Acanthocephala Larvae parasitizing Ameiva ameiva ameiva (Linnaeus, 1758) (Squamata: Teiidae)

Abstract

Knowledge concerning the taxonomy and biology of species of Acanthocephala, helminth parasites of the helminth species of the phylum Acanthocephala, parasites of lizards in Brazilian Amazonia, is still insufficient, but reports of Acanthocephala in reptiles are becoming increasingly common in the literature. Cystacanth-stage Acanthocephalan larvae have been found in the visceral peritoneum during necropsy of Ameiva ameiva ameiva lizards from the "Osvaldo Rodrigues da Cunha" Herpetology Collection of the Emílio Goeldi Museum, Belém, Pará, Brazil. The aim of this study was to present the morphological study of the Acanthocephala larvae found in A. ameiva ameiva lizard.Keywords: Amazonia, Oligacanthorhynchidae, cystacanths. ResumoO conhecimento a respeito da taxonomia e da biologia das espécies de Acanthocephala, helmintos parasitos das espécies de lagartos da Amazônia Brasileira ainda é insuficiente, mas o registro do encontro de acantocéfalos em répteis é cada vez mais comum na literatura. Foram encontradas larvas de acantocéfalos em fase cistacanto durante a necropsia, no peritônio visceral, de lagartos Ameiva ameiva ameiva provenientes da Coleção Herpetológica "Osvaldo Rodrigues da Cunha" do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Pará. O objetivo é apresentar um estudo morfológico de larvas de Acanthocephala encontradas em A. ameiva ameiva.Palavras-chave: Amazônia, Oligacanthorhynchidae, cistacanto. The phylum Acanthocephala Kohlreuther, 1771, consists of four classes: Polyacanthocephala Amin, 1987, Archiacanthocephala Meyer, 1931, Palaeacanthocephala Meyer, 1931, and Eoacanthocephala Van Cleave, 1936(AMIN, 1987AMIN, 2013). This group of obligate, parasitic helminths parasitizes invertebrates and vertebrates as intermediate and definitive hosts, respectively, during one or more stages in its lifecycle. Occasionally, to allow the helminth to complete its lifecycle, another type of host can be used as a bridge species to link the intermediate and definitive hosts. This host is known as a paratenic or transport host, i.e., it is a vertebrate host that does not allow the complete development of the parasite (SCHMIDT, 1985;ROBERTS & JANOVY, 2009 -PIRES, 1995;HARVEY et al., 2012; GIUGLIANO et al., 2013;). Ameiva ameiva ameiva has generalist diurnal habits and occupies both open and forested areas, which facilitates or leads to parasitism by several helminth species and makes it an excellent paratenic host (AVILA-PIRES, 1995;RIBAS et al., 1998;ÁVILA & SILVA, 2010). The aim of this study was to present morphological aspects of the Acanthocephala larvae found in the visceral peritoneum during necropsy of A. ameiva ameiva.Fifteen specimens of A. ameiva ameiva lizards, fixed in 10% formaldehyde and preserved in 70% ethanol (10 male specimens and five female specimens), were obtained from the "Osvaldo Rodrigues da Cunha" Herpetology Collection of the Emílio Goeldi Museum (Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi -MPEG). These hosts Macedo, L.C. et al.Braz. J. Vet. Parasitol. 120were originally collected in the Caxiuanã Nation...

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“…The previous studies have reported similar findings of the cystacanth stage infecting various species of reptiles, such as rainbow lizards ( Mabuya quinquetaeniata ), ameiva lizards ( Ameiva ameiva ), and coastal clawed geckos ( Gonatodes antillensis ). Moreover, the predilection of cystacanth has also been reported in various body cavities, including subcutaneous tissues, causing nodules as a pathological sign [ 26 , 28 , 29 ].…”