Liolaemus fitzgeraldi (Fitzgerald’s Tree Iguana): Endoparasites

A total of 158 species of the genus Liolaemus occur in Argentina (Abdala and Quinteros 2014. Cuad. Herpetol. 28:55–82). Liolaemus fitzgeraldi is distributed in Argentina and Chile (Acosta et al. 2017. Los Reptiles de San Juan. Editorial Brujas, Córdoba. 130 pp.). In Argentina, L. fitzgeraldi is distributed in San Juan and Mendoza provinces (Abdala et al. 2012. Cuad. Herpetol. 26:215–248). This small species is predominantly omnivorous and has a unimodal activity pattern (Acosta et al. 2017, op. cit.). According to the latest categorization of lizards of Argentina, it holds a status of insufficiently known (Abdala et al. 2012, op. cit.). The purpose of our note is to provide, for the first time, a record of Parapharyngodon sp. in L. fitzgeraldi. Fourteen specimens of L. fitzgeraldi (seven juveniles: mean SVL = 24.1 ± 0.6 mm, range: 23–25 mm; seven adults: mean SVL = 51.7 ± 4 mm, range: 45–56 mm) were collected (by noosing) in January 2015 from Los Azules, Calingasta Department, Provinces of San Juan, Argentina. For each specimen, the body cavity was opened with a mid-ventral incision, the digestive tract was removed, and its contents examined for helminthes using a dissecting microscope. The nematodes found were stored in 70% ethanol. Nematode observation and identification was done using the diaphanization by lactophenol technique. Seven nematodes (6 females, 1 male) were isolated from the stomachs and identified as Parapharyngodon sp. The specimens were deposited in the parasitological collection of the Department of Biology, National University of San Juan (UNSJPar253). Infection prevalence was 14% with a mean intensity of 3.5 ± 0.7 (range: 3–4). Parasitic nematodes of the genus Parapharyngodon have a direct life cycle, where moisture plays an important role (Castillo et al. 2018. Ann. Parasitol. 64:83–88). Pharyngodonidae includes intestinal parasites of reptiles herbivorous and omnivorous (Anderson 2000. Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates: Their Development and Transmission. CABI Publishing, Oxon, U.K. 650 pp.). Previous reports of Parapharyngodon from Argentina have been documented. In Argentina, Parapharyngodon are parasites of lizards of the families Liolaemidae and Tropiduridae: Phymaturus punae (Ramallo et al. 2002. J. Parisitol. 88:979–982; Ramallo et al. 2016. Acta Parasitol. 61:461–465), P. palluma and Liolaemus buergeri (Goldberg et al. 2004. Comp. Parasitol. 71:208– 204), P. antofagastensis, P. zapalensis, L. rothi, L. boulengeri, and L. umbrifer (O’Grady and Dearing 2006. Oecologia 150:355–361), P. williamsi (Ramallo et al. 2016. Acta Parasitol. 61:461–465), P. extrilidus (Ramallo et al. 2017. Herpetol. Rev. 48:198; Castillo et al. 2018. Ann. Parasitol. 64:83–88), L. ruibali (Castillo et al. 2017. Herpetol. Rev. 48:651–652), Tropidurus torquatus (Lamas and Zaracho 2006. Herpetol. Rev. 37:4), and T. etheridgei (Cruz et al. 1998. Herpetol. Nat. Hist. 6:23–21).Fil: Castillo, Gabriel Natalio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Rodrigo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentin

Liolaemus ruibali (Ruibal’s Tree Iguana). Endoparasites

https://ri.conicet.gov.ar/admin/static/img/broom.pngA total of 158 species of the genus Liolaemus occur in Argentina (Abdala and Quinteros 2014. Cuad. Herpetol. 28:55–82). In Argentina, Liolaemus ruibali is distributed across Mendoza and San Juan provinces (Abdala et al. 2012. Cuad. Herpetol. 26:215–248). This small species is predominantly insectivorous (Villavicencio et al. 2005. Multequina 14:47–52), and has a bimodal activity pattern (Castillo et al. 2015.Multequina 24:19–31)...Fil: Castillo, Gabriel Natalio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Zoología. Instituto de Invertebrados; ArgentinaFil: Ramallo, Geraldine. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Zoología. Instituto de Invertebrados; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentin

