Parasitic Helminths from Paraguay VI: Cosmocera Diesing, 1861 (Nematoda: Cosmocercoidea) from Frogs

Abstract

Description (Fig. 1): Cosmocercinae. Oral opening triangular, three small lips present. Cephalic extremity with four large outer papillae and six minute inner labial papillae. Anterior extremity of oesophagus with three tooth-like projections covered with thick cuticle. Lateral alae extending from level of nerve ring to posterior-most pair of plectanes in male and to middle of tail in females. Somatic papillae numerous, in two subventral and two subdorsal rows extending from anterior to posterior end.

Body size, diet and endoparasites of the microhylid frog Chiasmocleis capixaba in an Atlantic Forest area of southern Bahia state, Brazil

“…Chiasmocleis capixaba represents a new host record for this nematode. in the Americas, C. ornata has been previously reported only from paraguay (Baker & Vaucher, 1984); thus, the present study represents its second record from the new World and the first from Brazil.…”

Helminth parasites of Leptodactylus podicipinus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from south-eastern Pantanal, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

“…were the most prevalent nematode species. The former infects several anuran species and occurs in many countries in South America (Baker & Vaucher, 1984;González & Hamann, 2004;Goldberg et al, 2007). The infection occurs by penetration of the infective larvae through the host's skin.…”

“…This anuran can be found in forests and on the margins of permanent and temporary ponds (Prado et al, 2000). The only record of endoparasites infecting L. podicipinus is from Baker & Vaucher (1984), describing the species Cosmocerca podicipinus Baker & Vaucher, 1984 in specimens collected in Paraguay. In Brazil, despite being fairly abundant in the Pantanal floodplain, there are no records of parasitism in this species.…”

Diet and nematode infection in Proceratoprhys boiei (Anura: Cycloramphidae) from two Atlantic rainforest remnants in Southeastern Brazil

“…Cosmocerca parva was first described in Hylodes nasus from Angra dos Reis, in Rio de Janeiro State, and later reported parasitizing Leptodactylus marmoratus, L. latrans, L. fuscus, L. mystaceus and Physalaemus soaresi in Brazil, Rhinella schneideri, Scinax fuscovarius, Leptodactylus chaquensis and L. elenae in Paraguay, and Rhinella granulosa in Argentina (Fábio 1981, Baker and Vaucher 1984, Mordeglia and Digiani 1998. Species of Cosmocerca are monoxenous, and infection occurs through active skin penetration (and also, occasionally, by ingestion) by infecting larvae (Anderson 2000).…”