Abstract
Aplectana hylambatis is a nematode with a wide geographic distribution and low host specificity. In spite of numerous reports, until this moment, the morphological variations between different hosts and localities have not been studied. We studied 401 specimens collected from five host species from seven localities in Argentina, and examined the following morphological characters: mamelon-like cuticular protuberances anterior to the vulva, structure of the gubernaculum and the spicules, number and arrangement of caudal papillae, and the measurements of twelve characters in females and eleven characters in males. The results showed that mamelon-like protuberances and caudal papillae varied in number and arrangement between different hosts and localities. The metrical study revealed that five characters in males and six in females contributed to variability; nine characters showed significant differences between host species and localities. Specimens of A. hylambatis collected from R. arenarum formed a group clearly differentiated from the rest of the specimens. The results from this study highlight the importance of examining as many specimens as possible from different host samples and from several localities to cover the intraspecific variations.
Highlights
Intraspecific variation acts in the same way on all animals, both free-living or parasites
The aim of this work was to study the variations in the selected morphological characteristics as number and arrangement of caudal papillae, shape of the spicules and the gubernaculum, the mamelon-like cuticular protuberances anterior to the vulva, and measurements of males and females of Aplectana hylambatis among different species of amphibians and localities in Argentina
Two hundred and sixty-three amphibians belonging to five species, Dermatonotus muelleri (Boettger 1885) (Microhylidae), Rhinella major (Müller and Hellmich 1936), R. arenarum (Bufonidae), Leptodactylus bufonius Boulenger, 1894, and Physalaemus santafecinus (Leptodactylidae), of three families, were collected from seven different localities in Argentina
Summary
Intraspecific variation acts in the same way on all animals, both free-living (whether predators, herbivores or scavengers) or parasites. In reference to nematode parasites in general, Chitwood (1957) expressed that the influence of geographic and ecological factors have not been adequately explored to understand the development of species and their relationships This author listed the factors that can influence variations in this group of helminths: size, age, physical condition, metabolic rate, and food supply on the part of the host; and the time of the penetration (first, second or subsequent infection) and the crowding of the specimens on the part of the nematodes. Subsequent to Chitwood (1957), numerous researches have studied the variability of nematode parasites in different groups of hosts (Michel et al 1972, Fagerholm 1989, Suarez and Cabaret 1992, Viney and Diaz 2012, Gharamah et al 2014, Catalano et al 2015)
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