Overwintering of helminths in the garter snake (<i>Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis</i>)

Rau, Manfred E.; Gordon, David M.

doi:10.1139/z78-241

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Other factors that may affect sperm quality and quantity, such as parasite loads and intrinsic resistance and tolerance of parasites (e.g., Liljedal, Folstad & Skarstein, , Måsvaer, Liljedal & Folstad, ) deserve immediate investigation. Males of this species harbor multiple genera of helminth parasites including trematodes that are found in close association with the gonads and fat stores (Rau & Gordon, ; Uhrig, pers. comm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intrapopulational variation of ejaculate traits and sperm depletion in red‐sided garter snakes

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Female sexual promiscuity is a prevalent element of mating systems. One consequence of female sexual promiscuity is that male-male competition often continues post-copulation within the female's reproductive tract. According to theory, the number of sperm a male inseminates relative to his rivals strongly predicts his fertilization success. However, sperm quality is also important, especially when males are sperm limited and female sperm storage is prevalent. In this study, we examined intrapopulational variation in sperm numbers and ejaculate quality (sperm mobility) in male red-sided garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis, and determined whether these traits varied with male body size and condition over successive matings. We obtained sperm by dissolving copulatory plugs collected from natural matings, which enabled us to also test whether males allocated more sperm to larger, more fecund females. We found significant variation in ejaculate quality among males and that small males transferred as many sperm as large males. Total sperm numbers declined significantly from a male's first to second ejaculate suggesting that males may become significantly sperm depleted across successive matings. The mass of the relatively sperm-free posterior portion of the copulatory plug that remained after liberation of sperm was correlated with copulation duration. Males copulated longer with larger females; however, longer copulation durations did not correlate with total sperm. Thus, males may allocate more copulatory plug material to larger females to guard against her remating, instead of allocating more sperm.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intrapopulational variation of ejaculate traits and sperm depletion in red‐sided garter snakes

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…They are also found in scincid, gekkonid, anguid and varanid lizards. Furthermore, Cylindrotaenia americana has been recorded from the turtle Trionyx spinifera in the USA (McKnight, 1959) and one unidentified species of Cylindrotaenia has been recorded from a colubrid snake, Thamnophis s. sirtalis in Canada (Rau & Gordon, 1978). The snake readily eats frogs (J. C. Pearson, personal communication) and may have acquired infection accidentally.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…149). A member of this group may also occur in colubrid snakes (Rau & Gordon, 1978). The second, the C. criniae group, parasitizes leptodactylid and hylid frogs, and scincid and gekkonid lizards in the Australasian region (Fig.…”

Section: Cylindrotaeniamentioning

confidence: 99%

A taxonomic revision of the Nematotaeniidae L�he, 1910 (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea)

Jones

1987

Syst Parasitol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Infection by Alaria spp. have been frequently noted for a number of Thamnophis species including T. sirtalis (Rau and Gordon 1978; Goldberg and Bursey 2002; Jiménez-Ruiz, García-Prieto, and De León 2009). In red-sided garter snakes, necropsies have revealed the vast majority of Alaria spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Alaria mesocercariae in the tails of red-sided garter snakes: evidence for parasite-mediated caudectomy

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Trematodes of the genus Alaria develop into an arrested stage, known as mesocercariae, within their amphibian second intermediate host. The mesocercariae are frequently transmitted to a non-obligate paratenic host before reaching a definitive host where further development and reproduction can occur. Snakes are common paratenic hosts for Alaria spp. with the mesocercariae often aggregating in the host’s tail. In the current study, we used morphological examination and molecular analyses based on partial sequences of nuclear large ribosomal subunit gene and mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 gene to identify larvae in the tails of red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) as mesocercariae of Alaria marcianae, Alaria mustelae, and Alaria sp. as well as metacercariae of Diplostomidae sp. of unknown generic affiliation. We assessed infection prevalence, absolute and relative intensity, and associated pathological changes in these snakes. Infection prevalence was 100% for both male and female snakes. Infection intensity ranged from 11 to more than 2,000 mesocercariae per snake tail, but did not differ between the sexes. Gross pathological changes included tail swelling while histopathological changes included mild inflammation and the presence of mucus-filled pseudocysts surrounding mesocercariae, as well as the compression and degeneration of muscle fibers. Our results indicate that mesocercariae can lead to extensive muscle damage and loss in both sexes which likely increases the fragility of the tail making it more prone to breakage. As tail loss in garter snakes can affect both survival and reproduction, infection by Alaria mesocercariae clearly has serious fitness implications for these snakes.

show abstract

Overwintering of helminths in the garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)

Cited by 9 publications

References 7 publications

Intrapopulational variation of ejaculate traits and sperm depletion in red‐sided garter snakes

Intrapopulational variation of ejaculate traits and sperm depletion in red‐sided garter snakes

A taxonomic revision of the Nematotaeniidae L�he, 1910 (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea)

Alaria mesocercariae in the tails of red-sided garter snakes: evidence for parasite-mediated caudectomy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About