Protozoa and nematodes infecting Odontophrynus occidentalis (Berg, 1896) (Anura: Odontophrynidae) from the Monte desert of Argentina

PIÑEIRO, M.; SANABRIA, E. A.; GONZÁLEZ, C.

Zoodiversity

National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Año: 2023

Purpose The parasitofauna of amphibians from San Juan province have been very little studied. Specifically, Odontophrynus occidentalis has only one reported helminthological study. The purpose of the present study was to describe the endoparasites of O. occidentalis, including protozoa and nematodes.Methods We analyzed twenty-one adults (13 males and 8 females) of O. occidentalis for parasites. Collected parasites were studied with the usual techniques of parasitology. Parasitological descriptors, such as prevalence and mean intensity, were calculated. Results The specimens belonging to the phyla Ciliophora and Nematoda were found in the intestinal tract. Protozoan of the genus Nyctotheroides and two species of nematodes, Aplectana hylambatis and Falcaustra sanjuanensis were identified. Conclusion This study represents novel information about the new parasites infection from amphibians for San Juan province. We emphasize the need to increase the knowledge of the amphibian parasitofauna, mainly related to protozoa in these vertebrates, since the literature presents few reports.