Pristidactylus scapulatus (Burmeister’s Anole): Endoparasites

The genus Pristidactylus is restricted to southern South America (Lamborot and Diaz 1987. J. Herpetol. 21:29–37) and six species of this genus are recorded from Argentina...Fil: Castillo, Gabriel Natalio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Departamento de Sociología. Gabinete de Estudios e Investigaciones en Sociología; ArgentinaFil: Ramallo, Geraldine. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Zoología. Instituto de Invertebrados; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentin

Trophic analysis and parasitological aspects of liolaemus parvus (Iguania: Liolaemidae) in the central andes of Argentina

The objective of this study was to describe temporal variations in the diet and parasitological aspects in Liolaemus parvus. In order to examine the diet, we determined the volume, numerousness, and frequency of occurrence for each prey item and calculated the relative importance index. We removed nematodes from the stomach and estimated parasitic indicators. Liolaemus parvus presents an active searching mode. It is a predominantly insectivorous species with low intake of plant material and a specialist in feeding on prey items of the family Formicidae, although it also feeds on other arthropods like coleopterans, hemipterans, and spiders. We found temporal variations in its diet. The first record of Parapharyngodon riojensis nematodes is reported herein. Males showed higher nematode prevalence than females. We have expanded the number of host species and the distribution range of Parapharyngodon riojensis. The information provided about trophic ecology and parasitism is the first contribution to this lizard species’ biology.Fil: Castillo, Gabriel Natalio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Blanco, Graciela Mirta. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentin

Contributions to the Knowledge of Sexual Dimorphism in Liolaemus darwinii (Squamata, Liolaemidae) in the Monte Desert of Argentina

The lizard Liolaemus darwinii (Liolaemidae) is a typical species with wide distribution in Monte environments of Argentina. The objective of this study is contribute to knowledge of sexual dimorphism in a population of L. darwinii (Bell, 1843). We evaluated sexual shape variation of the cephalic region through procustes analyses with geometric morphometry. We predict that the heads in males will have diff erences in shape with respect to females. The results showed signifi cant sexual diff erences in shape, mainly in the region around the eyes. There were no signifi cant differences in sizes. Geometric morphometry analyses are a useful tool for addressing sexual differences in Monte lizards. This constitutes the first study for the center-west of Argentina in San Juan province that implements these geometric morphometry analyses.Fil: Castillo, Gabriel Natalio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: González Rivas, Cynthia Jesica. Centro de Rehabilitación de Fauna Silvestre, Educación Ambiental y Recreación Responsable; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentin

PARAPHARYNGODON SANJUANENSIS (NEMATODA: PHARYNGODONIDAE) PARASITANDO A PHYMATURUS CF. PALLUMA (IGUANIA, LIOLAEMIDAE) EN LA PROVINCIA DE SAN JUAN, ARGENTINA

Within the oxiuros, the genus Parapharyngodon is characterized by parasitizing mainly reptiles. In Argentina, up to now four species of Parapharyngodon spp. have been mentioned; Parapharyngodon sanjuanensis Ramallo, Bursey, Castillo & Acosta, 2016, Parapharyngodon riojensis Ramallo, Bursey & Goldberg, 2002, Parapharyngodon bainae Pereira, Sousa & Lima, 2011 and Parapharyngodon sceleratus Freitas, 1957. We mention the first record of the nematode P. sanjuanensis in the lizard Phymaturus cf. Palluma Molina, 1782 in the locality of Laguna Blanca, San Juan province, Argentina. Two male specimens of P. cf. palluma were analyzed. 65 nematodes P. sanjuanensis (2 males and 63 females) were recorded, with mean intensity of 32.5 and prevalence of 100%. Morphometric data for males and females are provided. The genus Phymaturus are the reptiles with the highest parasitic intensities of reptiles in Argentina. This is probably associated with its herbivorous diet and limited range of action. We mention a new parasite-host interaction, expanding the geographic distribution of the parasite.Dentro de los oxiuros, el género Parapharyngodon se caracteriza por parasitar principalmente a reptiles. En Argentina, hasta el momento se han mencionado cuatro especies de Parapharyngodon spp.; Parapharyngodon sanjuanensis Ramallo, Bursey, Castillo & Acosta, 2016, Parapharyngodon riojensis Ramallo, Bursey & Goldberg, 2002, Parapharyngodon bainae Pereira, Sousa & Lima, 2011 y Parapharyngodon sceleratus Freitas, 1957. En el presente estudio se hace el primer registro del nemátodo P. sanjuanensis en la lagartija Phymaturus cf. palluma Molina, 1782 en la localidad de Laguna Blanca, provincia de San Juan, Argentina. Se analizaron dos ejemplares machos de P. cf. palluma. Se registraron 65 nemátodos P. sanjuanensis (dos machos y 63 hembras), con una intensidad media de 32,5 y prevalencia del 100%. Se proporcionan datos morfométricos de machos y hembras. El género Phymaturus son los reptiles con las mayores intensidades parasitarias de reptiles en Argentina. Esto probablemente asociado a su dieta herbívora y rango de acción limitado. También se reporta una nueva interacción parásito-hospedador, ampliando distribución geográfica del parásito

