Helminth Parasites of 11 Anuran Species from the Pantanal Wetland, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT: We examined the anurans Dendropsophus nanus, Hypsiboas raniceps, Phyllomedusa azurea, Pseudis limellum, Pseudis paradoxa, Scinax nasicus, Trachycephalus typhonius, Leptodactylus chaquensis, Leptodactylus fuscus, Leptodactylus podicipinus, and Physalaemus albonotatus from southeastern Pantanal, Brazil, for helminth parasites. These 11 anuran species were associated with 35 helminth taxa: 1 undetermined acanthocephalan, 28 nematodes, and 6 digenetic trematodes. Helminth species richness varied from 2 in the hylids D. nanus and P. limellum to 18 species in L. chaquensis. Cosmocercids, such as Aplectana hylambatis, C. podicipinus, and Parapharygodon were the most prevalent and abundant nematodes. Trematodes only reached high prevalence and abundance in the aquatic frog P. paradoxa, where Catadiscus sp. and Glypthelmins palmipens were considered central species. Most helminth species were common among different host species. We report a total of 48 new host records and provide remarks on the life cy...