Helminths of the Mallard, Anas Platyrhynchos (Aves, Anatidae), in Ukraine: Analysis of the Diversity in Mixed Forest Zone and the Black Sea Region

Abstract

Thirty-eight Mallards were collected on the territory of Ukrainian Polissia to study the fauna of their gastro-intestinal helminths. Materials were collected in 1998-2000, 2014 and 2016 on the territory of Volyn and Chernihiv Regions. In total, 33 species of helminths were found. Th e prevalence of cestode infection was 78.9 %. We found 18 cestode species: Aploparaksis furcigera, Cloacotaenia megalops, Dicranotaenia coronula, Diorchis acuminatus, D. stefanskii, Fimbriaria fasciolaris, F. teresae, Microsomacanthus compressa, M. spiralibursata, M. paracompressa, M. paramicrosoma, M. parvula, M. hopkinsi, Platyscolex ciliata, Retinometra venusta, Sobolevicanthus aculeostyleticus, S. gracilis, S. stolli. Th e prevalence of trematode infection was 73.7 %. Th ere were 10 trematode species: Bilharziella polonica, Apatemon gracilis, Echinoparyphium aconitum, E. cinctum, Echinostoma revolutum group, Hypoderaeum conoideum, Notocotylus attenuatus, Parastrigea robusta, Prosthogonimus ovatus, P. cuneatus.Th e prevalence of nematode infection was 7.9 %. Th ere were four nematode species: Capillaria anatis, Capillariidae gen. sp., Eucoleus contorta, Tetrameres fi ssispina. Th e prevalence of an acanthocephalan Filicollis anatis was 18.4 %. Th e most common species of helminths were A. furcigera, B. polonica, A. gracilis, Echinostoma revolutum group, F. fasciolaris, H. conoideum. Th e helminth faunas of Mallards from the territory of Ukrainian Polissia and from the Black Sea Region of Ukraine were compared. Th e results of comparison demonstrated a high level of their qualitative similarity.

Helminths of the mallardAnas platyrhynchosLinnaeus, 1758 from Austria, with emphasis on the morphological variability ofPolymorphus minutusGoeze, 1782

“…This stands in contrast to most literature on the nematodes of mallards. Pav & Zajicek (1963), Birova & Macko (1984), Fedynich & Pence (1994), Kavetska et al (2008), Yoshino et al (2009) and Syrota et al (2018) identified between four and nine species. Only De Jong (1976) reported negative results from mallards from the Netherlands.…”

“…The acanthocephalan species recovered in this study accord well with other studies from this host. Specimens of the genus Polymorphusnamely, P. minutus and its junior synonym P. magnus (the status of P. magnus is discussed in the introduction) and F. anatis are the two taxa recorded from Europe (Pav & Zajicek, 1963;Macko, 1979;Birova & Macko, 1984;Kavetska et al, 2008;Crompton & Harrison, 2009;Syrota et al, 2018). One other acanthocephalan genus, Corynosoma, was recorded in mallards from North America, the species being Corynosoma constrictum Van Cleave, 1918(Van Cleave & Starrett, 1940Fedynich & Pence, 1994).…”