Updated checklist of helminths found in terrestrial mammals of Argentine Patagonia.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the state of knowledge about the helminthology of wild mammals in Argentine Patagonia and its link with the conservation of parasite species and biodiversity. To this end, the information included in the previously reported checklist of the helminths found in terrestrial wild mammals of Argentine Patagonia was completed and updated. The methodology used for the search was the same as that previously used, with slight modifications. Eighty-two species of mammals currently inhabit the region, and an additional six species are considered to have become extinct before the 20th century. The reports used to complete and update the information correspond to research done since 2015 to date. Considering the number of records analysed in the previously reported checklist and those of the current update, a total of 1918 helminthological reports for current Patagonian mammals and 2141 on mammal species that inhabited Patagonia before the 20th century were accounted for. It is important to point out that 41% of the 82 species of wild mammals currently inhabiting Patagonia have not been studied helminthologically; 38% of these without helminthological records are either threatened or do not have categorization, and 79% of mammals without helminthological studies have some degree of endemism. Therefore, in order to evaluate conservation priorities, the information about the parasitic richness in Patagonian wild mammals should be substantially increased, especially in those endangered or endemic.