Helminth infections in a pair of sympatric congeneric lizard species

Checklist of parasites associated with 'reptiles' in Northeast Brazil

Reptiles, as well as other vertebrate groups, harbour a significant diversity of parasitic organisms, from nematodes and other helminths to viruses and bacteria. The Northeast is one of the richest regions in Brazil in terms of the reptile diversity, number of species and endemism. Parasites are diverse organisms and knowledge about the parasitic fauna of vertebrates is an important factor in understanding the ecological relationships between hosts and the environment. Studies on the parasitic fauna of reptiles in South America have increased in the past few years. The present review is a compilation of 122 studies published from 1924 to 2021. We present information on 101 species of reptiles from five groups (amphisbaenians, crocodile, testudines, snakes and lizards) and 183 parasitic taxa belonging to four phyla: Nematoda; Arthropoda; Platyhelminthes; and Acanthocephala. Nematodes were the most frequently recorded species. Lizards and snakes had more records of parasitism and higher levels of parasite richness and diversity. Ceará was the state with most studies and recorded cases of parasite-host association. The Caatinga and Atlantic Forest were the most investigated environments. The objective of this review was to contribute knowledge on the parasitic biodiversity in reptiles from Northeast Brazil, which may help identify gaps in our knowledge and guide future studies.

Infection Patterns of Helminths in Norops Brasiliensis (Squamata, Dactyloidae) from a Humid Forest, Northeastern Brazil and their Relation with Body Mass, Sex, Host Size, and Season

Climatic and ecological factors can influence the parasite load of a host. Variation in rainfall, body size, and sex of the hosts may be related to the abundance of parasites. This study investigated the helminth fauna associated with a population of Norops brasiliensis, together with the effect of host biology (sex, body size, and mass) and variation in rainfall regime on the abundance of helminths. Species of three groups of endoparasites were found (Nematoda, Cestoda, and Trematoda), with nematodes as the most representative taxa with eight species, prevalence of 63.2 %, mean intensity of 4.0 ± 0.58 (1 – 25), and mean abundance of 2.66 ± 0.44 (0 – 25). Nine helminth species are new host records for N. brasiliensis. The nematode Rhabdias sp. had the highest prevalence (53.3 %). There was no signifi cant relationship between abundance of the trematode Mesocoelium monas and host sex or season, although the abundance of this parasite increased significantly with host body size and mass, while abundance of nematodes was related to season and host mass. This study increases the knowledge about the diversity of helminth fauna associated with N. brasiliensis, revealing infection levels of hosts from northeastern Brazil.

Helminth Parasites of the Lizard Nothobachia ablephara (Gymnophthalmidae) in Caatinga Areas from the Sertão of Brazil

The lizard Nothobachia ablephara is endemic to dune areas and sandy soils adjacent to the São Francisco River in semiarid northeastern Brazil. Forty-nine lizard specimens were collected in 2 Caatinga areas in the municipality of Petrolina in Pernambuco state. Three gastrointestinal helminth taxa were identified, the nematodes Parapharyngodon alvarengai and Physaloptera sp. and the cestode Oochoristica sp. Nothobachia ablephara showed low parasite richness, but high levels of infection by P. alvarengai. There were no significant differences between the parasitism rates of the 2 study areas or between male and female lizards. This is the first study on parasitism in N. ablephara, thereby increasing knowledge of parasite fauna that infect gymnophthalmid lizards in the Sertão of Brazil.