Parasitic nematodes of reptiles (lizards and snakes) in the Monte Desert of Argentina

Abstract

Nematodes are little known in the Argentine herpetofauna. In order to increase and contribute to the knowledge of parasitism in reptiles, we studied nematodes found in three species of lizards (Aurivela longicauda, Liolaemus darwinii, and Liolaemus riojanus) and one species of snake (Philodryas trilineata) from the Monte desert of center-west Argentina. We registered generalist nematodes common of the herpetofauna that belonged to two taxa: Physaloptera sp. (Physalopteridae) (larvae and adults specimens) and Parapharyngodon riojensis (Pharyngodonidae) (adults specimens). Liolaemus darwinii had low prevalence of nematodes (30%) and a mean intensity of 1.3±0.4 (1-2). The lizard A. longicauda had higher parasitic diversity with medium prevalence (50 and 12.5%) and mean intensities of 1.3±0.4 (1-2) corresponding to adult stages of Physaloptera sp. and Parapharyngodon riojensis. Due to the low number of studied specimens, precise conclusions cannot be drawn for Liolaemus riojanus and P. trilineata. The four reptile species correspond to new host records from Argentina, and the information provided contributes to the knowledge of endoparasitism in reptiles of the Argentine Monte region.