Although mites are often associated with reptiles, there is little information available about parasites of lizards in Brazil. The aim of this study was to identify the ectoparasites of the lizards Kentropyx calcarata (Squamata: Teiidae), Hemidactylus mabouia (Squamata: Gekkonidae) and Tropidurus hispidus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) from northeastern Brazil. The lizards were captured during the dry season at Mata de Tejipió, a fragment of Atlantic Forest, located in the municipality of Recife, state of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. Eutrombicula sp. (Acari: Trombiculidae), Geckobia hemidactyli and Geckobiella harrisi (Acari: Pterygosomatidae) were found associated with adult lizards of K. calcarata, H. mabouia, and T. hispidus, respectively. Mites were found in skin folds of the throat and post femoral regions (Eutrombicula sp.), “mite-pockets” (G. harrisi); and in axillary, dorsal, ventral and pelvic regions (G. hemidactyli). In Brazil, this study widens the known geographical distribution of Geckobiella harrisi on T. hispidus and G. hemidactyli on H. mabouia. In addition, K. calcarata is recorded as a new host of Eutrombicula sp. These findings show the importance of ectoparasites as a tool for ecological and biogeographic studies.
The composition of macro endoparasites associated with the lizard Norops fuscoauratus (Squamata) was analysed in two localities in the Atlantic Forest on the northeast of Brazil between December 2012 and July 2015. 74 specimens of N. fuscoauratus were examined and five species of helminths were reported, being: (a) for the population of Pernambuco: Cystacanth (Prevalence=37.5%), Physaloptera retusa Rudolphi, 1819 (Prevalence=4.16%), larva of flatworm (Prevalence=2.08%), Rhabdias sp. (Prevalence=2.08%) and Strongyluris oscari Travassos, 1923 (Prevalence=2.08%), and (b) of Alagoas: S. oscari (Prevalence=17.85%) and Rhabdias sp. (Prevalence=3.57%). The differences in the composition of endoparasites in the two populations are attributed to individualities of environments occupied by the lizards. The collection period does not influence the abundance of parasites, but when associated with sex, there was a positive correlation with the abundance of helminths, with more females than males being infected with parasites in the rainy season.
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