Helminthes of an exotic species, the bullfrog lithobates catesbeianus, and relation with parasites of a native amphibian community from atlantic rain forest, brazil

• Autores: Gislayne de Melo Toledo, Reinaldo José da Silva, Luciano Alves dos Anjos
• Localización: The Biologist, ISSN-e 1994-9073, ISSN 1816-0719, Vol. 10, Nº. Extra 2 (julio-diciembre), 2012
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The aim of this study was to compare the helminth fauna of Lithobates catesbeianus, an exotic invader species, with parasites from native amphibian community living at secondary forest fragment of Atlantic Rainforest in the municipality of São Luiz do Paraitinga, São Paulo State, Brazil. A total of 144 amphibians from seven species was euthanatized: Hypsiboas albopunctatus (n = 36), H. faber (n = 10), Leptodactylus latrans (n = 36), L. catesbeianus (n = 16), Physalaemus cuvieri (n = 17), Proceratophrys boiei (n = 11) and Rhinella icterica (n = 18). Gastrointestinal tract, lungs, kidneys, liver, urinary bladder and the coelomic cavity were surveyed for parasites. The helminth fauna was composed of 13 taxa as follow: Cosmocercidae gen. sp., Falcaustra mascula, Ochoterenella sp., Ochoterenella vellardi, Oswaldocruzia subauricularis, Physaloptera sp., Raillietnema simples, Rhabdias sp., Schrankiana sp. (Nematoda), Gorgoderina parvicava, Haematoloechus fuelleborni (Trematoda), Polystoma cuvieri (Monogenea) and larvae of Cestoda. In L. catesbeianus only Cosmocercidae gen. sp. was found, as in H. albopunctatus, but this showed a greater number of helminths than that found in L. catesbeianus (41 and 5, respectively). The overall prevalence of L. catesbeianus was the lowest among the analyzed species of amphibians (6.2%), while R. icterica presented the higher prevalence (100%). Lithobates catesbeianus and H. albopunctatus showed the lowest values of mean intensity of infection (5 and 2.4 ± 3.3, respectively). The lowest mean richness of helminths was also found in L. catesbeianus (0.06 ± 0.25) while R. icterica had the higher richness (2.9 ± 1.2). Information on parasite community of the introduced species is important to establish the reasons for its success or failure as colonizer. We observed that L. catesbeianus had lower prevalence and richness of parasites than native species. No parasite species of the native region of L. catesbeianus was found in this study, it can be said that these parasites could not to establish this new environment or the specimens introduced were free of parasites. This information is of great importance since it shows the general principles involved in the risk of species introduction.