Helminth parasitic ecology in Gymnodactylus geckoides Spix, 1825 (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) from Caatinga domain, north-eastern Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACTGymnodactylus geckoides is an endemic lizard from the Caatinga domain. However, the relationship of G. geckoides with its parasites remains largely unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the helminth fauna of G. geckoides in a Caatinga fragment and determine the influence of factors such as host morphology, sex, diet and seasonality on parasite load. The study was conducted at the Conservation Unit (CU) of the Catimbau National Park located in Catimbau, Pernambuco, north-eastern Brazil. In total, 83 individuals were captured, among which 43 (51.8%) were infected by the following helminths: Acanthocephala cystacanths (prevalence, 47%; mean intensity, 2 ± 3.99; mean abundance, 1.61 ± 3.25) and the nematodes Parapharyngodon alvarengai (prevalence, 15.7%; mean intensity, 1 ± 0.74; mean abundance, 0.25 ± 0.66), Physaloptera lutzi (prevalence, 2.4%; mean intensity, 4 ± 1.00; mean abundance, 0.10 ± 0.64) Physaloptera sp. (prevalence, 4.8%; mean intensity, 1 ± 0.00; mean abundance, 0.05 ± 0.24), and Spauligodon oxkutzcabiensis (prevalence, 3.6%; mean intensity, 1 ± 0.94; mean abundance, 0.06 ± 0.36). A significantly positive relationship was found between the intensity of infection by the most prevalent helminth (which belonged to Acanthocephala) and host morphology (snoutvent length) (β ± SE = 6.421 ± 1.555, z = 4.128, p < .001), as well as prey type (β ± SE = 0.256 ± 0.078, z = 3.251, p < .001). Acanthocephala infection had a higher intensity during the rainy season (Analysis of Variance1,81: p < .01) in both female and male hosts (ANOVA1,73: p = 0.21). The present study is the first to identify the ecological patterns of the host–parasite relationships of G. geckoides. The results of this study contribute to the knowledge of the parasitic fauna of lizards in the Neotropical region.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0C037904-257A-40E1-9460-487B9FAFE786KEYWORDS: geckosAcanthocephalaNematodadietparasitic indicesseasonality AcknowledgementsThe authors thank everyone who helped during the fieldwork, as well as the funding bodies, namely the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and the Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco (FACEPE), for the financial support for this study. We are grateful for the collection permits issued by Instituto Chico Mendes de Biologia (ICMBio), granting us the authorisation to collect individuals for the present study. Finally, we thank the coordinators of the Programas de Ecologia de Longa Duração (PELD), who allowed us to use their base in the Catimbau area during the fieldwork.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Ethical standardsAll international, national and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. The present study was approved by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity (ICMBIO/SISBIO #64455-1) and the Ethics Committee for the Use of Animals of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (CEUA/UFRPE #123/2018).Author contributionsLCPO and GJBM designed the study. LPCO collected the field data. JBO conducted parasite identification. Statistical analyses were conducted by LPCO. All authors interpreted the data and wrote the manuscript.Data depositionData and material are available in the research laboratories of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE). The lizards were deposited in the Herpetological and Paleoherpetological Collection of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE/LEHP, vouchers 6169–6231), and the parasites in the Parasitology Laboratory (CPLAPAR).Supplementary materialSupplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2023.2253560.Additional informationFundingThe financial support for this study was provided by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco (FACEPE), according to the following numbers: [0287-2.05114/2020-00] and level 1D [313142/2021-1], respectively. We thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico-CNPq for the productivity grant provided to G. J. B. Moura.