herein, we aim to describe the nematodes associated with Leptodactylus cf. mystaceus in agricultural landscapes. We captured 18 specimens of L. cf. mystaceus which fourteen were infected by at least one of the thirteen nematode taxa. The prevalence was 78 % in the host population. We recorded thirteen taxa of nematodes: Aplectana crucifer Travassos, 1925, Aplectana meridionalis Freitas and Lent, 1938, Aplectana lopesi Silva, 1954, Cosmocerca brasiliense Travassos, 1925, Cosmocerca paraguayensis Moravec and Kaiser, 1994, Cosmocerca parva Travassos, 1925, Cosmocerca sp., Cosmocerca travassosi Gomes and Motta, 1967, Cosmocercidae gen. sp., Multicaecum sp., Ochoterenella sp., Oxyascaris oxyascaris Travassos, 1920, and Rhabdias sp., wich C. paraguayensis, C. travassossi, A. meridionalis, A. lopesi, A. crucifer, Multicaecum sp., and Ochoterenella sp. represent new records for this host. Furthermore, we note that host body size is unlikely to influence helminth abundance and richness, at least from an intraspecific point of view. This study contributes to the knowledge of the helminth fauna associated with leptodactilids and to the understanding of the geographic distribution of helminth species.

The Ozolaimus genus is characterized by presenting a dorsoventrally elongated mouth, with two lateral lips, a long esophagus, consisting of a strong anterior portion, a short with a fusiform fold, and a thin posterior portion ending in a distinct bulb, anteriorly dilated intestine, and absent lateral wings. Between February 2014 and September 2016, eleven specimens of the anuran Corythomantis greeningi were collected manually in the Ecological Station of Aiuaba, Ceará State, Brazil. After analyses, nine specimens of Ozolaimus cirratus infecting the large intestine of the referred specimen were recorded. Knowledge is still scarce about the ecological dynamics of pharyngodonid parasites and their parasite-host relationships, thus this work is the first to record of Ozolaimus genus infecting the casque-headed tree frog Corythomantis greeningi from Caatinga biome, Ceará State, Brazil. Priviously, the only registered hosts of Ozalaimus parasites were iguanid lizards.

Currently, 26 species of Skrjabinodon are known, with only five reported from the Neotropical realm. Skrjabinodon campiaoae sp. nov. is described herein from the host lizard Vanzosaura multiscutata in the Caatinga biome, a Brazilian semiarid region. Skrjabinodon campiaoae sp. nov. presents a triangular oral opening with three simple lips (not bilobed) and an absent sessile papilla in both sexes; the male has 3–9 spines on the filament tail, while females have a prebulbar vulva, a filiform tail, large number of spines on the tail, and fusiform eggs without polar knobs. The present study describes the 27th species of Skrjabinodon in the world, and the sixth from the Neotropical realm, contributing to the taxonomy of the genus Skrjabinodon, as well as increasing the knowledge of V. multiscutata helminth fauna. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D2387F0B-02C4-4D1E-A0A3-76D053053383

Rhabdias pocoton. sp. is herein described from the lungs of the swamp frogPseudopaludicola pocotoMagalhães, Loebmann, Nogueira, Kokubum, Baptista, Haddad & Garda, 2014, from the Caatinga biome in the state of Ceará, in north-eastern Brazil. The new species is characterized by a body that dilates posteriorly, six small lips (protuberances) and two rounded lateral expansions of cuticular inflation on the anterior end, each containing an amorphous gland-like structure inside and a short and conical tail. Additionally, molecular analysis and comparison of the partial mitochondrial cytochromecoxidase I sequence ofR.pocoton. sp. revealed genetic divergence between the new species and the sequences ofRhabdiasspp. previously deposited in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the new taxon into theR. pseudosphaerocephalaspecies complex +R. glaurungiclade. The new discovery represents the 19th species ofRhabdiasspp. described in the Neotropical region, the ninth in Brazil and the first species ofRhabdiasfound parasitizing South American frogs of the genusPseudopaludicola, as well as the first Caatinga biome species ofRhabdias.

Lista de endoparásitos son fundamentalmente importantes porqué contribuyen para la comprensión de la biodiversidad. Las infecciones endoparásitas pueden estar asociadas a la historia evolutiva del huésped del parásito o variar según la dieta y el hábitat; así, es importante investigar tales infecciones en distintos ambientes, a la vez que las condiciones ambientales y disponibilidad de recursos pueden influir en la composición y estructura de los helmintos en ensambles de serpientes. Aquí, investigamos los endoparásitos asociados con Philodryas olfersii (Lichtenstein, 1823), y presentamos la revisión bibliográfica de los endoparásitos asociados con el género Philodryas. Buscamos los endoparásitos relaccionados con la serpiente P. olfersii en el Delta del Parnaíba, región costera del estado de Piauí, noreste de Brasil. Hemos analizado la presencia de ectoparásitos en la epidermis y la cavidad oral, y endoparásitos en los siguientes órganos: tracto digestivo, pulmones, corazón, hígado y riñones, utilizando los descriptores parasitológicos: prevalencia, abundancia, abundancia promedio e intensidad promedio de infección, para describir la comunidad de endoparásitos. Registramos 312 especímenes de endoparásitos pertenecientes a nueve tasas: Kalicephalus costatus Rudolphi, 1819, Strongyloides ophidiae Pereira 1929, Physaloptera sp., Physalopteroides venancioi Lent, Freitas & Proença, 1946, larva de Cosmocercidae, Raillietiella furcocerca (Diesing, 1835), Ophiotaenia sp., cistacantos y un trematodo digenea no identificado. Nematodos y pentastómidos fueron los taxones más abundantes infectando P. olfersii. Nuestros resultados contribuyen a la expansión del conocimiento acerca de los endoparásitos de P. olfersii, con destaque para la naturaleza pionera del presente estudio, el primero en investigar el parasitismo en reptiles del Delta del Parnaíba; por consiguiente, alentamos más estudios parasitológicos con vista a mejorar la comprensión de la relación parásito-huésped en serpientes brasileñas, sobre todo en ambientes costeros.