First record of Amblyomma tigrinum (Acari: Ixodidae) on puma (Puma concolor) in Argentina and new associations for carnivores in San Juan province

Amblyomma tigrinum is a tick species widely distributed in South America. In Argentina, it has been recorded to occur in nearly all phytogeographic regions, exhibiting its plasticity to different types of environments. This tick is of medical and veterinary importance because its adult stages have been recorded primarily in mammals, including humans. Specifically in San Juan province, records of A. tigrinum are almost non-existent, with only two mentions, but which have no indication of host or specific place of collection. For this reason, the goal of this study is to report the first case of A. tigrinum in Argentina, as well as two new parasite-host associations of the adult tick in other carnivores in San Juan. We analyzed two individuals, one puma and one fox, which arrived at the Wildlife Rehabilitation, Environmental Education and Responsible Recreation Center (Parque Faunistico). Moreover, we analyzed one canid specimen obtained during a field sampling event. Our results indicated new records for San Juan province of A. tigrinum parasitizing Canis familiaris and Lycalopex gymnocercus, in addition to the first record for Argentina of this tick parasitizing a Puma concolor individual. The present study affords novel information about natural associations for carnivore hosts in San Juan province, and the first record of this tick on a puma for Argentina. Thus, we are contributing to the knowledge of parasite-host relationships on the group of carnivores in Argentina.Fil: González Rivas, Cynthia Jesica. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentina. Centro de Rehabilitación de Fauna Silvestre; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Castillo, Gabriel Natalio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Juan Carlos. Centro de Rehabilitación de Fauna Silvestre; Argentin

Parasitism in two species of lizards of the genus Liolaemus (Wiegmann, 1834) from the Puna Argentina

Los estudios sobre nematodes parásitos de reptiles en Argentina son escasos. Aproximadamente 158 especies de Liolaemus (Wiegmann, 1834) han sido mencionadas para Argentina. Sin embargo, 15 especies han sido indicados con algún estudio parasitológico. Debido al escaso conocimiento parasitológico en reptiles de Argentina, se estudiaron los contenidos gastrointestinales de dos especies de lagartijas; Liolaemus parvus (Quinteros, Abdala, Díaz Gómez, & Scrocchi, 2008) y Liolaemus ruibali (DonosoBarros, 1961). Se determinaron nemátodes hembras Parapharyngodon sp. (Chatterji, 1933) localizados en la región del estómago. Mencionamos los primeros registros de este parásito en estas lagartijas para la localidad de la Reserva de Don Carmelo, departamento de Ullum, provincia de San Juan. Realizamos una importante contribución al conocimiento parasitario para lagartijas del género Liolaemus en Argentina.Studies about nematodes in lizards from Argentina are scarce. Approximately 158 species of Liolaemus (Wiegmann, 1834) have been mentioned from Argentina. Nonetheless, approximately 15 species of Liolaemus have been indicated some parasitological study. Due to its being poorly known, we studied gastrointestinal contents in two lizards species, Liolaemus parvus (Quinteros, Abdala, Díaz Gómez, & Scrocchi, 2008) and Liolaemus ruibali (Donoso- Barros, 1961). Female nematodes Parapharyngodon sp. (Chatterji, 1933) was determined in the stomach area. We mentioned the first records of this parasite in these lizards in Don Carmelo locality, San Juan, Argentina. We make an important contribution to parasitic knowledge for lizards of the genus Liolaemusin Argentina.Fil: Castillo, Gabriel Natalio. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentin

Liolaemus olongasta (Chelco Lizard): Endoparasites

A total of 158 species of the genus Liolaemus occur in Argentina (Abdala and Quinteros 2014. Cuad. Herpetol. 28:55–82). In Argentina, L. olongasta is distributed in San Juan, Mendoza, and Rioja provinces (Abdala et al. 2012. Cuad. Herpetol. 26:215–248). It is mainly insectivorous and has a unimodal activity pattern (Acosta et al. 2017. Los Reptiles de San Juan. Editorial Brujas, Córdoba. 130 pp.). It is currently categorized as a non-threatened species (Abdala et al. 2012. Cuad. Herpetol. 26:215–248). Here, we report on the helminth endoparasites in the gastrointestinal tracts of L. olongasta in Matagusanos, San Juan Province, Argentina. In February 2017, three specimens of L. olongasta (adult males: mean SVL = 5.9 ± 0.17 cm, range: 5.7–6 mm; weight = 7.4 ± 0.37 g, range (7–7.7 g) were collected at Matagusanos, San Juan Province (31.24638°S, 68.62916°W; 910 m elev.). Phytogeographically, the area is included in the Monte. The stomach and intestines were longitudinally slit, and their contents were examined using a microscope. The dissection revealed one type of prey item and nematodes. The nematodes found were stored in 70% ethanol. Nematode observation and identification was done using the diaphanization by lactophenol technique. The specimens were deposited in the parasitological collection of the Department of Biology, National University of San Juan (UNSJPar254). A dissection of the animal revealed recent ingesta that included one scorpion. A total of two nematodes larvae of the genus Physaloptera were isolated from the stomachs of one adult specimen (infection prevalence = 33.3%, with a mean intensity of 2 and mean abundance of 0.66). Species of the genus Physaloptera occur in the stomach of a variety of terrestrial vertebrates (Goldberg and Bursey 1989. J. Wildl. Dis. 25:425–429). Larvae are common in amphibians and lizards (Anderson 2000. Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates: Their Development and Transmission. CABI Publishing, Oxon, U.K. 650 pp.). Currently, there are 100 Physaloptera described, including valid and inquirendae species, nine of these were described from reptiles (Pereira et al. 2012. J. Parasitol. 98: 1227–1235). In Argentina, Physaloptera has been reported the following reptiles: Liolaemus quilmes, Liolaemus ornatus, Liolaemus alticolor (Ramallo and Díaz 1998. Bol. Chil. Parasitol. 53:19–22), Tropidurus etheridgei (Cruz et al. 1998. Herpetol. Nat. Hist. 6:23–21), Leiosaurus catamarcensis, Leiosaurus belli, Liolaemus neuquensis (Goldberg et al. 2004. Comp. Parasitol. 71:208–214), Liolaemus koslowskyi, Liolaemus darwinii (O’Grady and Dearing 2006. Oecologia 150:355– 361), and Xenodon merremi (Lamas et al. 2016. Facena 32:59–67). Physaloptera sp. in Liolaemus olongasta is a new host record from Argentina.Fil: Castillo, Gabriel Natalio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: González Rivas, Cynthia Jesica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Juan Carlos. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentin

PARASITISMO EN DOS ESPECIES DE LAGARTIJAS DEL GÉNERO LIOLAEMUS (WIEGMANN, 1834) DE LA PUNA ARGENTINA

Los estudios sobre nematodes parásitos de reptiles en Argentina son escasos. Aproximadamente 158 especies de Liolaemus (Wiegmann, 1834) han sido mencionadas para Argentina. Sin embargo, 15 especies han sido indicados con algún estudio parasitológico. Debido al escaso conocimiento parasitológico en reptiles de Argentina, se estudiaron los contenidos gastrointestinales de dos especies de lagartijas; Liolaemus parvus (Quinteros, Abdala, Díaz Gómez, & Scrocchi, 2008) y Liolaemus ruibali (Donoso- Barros, 1961). Se determinaron nemátodes hembras Parapharyngodon sp. (Chatterji, 1933) localizados en la región del estómago. Mencionamos los primeros registros de este parásito en estas lagartijas para la localidad de la Reserva de Don Carmelo, departamento de Ullum, provincia de San Juan. Realizamos una importante contribución al conocimiento parasitario para lagartijas del género Liolaemus en Argentina