Helminth parasites of Jamaican anoles (Reptilia: Iguanidae): a comparison of the helminth fauna of 6Anolisspecies

Abstract

ABSTRACTPrevalence and intensity of helminth parasites are described for a sample of 102 Jamaican anole lizards representing 6 species (Anolis lineatopus lineatopus, A. I. neckeri, A. grahami, A. valencienni, A.opalinus, A. sagrei, A. garmani). Fifty nine per cent of lizards were infected with 5 species of nematodes, 16% with one acanthocephalan, 7% with two digeneans, and 4% with a single cestode species. Infection intensity was generally low (intensity range 1–5) although two species of nematode occurred in very large numbers (intensity range 1–436). Helminth prevalence patterns and species composition reflected differences in anole habitats rather than ecomorphs, and were uncorrelated with the genetic relatedness of indigenous versus introduced anole species.