First report of cestode infection in the crustacean Artemia persimilis from Southern Chilean Patagonia and its relation with the Neotropical aquatic birds

Abstract

The brine shrimp Artemia Leach (Crustacea, Branchiopoda), a keystone species in extremely saline wetlands all over the world, offers an excellent model to study species interactions (parasitism) and to elucidate “hidden fauna” (avian endoparasites). The present study is the first report on the parasite infection of the South American species Artemia persimilis from the Southern Chilean Patagonia (50ºS-53ºS). Samples were collected in Los Cisnes and Amarga lagoons, the two most austral populations of this crustacean described to date, during two seasons (spring and autumn). A total of 98 larvae of cestodes of the family Hymenolepididae (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea) were found and identified as belonging to the following taxa: Confluaria podicipina (adult parasitic in grebes), Flamingolepis sp. (a cestode parasite of flamingos), Fimbriarioides (?) sp. (adults of the species of this genus infect waterfowl and shorebirds) and Wardium sp. (definitive host unknown, most probably charadriiform birds). This is a new geographical record of C. podicipina and the undescribed species Fimbriarioides (?) sp. for the Neotropical Region, the latter being the most widely distributed species at both localities and seasons surveyed, and the only species recorded in autumn (April). Cestode community composition in the Los Cisnes population was characterised by dominance of Flamingolepis sp., representing more than 65% of the total cestode species recorded, whereas in the Amarga population the most abundant parasite (> 83%) was Fimbriarioides (?) sp. Significant seasonal variations were detected in Cisnes lagoon for Flamingolepis sp. and C. podicipina, with exclusive presence of them in spring (November). Besides providing novel information on cestodes infection in A. persimilis, this study provides new data on the life-cycle of cestodes of Neotropical aquatic birds such as South American flamingos and grebes. Our finding expands the knowledge on the biodiversity and population dynamics of extreme and unique environments from high latitudes (Patagonia), but makes evident the need of further taxonomical and ecological studies to better understanding the life cycle of avian helminth parasites in the Neotropics, and to elucidate the role of aquatic invertebrates in the parasite life cycle in hypersaline wetlands from the Americas.

Checklist and state of knowledge of helminths in wild birds from Chile: an update

“…Furthermore, shorebirds act as definitive hosts as well (Khalil et al 1994). For the second example, this tapeworm has been isolated in the same brine shrimp as Confluaria podicipina, which use grebes as definitive hosts (Redón et al 2019). However, in the silvery grebe from Chile, this group has been identified only to genus level (González-Acuña et al 2017).…”

“…third larval stages of Contracaecum multipapillatum (herons and pelicans as DH) in the flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) (Fernández 1987, Anderson 2000, cystacanths of Profilicollis chasmagnathi (aquatic birds as DH) in estuarine crabs (Rodríguez et al 2017b , Hernández-Orts et al 2019 and cysticercoids of Fimbriarioides sp. (waterfowl and shorebirds as DH) in brine shrimps (Khalil et al 1994, Redón et al 2019. Hereafter, additional surveys on wild hosts incorporating a precise identification of worms through the use of morphological and molecular tools, and also experimental infections, could elucidate the hosts and features of these unknown life cycles in the country (e.g.…”

“…There is an evident lack of knowledge for newly described species in avian hosts regarding their life cycles in the country with only the avian hosts known to date and no data on the intermediate hosts (heteroxenous life cycles). However, there is a particular case with the possible larval stage isolated reported by Redón et al (2019) Although there were other areas of science considered in conjunction with helminthological research, these were just a few; only 2 studies were focused on ecology and other 6 had a pathological focus. In consequence, and considering the importance for understanding the effects of parasitism on wild bird populations (Wobeser 2008), there is a poor understanding of the diverse interactions between helminth fauna and wild birds in Chile.…”