Metacercariae of Strigeidae Parasitizing Amphibians of the Chaco Region in Argentina

Abstract

The goal of the present study was to analyze the metacercariae found in adult amphibians collected in the Argentinean Chaco region. A total of 194 frogs, Leptodactylus chaquensis, Leptodactylus latinasus, and Lepidobatrachus laevis was examined for digeneans. Three different larval trematodes of the genus Strigea (Digenea, Strigeidae) were found infecting the liver, mesentery, body cavity, and muscle of frogs. These metacercariae are described and illustrated for the first time and provide new information on the composition of metacercariae in amphibians, thus contributing to the knowledge of larval trematodes biodiversity in the Neotropical region. We also present new information on the morphology and morphometry of strigeid metacercariae.

Exploring Neotropical anuran parasites: a morphological, life cycle and phylogenetic study of Catadiscus marinholutzi (Trematoda: Diplodiscidae)

“…However, studies focused on life cycle of trematodes parasitizing cold-blooded tetrapods, especially amphibians, are comparatively scarce worldwide. This scientific gap is more pronounced in South America, where despite the great diversity of these parasites reported in amphibians, either as definitive or second intermediate hosts (Hamann and González, 2009;Campião et al, 2014;Fernandes and Kohn, 2014;Hamann et al, 2019Hamann et al, , 2020aQueiroz et al, 2019Queiroz et al, , 2020, most species remain with their life cycle and phylogenetic position unknown. In fact, only one species of trematode that uses anurans as definitive hosts (Halipegus dubius Klein, 1905) had its life cycle elucidated by experimental studies in South America (Paraense, 1992;Ostrowski de Núñez and Gil de Pertierra, 2004).…”