Helminth parasites of native frogs (Leiopelmatidae) from New Zealand

Abstract

The three native frog species of New Zealand were examined for gastrointestinal helminth parasites. Leiopelma hamiltoni was uninfected. Leiopelma hochstetteri was parasitized by the nematodes Aplectana novaezelandiae n.sp. and Cosmocerca australis n.sp. (both Cosmocercidae: Cosmocercinae), and the digenean Dolichosaccus (Lecithopyge) novaezealandiae Prudhoe, 1972 (Telorchiidae: Opisthoglyphinae). Leiopelma archeyi was infected with Cosmocerca archeyi n.sp. The three new cosmocercid species are differentiated readily from congenerics in other parts of the world by caudal features of the males and the shape of the female tail. Cosmocerca archeyi differs from C. australis in the shape of the tail in both males and females, the lack of rosette caudal papillae in males, and the possession of an unusually robust ventral somatic musculature in females. Since the native frogs from New Zealand are believed to have been isolated since the Mesozoic, the presence in them of cosmocercids that fall readily into well-established genera confirms the antiquity of the subfamily Cosmocercinae.