Bernadete Maria de Sousa

Gastrointestinal Helminth Fauna of Enyalius perditus (Reptilia: Leiosauridae): Relation to Host Age and Sex

The purpose of this study was to determine how the gastrointestinal helminthofauna varies according to the age and sex of the lizard, Enyalius perditus, captured in Ibitipoca State Park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and to discuss the ecological and behavioral significance of these relationships. Fifty-five specimens of E. perditus were captured in drop traps, then killed, necropsied, and examined for the presence of helminths in the gastrointestinal tract. Nematodes, including Strongyluris oscari, Oswaldocruzia subauricularis, and Aplectana vellardi, were found. This was the first record of the last-named species in reptiles, and the first record of the first 2 species in E. perditus. The number of helminths increased with snout-vent length and, therefore, age of the lizards. Male E. perditus lizards were more heavily infected by nematodes than females; the largest numbers of nematodes occurred in the caecum and large intestine.

Marine debris ingestion by Chelonia mydas (Testudines: Cheloniidae) on the Brazilian coast

Chelonia mydas is distributed in several regions of the world and they are common in coastal regions and around islands. Between August 2008 and July 2009, 20 specimens of C. mydas were found dead on the beaches of Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. The stomachs were removed and anthropogenic wastes were separated according their malleability and color. Of those animals, nine had ingested marine debris. Soft plastic was the most frequent among the samples and the majority of fragments was white or colorless and was between zero and five cm. Many studies have shown a high incidence of eating waste for some species of sea turtles. The record of ingestion of mostly transparent and white anthropogenic wastes in this study strengthens the hypothesis that these animals mistake them for jellyfish. Although the intake of anthropogenic waste causes impact on the lives of sea turtles, such studies are still scarce in Brazil.

Helminth community structure of Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) in a rocky outcrop area of Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil.

abstract:  The helminth community of Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) from a rocky outcrop area located in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, was studied. Ninety-two of the 110 individuals examined (83.6%) harbored helminths. Five species were found, including 3 nematodes (Physaloptera lutzi, Parapharyngodon bainae, and Oswaldofilaria chabaudi), 1 unidentified cestode species, and 1 acanthocephalan cystacanth also not identified. Only the nematode species had sufficient data to perform ecological analysis, with P. lutzi exhibiting the highest prevalence (67.3%). Prevalence between male and female hosts differed only for Oswaldofilaria chabaudi, with males exhibiting the highest values. The intensities of infection by P. lutzi and O. chabaudi were different among male and female hosts, with males also exhibiting the highest values. The host body size was positively related to intensity of infection for all nematode species. Local seasonality had some influence on the helminth community structure. Host diet, sexual dimorphism, and behavior (territorialism, forage strategy) represented important factors for the structure of this parasite community. In general, the helminth community was species poor, depauperate, and non-interactive, representing a typical structure observed in lizard hosts.

A New Species of Pharyngodonidae (Nematoda) of Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) from Brazil

Abstract Parapharyngodon bainae n. sp. (Nematoda: Pharyngodonidae) collected from the small intestine of Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata: Tropiduridae) is described. The new species is the 47th species in the genus and the 14th in the Neotropical region. The morphology of male posterior end, ovary position in females, and egg size can be used to differentiate P. bainae from the other congeneric species. Parapharyngodon rotundatus, Parapharyngodon sanisfaciecaudus, and Parapharyngodon riojensis are most closely related to P. bainae. In males of P. sanisfaciecaudus and P. rotundatus, the cloacal lip has a smooth appearance, whereas in P. bainae, males have an echinate cloacal lip. Parapharyngodon riojensis differs from P. bainae because its females have postbulbar ovaries, the eggs are larger, and the esophagi are larger in both sexes. Parapharyngodon spp. nematodes occupy an intermediate phylogenetic position among pharyngodonid parasite lineages in carnivorous and herbivorous reptiles. The average low intensity of infection for P. bainae (4.8 ± 4.6) is typically found in carnivorous reptiles. This fact and the high prevalence value (60%) can be explained by the ingestion of environmental substrata material containing parasite eggs while foraging.

Hábitos alimentares de Enyalius perditus (Squamata, Leiosauridae) no Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, Minas Gerais, Brasil

The present study was carried out to describe the diet, and its variations according to food availability, in Enyalius perditus Jackson, 1978 from Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Three areas were chosen in the forest fragments; pit falls and glue traps were used to capture lizards and their preys. Lizards (n=55) were dissected in order to analyze the stomach content. The Electivity Index showed that insect larvae were volumetrically important in the diet of E. perditus, while ants and woodlices where numerically important. The quantity of diet items have differed significantly between males and females, perhaps, as a consequence of the higher quantity of ants ingested by female lizards and larvae ingested by males lizards. Based upon alimentary behavior, the male lizards resemble the active forragers and the females sit and wait forragers.

