Helminth communities ofLeptodactylus latrans(Anura: Leptodactylidae) from the Atlantic rainforest, south-eastern Brazil

Abstract

The helminth fauna associated with Leptodactylus latrans, a large frog living in a disturbed environment of Atlantic rainforest in south-eastern Brazil, was evaluated. We found eight helminth taxa, including five nematode species, Falcaustra mascula, Oswaldocruzia subauricularis, Physaloptera sp., Rhabdias sp. and an unidentified cosmocercid, two trematodes, Gorgoderina parvicava and Haematoloechus fuelleborni, and one larval cestode. The overall prevalence of infection was 63.2% with a mean intensity of 11.3 ± 3.8. The cosmocercid nematode and O. subauricularis showed the highest prevalences, although the trematode G. parvicava was the most abundant and dominant parasite species. Host size positively influenced both the intensity of infection and parasite species richness. Our data suggest that the juvenile individuals of L. latrans are more susceptible to parasitic infection than the adults. The comparison of the similarity of this community component with that found in other studies in South America shows that, as well as the characteristics of the host, the sampling area also influences the parasitic fauna. Therefore, the results of this study agree that the helminth communities of frogs have relatively low species richness and dominance of generalist species.

Helminth communities from amphibians inhabiting agroecosystems in the Pampean Region (Argentina)

“…Habitat and mobility (water-ground) of the host, associated with the search for prey, could favour the penetration of the infective stages of the helminths, resulting in a richer and more diverse parasitic community (Hamann et al, 2013b). These data agree with those obtained by different authors for populations of L. latrans (Vicente & Santos, 1976;Stumpf, 1981Stumpf, /1982Goldberg et al, 2009;Toledo et al, 2015) and are similar to those reported for other leptodactylids in Argentina (Hamann et al, 2006a(Hamann et al, , b, 2012. Leptodactylus latrans has a wide range of associated helminths, characteristic of both aquatic and terrestrial environments.…”

“…Leptodactylus latrans presented the highest prevalence, abundance, and species richness at infracommunity level. As discussed above, characteristics of this host such as its size, habit (semiaquatic) and diet (generalist) were related to its associated parasite community, and these results agree with previous ecological studies carried out on the helminth fauna of this host species in the Neotropical region (Toledo et al, 2015). According to Campião et al (2015) an average of four studies is needed to describe 50% of the parasite richness in anuran amphibians and only 22% of South American anurans presently match this criterion.…”

Helmintos Asociados Con 15 Especies De Anuros De La Meseta De Ibiapaba, en El Noreste De Brasil

“…Host body size can influence the establishment of parasite communities; usually larger individuals offer larger colonization areas providing adequate resources for parasite development and reproduction (Poulin, 2004;Campião et al, 2016b). Besides, some studies suggest that body size influence on species richness and abundance of parasitic helminths (Yoder & Coggins, 2007;Ibrahim, 2008;Hamann et al, 2012Hamann et al, , 2013Toledo et al, 2015Toledo et al, , 2017. In the present study, the overall size and the size of some amphibian individuals were a determining factor in the richness and abundance of parasite species.…”

“…According to Toledo et al (2017), this fact may be related to the greater surface area available for colonization by parasites, as well as the greater intake and more diversified diet of larger frogs. However, an interesting case was observed for L. vastus, in which the abundance of parasites were negatively correlated with host size, contrasting to the pattern mentioned above (Poulin, 2004;Yoder & Coggins, 2007;Ibrahim, 2008;Hamann et al, 2012Hamann et al, , 2013Campião et al, 2016b;Toledo et al, 2015Toledo et al, , 2017).…”

Digenetic helminths of Leptodactylus latrans (Anura: Leptodactylidae) and Rhinella dorbignyi (Anura: Bufonidae) in southern Brazil

“…This study characterizes the first reports of helminths on L. latrans in Rio Grande do Sul State, since these digenetic helminths had already been reported on this host in other Brazilian regions (Lent et al, 1946;Yamaguti, 1958;Travassos et al,1969;Yamaguti, 1971;Rodrigues et al, 1990;Goldberg et al, 2009;Campião et al, 2014;Toledo et al, 2015Toledo et al, , 2018 and in other countries in South America (Lent et al, 1946;Yamaguti, 1958;Mañé-Garzón & González, 1978;Lunaschi & Drago, 2010). Most studies have a taxonomic nature and there is little information about infection rates.…”