Pattern of anuran infection by acanthocephalans from the Cerrado, Northeastern Brazil with a summary for South America

Abstract

In Brazil, acanthocephalans parasitise anurans in several biomes. In the present study, we performed an analysis of acanthocephalan infections across 175 anuran individuals from the Cerrado biome, belonging to ten species: Boana raniceps, Pithecopus hypochondrialis, Scinax fuscomarginatus, Scinax x-signatus, Leptodactylus pustulatus, Leptodactylus macrosternum, Leptodactylus vastus, Physalaemus cuvieri, Adenomera hylaedactyla, and Elachistocleis piauiensis. We also verified the specificity of the parasites using the STD* index. Additionally, we conducted a survey of acanthocephalan infection in anurans in South America. The studied assemblage in the Brazilian Cerrado presented 57 parasitised hosts of 175 specimens (overall prevalence: 32.6%). In total, 437 acanthocephalans cystacanths were recorded, among which 286 presented the same morphotype but could not be identified, 148 belonged to the genus Centrorhynchus, and three belonged to Oncicola. Unidentified acanthocephalans had a higher prevalence in L. vastus (53.85%) and the highest intensity was in L. pustulatus (17±16). The highest prevalence of Centrorhynchus sp. was in the species S. fuscomarginatus (28.57%), while the highest intensity was observed in L. vastus (111). The taxon Oncicola sp. it had a prevalence of 3.23% and an intensity of 3 only in S. x-signatus. The highest specificity was recorded for Oncicola sp. (STD*= 1), whereas the lowest was found in Centrorhynchus sp. (STD*= 2.21). Finally, according to the survey for South America, we found ten records of acanthocephalan taxa parasitizing 58 species of anurans distributed in seven countries (Brazil with the most records).