Gastrointestinal helminths from fifteen species of Litoria and Nyctimystes (Anura: Hylidae) from Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Three hundred and ninety‐nine individuals representing 10 species of Litoria and five species of Nyctimystes (Hylidae), L. arfakiana, L. bibonius, L. eucnemis, L. genimaculata, L. impura, L. infrafrenata, L. modica, L. nasuta, L. thesaurensis, L. wollastoni, N. gularis, N. kubori, N. papua, N. pulcher and N. semipalmatus collected in Papua New Guinea were examined for helminths. Gravid individuals representing one species of Monogenea (Parapolystoma bulliense), one species of Digenea (Mesocoelium monas), 18 species of Nematoda (Aplectana krausi, Aplectana macintoshi, Aplectana zweifeli, Cosmocerca novaeguineae, Falcaustra papuensis, Icosiella papuensis, Maxvachonia adamsoni, Maxvachonia ewersi, Meteterakis crombiei, Moaciria moraveci, Ochoterenella papuensis, Oswaldocruzia bakeri, Parapharyngdon maplestoni, Parathelandros allisoni, Parathelandros andersoni, Physalopteroides milnensis, Rhabdias australiensis, Seuratascaris numidica) and one species of Acanthocephala (Acanthocephalus bufonis) were found. Also included were immature forms representing one species of Cestoda (as a metacestode), three species of Nematoda (Abbreviata sp., Rictulariidae gen. sp., Ascarididae gen. sp. in cysts), one species of Acanthocephala (unidentified cystacanth), and one species of Pentastomida [Raillietiella sp. (nymph)]. The mean helminth species richness for infected hosts was 1.3±0.6 SD (range one to three species). Sixty‐seven new host records and two new locality records are reported.