Metazoan endoparasites of three species of anurans collected from the Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey

Abstract

Abstract In this report, European common toads; Bufo bufo, European green toads Bufo viridis and marsh frogs Rana ridibunda were collected in Amasya, Çorum, and Tokat Provinces (Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey) 2005 and 2006 and examined for helminths. Two of 2 (100 %) Bufo bufo and 8 of 8 (100 %) Bufo viridis and 57 of 63 (90.5 %) Rana ridibunda were infected with 1 or more helminths. The helminths of B. bufo included Oswaldocruzia filiformis and Oxysomatium brevicaudatum. The helminth fauna of B. viridis comprised 5 species: 1 species of trematode (Pleurogenoides medians), 1 species of cestode (Nematotaenia dispar) and 3 species of nematodes, (Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Cosmocerca ornata, and Oxysomatium brevicaudatum), while the helminth fauna of Rana ridibunda comprised 9 species: 4 species of trematodes (Gorgodera cygnoides, Gorgoderina vitelliloba, Haematoloechus breviansa, and Opisthioglyphe ranae), 3 species of nematodes Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Cosmocerca ornata, and Oxysomatium brevicaudatum), and 2 species of acanthocephalans (Pomphorhynchus laevis and Acanthocephalus ranae). Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Cosmocerca ornata, and Oxysomatium brevicaudatum were collected from all three host species. In addition, Pleurogenoides medians represents a new host record for Bufo viridis in Turkey.