Abstract
The genus Cotylophoron belongs to the Paramphistomidae family and its definitive hosts are ruminants in general. This work describes the presence of a new species of the gender, a parasite in the rumen and reticulum of Bubalus bubalis, on Marajó Island in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon, using of light microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy and molecular biology techniques. One hundred and ten animals were analyzed, of which 4.54% were parasitized by flukes in their adult forms. The helminths were found fixed to the ruminal mucosa and present Liorchis-type pharynx, Cotylophoron-type genital sucker, oblique testicles larger than the ovary, uterus in rings full of eggs and Cotylophoron-type acetabulum. These morphologic characters do not fit into any previously described species. Thus, it is proposed that this is a new species in the genus Cotylophoron. The present work expands the record of parasitism by helminths in Bubalus bubalis, this being the first record of trematoda from the genus Cotylophoron for this host in the Brazilian Amazon.
Highlights
The Bubalus bubalis species is known as the “buffalo” throughout Brazil and is bred in several regions of the world because of its sturdiness, milk and dairy products and good-quality meat, besides being used for work (Damasceno et al, 2010)
In Brazil, buffalos have been imported from different countries such as Australia, Egypt, India, Italy, and Southwest Asia and were first introduced in the continent on Marajó Island in 1895, where the natural conditions of this region were excellent for their development (Marques, 2000)
Oblique and smaller testes in relation to the ovary presented by Cotylophoron marajoensis n. sp. distinguish it from C. cotylophorum, which presents larger in tandem testes in relation to the ovary (Alarcón & Velásquez, 2009)
Summary
The Bubalus bubalis species is known as the “buffalo” throughout Brazil and is bred in several regions of the world because of its sturdiness, milk and dairy products and good-quality meat, besides being used for work (Damasceno et al, 2010). In Brazil, buffalos have been imported from different countries such as Australia, Egypt, India, Italy, and Southwest Asia and were first introduced in the continent on Marajó Island in 1895, where the natural conditions of this region were excellent for their development (Marques, 2000). It is a domestic and economically important animal, little is known about its parasitic interactions. This behavior is due to parasitic ability of genetic expression that allows migration through host’s tissues while triggering it’s immune responses (Pérez-Ponce de León & Hernández-Mena, 2019)
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