To Species Diversity of Nematode Fauna of Corvidae Vigors Family, 1825 at Volga River Delta

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to systematize the long-term data on study of nematode fauna of Corvidae family birds of Volga river delta. Materials and methods. Data of helminthological researches carried out during the period from 1936 to 2017 in different landscape zones of Volga river delta are included into the project. The study of the species composition of the nematode fauna was carried out based on analysis of own and literature data received during helminthological autopsy of the Corvidae family birds belonging to 3 species: hooded crow (Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758), rook (Corvus frugilegus Linnaeus, 1758), magpie (Picapica Linnaeus, 1758). Traditional methods were used during collection and handling of helminthological material (Skryabin, 1928; Dubinina, 1955). Nematodes have been fixed by the mixture made from equal parts of 70% alcohol, lactic acid and 50% glycerol, 4% formalin solution or in Barbagallo liquid. Nematodes have been identified by famous indicators. Results and discussion. 480 specimen of Corvidae family birds, 170 specimen of which had been infested by nematode worms, were investigated in order to study helminthofauna at Volga river delta from 1936 to nowadays. Having summarized the literature data with the results from own study of Corvidae family parasitophauna we have made a taxonomical list including 17 species of nematodes. During the period from 1976 to 2017 we have been discovering 3 species of nematodes for the first time: Microtetrameres helix (Cram, 1927) - in a rook, Oxyspirura sygmoidea (Molin, 1860) - in a rook, a magpie and a hooded crow, Pseudaprocta decorata (Li, 1933) - in a magpie. 2 species of nematodes have been registered in Corvidae family as in new hosts in the studied region too. Baruscapillaria corvorum (Rudolphi, 1819) - in a hooded crow, a magpie and Diplotriaena tricuspis (Fedtschenko, 1874) - in a hooded crow.