The parameters of infection by lung parasites from two sympatric lizards, Mabuya arajara and Anolis brasiliensis, from the Atlantic Rainforest of the lower slope of Chapada do Araripe in Northeastern Brazil were analyzed between September, 2009 and July, 2010. A total of 202 lizards were collected. 125 specimens were from Mabuya arajara and 77 from Anolis brasiliensis. M. arajara was infected by the pentastomid Raillietiella mottae while A. brasiliensis was infected by the nematode Rhabdias sp., with an overall prevalence of 1.6% and 28.6%, respectively. The mean intensity of infection by Rhabdias sp. was 3.63 ± 2.58 (range 1-15). The body size and sex of lizards did not influence the intensity of infection by Rhabdias sp. The overall prevalence was also not different between males and females hosts in A. brasiliensis. Both Anolis brasiliensis and Mabuya arajara represent a new host to Rhabdias sp. and Raillietiella mottae, respectively.Keywords: lizard, pulmonary infection, pentastomida, nematoda.Infecção pulmonar em dois lagartos simpátricos, Mabuya arajara (Scincidae) e Anolis brasiliensis na mata-úmida da Chapada do Araripe, Ceará, Nordeste do Brasil Resumo Os parâmetros de infecção por parasitas pulmonares em dois lagartos simpátricos, Mabuya arajara e Anolis brasiliensis, da floresta úmida da encosta da Chapada do Araripe, Nordeste do Brasil, foram analisados entre setembro de 2009 e julho de 2010. Um total de 202 lagartos foi coletado, sendo 125 espécimes de Mabuya arajara e 77 de Anolis brasiliensis. M. arajara estava infectado pelo pentastomídeo Raillietiella mottae, enquanto A. brasiliensis apresentava infecção pelo nematódeo Rhabdias sp., com prevalência total de 1,6% e 28,6%, respectivamente. A intensidade média de infecção por Rhabdias sp. foi 3,63 ± 2,58 (amplitude 1-15). O tamanho e o gênero dos lagartos não influenciaram a intensidade de infecção por Rhabdias sp. A prevalência também não apresentou diferença entre machos e fêmeas em A.brasiliensis. Ambos, Anolis brasiliensis e Mabuya arajara, representam novos hospedeiros para Rhabdias sp. e Raillietiella mottae, respectivamente.Palavras-chave: lagarto, infecção pulmonar, pentastomida, nematoda.

We compared lizard endoparasite assemblages between the Atlantic Forest and naturally isolated forest enclaves to test the ecological release hypothesis, which predicts that host specificity should be lower (large niche breadth) and parasite abundance should be greater for parasites from isolated forest enclaves (poor assemblages) than for parasites from the coastal Atlantic Forest (rich assemblages). Parasite richness per specimen showed no difference between the isolated and non-isolated areas. Parasite abundance did not differ between the isolated and non-isolated areas but showed a positive relationship with parasite richness considering all areas (isolated and non-isolated). Furthermore, host specificity was positively related to parasite richness. Considering that host specificity is inversely proportional to the host range infected by a parasite, our results indicate that in assemblages with greater parasite richness, parasites tend to infect a smaller range of hosts than do those in simple assemblages. In summary, our study partially supports the ecological release hypothesis: in assemblages with greater parasite richness, lizard parasites from Atlantic Forest are able to increase their parasite abundance (per host), possibly through facilitated infection; however, the amplitude of infected hosts only expands in poor assemblages (lower parasite richness).

Helminths and pentastomids were examined in exotic Hemidactylus mabouia and native Phyllopezus pollicaris lizards, living synanthropically in an urban area in the municipality of Crato, Ceará state, northeastern Brazil. A total of 194 lizards were collected, being 76 specimens of H. mabouia e 118 specimens of P. pollicaris. Six parasite species were found infecting H. mabouia: the cestode Oochoristica sp., the nematodes Parapharyngodon sceleratus, Physaloptera retusa, Physalopteroides venancioi, and Spauligodon oxkutzcabiensis and the pentastomid Raillietiella mottae; while four parasite species were found associated with P. pollicaris: Oochoristica sp., P. sceleratus, P. retusa, and S. oxkutzcabiensis. Three new host records were reported: P. retusa infecting H. mabouia and P. retusa and Oochoristica sp. infecting P. pollicaris. About 75% of the parasites species found were shared by both lizards. Moreover, H. mabouia showed greater diversity than P. pollicaris (6 versus 4 species), while P. pollicaris had higher intensity of infection than H. mabouia (1536 versus 121 specimens).