Range structure, microhabitat use, and activity patterns of the saxicolous lizard Tropidurus torquatus (Tropiduridae) on a rock outcrop in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Aunque Tropidurus es un genero de lagarto extensamente distribuido en Sudamerica y en las islas Galapagos, son escasos los estudios sobre uso del espacio y distribucion espacial. En este trabajo se estudio la organizacion espacial del lagarto saxicola Tropidurus torquatus basado en la poblacion interiorana de uno afloramiento rocoso en el estado de Minas Gerais, sudeste del Brasil. Los lagartos fueron individualmente marcados y observados durante las estaciones reproductiva y no reproductiva. Con el metodo del minimo poligono convexo fue encontrado que el tamano promedio del dominio vital de los machos durante la estacion reproductiva fue mas grande que el de las hembras y en la estacion no reproductiva hembras y machos mantuvieron dominios vitales similares en el tamano. El metodo de la media armonica mostro que el tamano promedio del area de vida de machos fue mayor que el area de las hembras en ambas estaciones. Como esperado para una especie poliginica, el numero medio de machos con dominios vitales sobrepuestos a los de las hembras tendio a ser mas grande en la estacion reproductiva. Intrasexualmente, el numero de hembras con sus dominios vitales asociados a los de otras hembras tambien fue mayor en la estacion reproductiva. Para los machos, este numero permanecio bajo en ambas estaciones, lo que sugiere que los machos usan areas mas exclusivas, mientras los dominios vitales mas pequenos de las hembras al parecer sostengan una mayor densidad de individuos durante la estacion reproductiva. La frecuencia de uso de los microhabitats relacionados a la vegetacion aumento en la estacion no reproductiva y el padron de actividad de los lagartos cambio del bimodal en la estacion reproductiva (periodo lluvioso) para unimodal en la no reproductiva (periodo seco). Asi la organizacion espacial, la utilizacion de los microhabitats y los padrones de actividad de T. torquatus aqui observados fueron todos influenciados por el periodo de tiempo afectando la ecologia espacial de los lagartos.

Marine debris ingestion by sea turtles (Testudines) on the Brazilian coast: an underestimated threat?

Assessment of marine debris ingestion by sea turtles is important, especially to ensure their survival. From January to December 2011, 23 specimens of five species of sea turtles were found dead or dying after being rehabilitated, along the coast of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To detect the presence of marine debris in the digestive tract of these turtles, we conducted a postmortem examination from the esophagus until the distal portion of the large intestine for each specimen. Of the total number of turtles, 39% had ingested marine debris such as soft plastic, hard plastic, metal, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle caps, human hair, tampons, and latex condoms. Five of the seven sea turtles species are found along the Brazilian coast, where they feed and breed. A large number of animals are exposed to various kinds of threats, including debris ingestion.

A New Species of Polystomoides Ward, 1917 (Monogenea: Polystomatidae) from Freshwater Chelonians (Testudines: Chelidae) in Brazil

This report describes the first occurrence of Polystomoides brasiliensis n. sp. (Monogenea: Polystomatidae), a new monogenean species in the buccal and pharyngeal cavities of the freshwater turtles in Brazil. Live monogeneans were collected from Hydromedusa maximiliani and Phrynops geoffroanus at the Mariano Procópio Museums lake, in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Polystomoides brasiliensis differs from all other species of this genus in having 8–9 genital spines, except for Polystomoides uruguayensis, which has 8–10 genital spines. However, the new species differs morphometrically from P. uruguayensis in the greater size of the outer and inner hamuli, as well as having a testis that is proportionally greater than the pharynx and oral sucker. The current study is the first report of monogeneans in chelonians of Brazil, and the first record of helminths in H. maximiliani.

Reptilia, Testudines, Chelidae: Hydromedusa tectifera : distribution extension in Brazil

The genus Hydromedusa comprises two recognized species, H. maximiliani (Mikan, 1820) and H. tectifera Cope, 1869 from southern South America (Ernst and Barbour 1989, Fritz and Hava 2007). The geographic distribution of Hydromedusa tectifera is restricted to Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay (Pritchard 1979; Ernst and Barbour 1989; Lema and Ferreira 1990; Fritz and Hava 2007). In Brazil, the range of this species was restricted to the São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul states (Pritchard 1979; Ernst and Barbour 1989; Lema and Ferreira 1990; Lema et al. 2002; Ribas and Monteiro Filho 2002; Rocha et al. 2004; Santos et al. 2005; Ghizoni-Jr and Graipel 2005; Souza, 2005; Noleto et al. 2006; Pontes et al. 2006; Quintela et al. 2006; Fagundes and Bager 2007; Fritz and Havas 2007), in locations at sea level up to 1120 m above sea level (Ribas and Monteiro Filho 2002; Souza 2005; Pontes, et al. 2005; Quintela et al. 2006). According to Souza (2005) all records of this species are in the Atlantic rainforest biome. However, this species was recorded in the Pampa biome by Fagundes and Bager (2007).

The relationship between nematode infections and ontogeny and diet of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus (Wied, 1820) (Squamata: Tropiduridae) from the Atlantic Rainforest in south-eastern Brazil.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between nematode infection and the ontogeny and diet of the lizard Tropidurus torquatus from a rocky outcrop in the state of Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil. Eighty-nine of 110 lizards examined (81.9%) harboured nematodes. Two nematode species were identified, namely, Physaloptera lutzi in the stomach and Parapharyngodon bainae in the intestine, with prevalence values of 67.3 and 60.0%, respectively. The lizard diet was composed mainly of ants, other hymenopterans, beetles and flowers of the species Centrosema coriaceum (Fabaceae). Host body size was positively correlated with nematode abundance, with adults more heavily parasitized than juveniles. The consumption of C. coriaceum had a negative effect on the abundance of both nematode species, suggesting that this plant may possess anthelmintic properties. The probability of a higher worm burden in adult hosts is likely linked with a longer exposure time to infective stages. Beetles, ants and hymenopterans appear to be the main intermediate hosts for P. lutzi. In general, ontogeny and diet composition determine the structure of the helminth community in this species of lizard.