We provide data on the helminth fauna from the digestive tract of the lizard Mabuya arajara Rebouças-Spieker, 1981 from Chapada do Araripe, northeastern Brazil. Seventy one of the 127 lizards examined (56%) were infected with four nematode species: Physalopteroides venancioi and Physaloptera sp. (Physalopteridae), Strongyluris oscari (Heterakidae), and Parapharyngodon alvarengai (Pharyngodonidae), the latter being the component species (prevalence 53.5%; mean intensity of infection 3.37 ± 2.0; discrepancy index D = 0.69). The helminth P. alvarengai infected M. arajara throughout the year and showed increased infection rates in July, at the beginning of the dry season. In addition to the relationship with seasonality, lizards with greater body length and/or body mass were more infected. Relationships between number of parasites and body mass and with the sexes of lizards, on the other hand, were not found. Mabuya arajara represents a new host for these nematodes. This study contributes to the knowledge of the helminth fauna associated with the digestive tract of lizards from South America and the Caatinga domain.

Abstract:We investigated the parasites of five lizard species belonging to Phyllodactylidae (Phyllopezus pollicaris and Gymnodactylus geckoides) and Gekkonidae (Hemidactylus agrius, Lygodactylus klugei and Hemidactylus brasilianus) families in a semiarid region of Brazil. Six nematode species were identified: Parapharyngodon alvarengai and Spauligodon oxkutzcabiensis (Pharyngodonidae), Physaloptera lutzi (Physalopteridae), Skrjabinelazia intermedia (Seuratidae), Trichospirura sp. (Rhabdochonidae) and Piratuba sp. (Onchocercidae), and a cestode species, Oochoristica sp. (Linstowiidae). The most prevalent species were Spauligodon oxkutzcabiensis, which infected P. pollicaris (75%), and Parapharyngodon alvarengai, which infected G. geckoides (29%). South American lizards were identified as being new hosts for the Trichospirura genus (a usual parasite of mammals), and there were 16 new occurrences of parasite species in the five lizard species studied herein. Keywords

The distribution of parasites within host populations and communities, and the mechanisms responsible for these patterns, are poorly understood aspects of wildlife parasitology. Here, we evaluate the influence of the average abundance of endoparasite variance, using endoparasites of lizards from the Caatinga domain (semiarid region), north-eastern Brazil. We hypothesized that, due to the high number of generalist endoparasite species, they may occur randomly throughout host populations in an aggregate pattern. In addition, we evaluated the degree to which sample variance is influenced by the average abundance of endoparasite species, patterns of co-occurrence and dominance among endoparasite species and similarities between abundance and the richness of endoparasite infracommunities in several host species. Between September 2015 and February 2016, 2141 lizards (1233 infected) from 16 species were collected from six Caatinga areas. In total, 25,687 endoparasites were collected, which belonged to 13 species including nematodes, pentastomids, cestodes, trematodes and acanthocephalans. Parasite–host associations documented here included 39 newly identified interactions. Endoparasites occurred in a typical aggregate pattern of distribution within their hosts; there was no measurable preference related to the acquisition of hosts by endoparasites. Despite the new records, endoparasites found were commonly associated with lizards in Caatinga environments, which may reflect fauna composed of generalist endoparasite species.

The lizard Salvator merianae is a widely distributed species in South America, occurring from southern Amazonia to the eastern Andes and northern Patagonia. Studies on the parasitic fauna of this lizard have revealed that it is a host for helminths in various Brazilian biomes. The present work provides new parasitological data on the gastrointestinal nematodes associated with the lizard S. merianae. Sixteen specimens were analyzed from nine different locations in a semi-arid region in northeastern Brazil. Five species of nematodes were identified. Oswaldofilaria petersi was first recorded as a parasite of the S. merianae, thus increasing the knowledge of the fauna of parasites that infect large Neotropical lizards.Keywords: parasitism, nematode, Oswaldofilaria petersi, Brazilian semiarid. Helmintos do lagarto

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