Neotrop. Helminthol., 6(1), 2012

2012 Asociación Peruana de Helmintología e Invertebrados Afines (APHIA)

ISSN: 2218-6425 impreso / ISSN: 1995-1043 on line

ORIGINAL ARTICLE / ARTÍCULO ORIGINAL

POLYSTOMA CUVIERI (MONOGENEA, POLYSTOMATIDAE) IN PHYSALAEMUS CUVIERI

(ANURA, LEIUPERIDAE) IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

POLYSTOMA CUVIERI (MONOGENEA, POLYSTOMATIDAE) EN PHYSALAEMUS CUVIERI

(ANURA, LEIUPERIDAE) EN EL SUR DE BRAZIL

1,2, 1,3

Viviane G. T. Santos & Suzana B. Amato

Abstract

Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1823 occurs in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. In order to describe the

helminth fauna of these anurans in southern Brazil, 68 specimens were captured in Campo Belo do Sul

and Anita Garibaldi, State of Santa Catarina, and in Bom Jesus, State of Rio Grande do Sul, between

May 2009 and January 2010. The anurans were taken alive to the laboratory where they were

anesthetized and necropsied. Monogeneans identified as Polystoma cuvieri Vaucher, 1990 were found

in the urinary bladder with a prevalence of 31.86% and a mean intensity of 2.06 helminths/host. In the

same location of this study, other anuran species where captured and examined for helminths, but P.

cuvieri was found exclusively in Ph. cuvieri. This result may indicate a high parasite/host specificity.

Key words: anuran - monogenean - urinary bladder - host/parasite specificity - southern Brazil.

Resumen

Palabras clave: anuros, monogeneos, vejiga urinaria, especificidad parásito/hospedador, sur de Brasil.

Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1823 está presente en Brasil, Paraguay y Argentina. Con el objetivo de

conocer la helmintofauna de estos anuros, 68 especímenes fueron colectados en Campo Belo do Sul y

Anita Garibaldi, Estado de Santa Catarina y Bom Jesus, Estado de Rio Grande do Sul, en el sur de

Brasil, entre mayo de 2009 y enero de 2010. Los anuros fueron llevados vivos al laboratorio,

anestesiados y necropsiados. Monogeneos indentificados como Polystoma cuvieri Vaucher, 1990,

fueron encontrados en la vejiga urinaria con una prevalencia de 31,86% y una intensidad média de 2,06

helmintos/hospedador. En la misma área de estudio, se han capturado otras espécies de anuros y sus

helmintos fueron identificados, pero P. cuvieri se encontró exclusivamente en Ph. cuvieri. Este

resultado puede indicar una alta especificidad parásito/hospedador.

Suggested citation: Dos Santos, VGT & Amato, SB. 2012. Polystoma cuvieri (Monogenea, Polystomatidae)

in Physalaemus cuvieri (Anura, Leiuperidae) in Southern Brazil. Neotropical Helminthology, vol. 6, nº 1, pp. 1- 7.

1Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre,

91501-970 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil;

2 3

CAPES Doctoral Fellowship; CNPq Productivity Scholar.

E-mail: santosvgt@gmail.com; sbamato@ufrgs.br

MATERIAL AND METHODS

INTRODUCTION

Polystoma Zender, 1800 is the most diverse among

the 20 recognized genera of Polystomatidae sensu

Sinnappah et al. (2001) with 63 species, about one

third of the total number of described species.

Species of Polystoma are characterized by their

strict host specificity. They have monoxenous life

cycles and one larval stage, the oncomiracidium,

which infests the host as tadpoles. The

development initiates and can be completed in the

tadpole gills, or when they reach the urinary

bladder at the end of host´s metamorphosis

(Combes, 1968; Maeder, 1973; Kok & Du Preez,

1989; Badets & Verneau, 2009). Polystoma

species have been recorded in different parts of the

world, mainly in Africa, but there are no records in

Australia (Bentz et al. 2001). In South America

eight species of Polystoma have been registered,

and they are known in Argentina, Ecuador and

Paraguay (Combes & Laurent, 1974; 1978, 1979;

Vaucher, 1987, 1990) (Table 1). According to

Bentz et al. (2001), the genus originated in South

American hylioids, after South America and Africa

broke apart, and the colonization of North America

occurred during the Paleocene, and Eurasia during

the Cenozoic Period, with the dispersion of the

bufonid and hylid ancestrals. Meanwhile, the

African continent appears to have been colonized

only recently.

Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826

(Leiuperidae), barker-frog or frog-dog, is found in

open areas in southern Brazil and in the eastern

region of Paraguay and Argentina (Misiones and

Corrientes). They breed in small ponds and dams,

or in temporary water sources such as puddles.

Their tadpoles live in the water bottom and feed on

organic suspensions (Kwet & Di-Bernardo, 1999).

New taxonomic characters of Polystoma cuvieri

Vaucher, 1990 are elucidated, and specimens

collected from Ph. cuvieri from southern Brazil

described.

Ninety-one specimens of Ph. cuvieri (41 females,

50 males) were captured with permission of

SISBIO (“Sistema de Autorização e Informação

em Biodiversidade”, “Ministério do Meio

Ambiente”, Brazil) (Nº 19937-1) between May

2009 and January 2011, in Campo Belo do Sul

o o

(27 53'58.77”S, 50 45'31.97”W) and Anita

o o

Garibaldi (26 59'57.33”S, 51 24'32.94”W) State

of Santa Catarina, and Bom Jesus (28 40'01.48”S,

50 26'12.42”W), State of Rio Grande do Sul,

southern Brazil. The frogs were captured by hand,

taken alive to the laboratory, and killed with

Lidocaine Geyer® 2% (Di Bernardo, personal

communication) which was applied to the ventral

surface to be absorbed by the skin. They were

weighed and measured (snout to cloaca). The sex

was determined by the gular region (in males this

region is dark). The monogeneans were collected

and place in 0.65% saline physiologic solution,

fixed in AFA (93 parts of ethanol 70 ºGL, 5 parts of

commercial formalin, 2 parts of glacial acetic

acid) under slight pressure, stained with

Delafield´s hematoxylin (Humason, 1972),

cleared in cedar oil and mounted in Canada balsam

(Amato & Amato 2010). A few monogenean

specimens were mounted in De Faure's medium

(Romeis, 1958) to better visualize the hamuli.

Morphologic and biometric studies were done

with an Axiolab Zeiss light microscope.

Measurements are in micrometers (µm) unless

otherwise indicated; ranges for each character are

followed inside parentheses, by mean, standard

deviation and the number of specimens measured.

Voucher specimens were deposited in the

Helminthological Collection of the “Instituto

Oswaldo Cruz” (CHIOC), Rio de Janeiro, RJ and

in the Helminthological Collection (CHDZ),

“Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade

Federal do Rio Grande do Sul” (UFRGS), Porto

Alegre, RS. All frogs examined were deposited in

the Amphibian Collection, “Laboratório de

Herpetologia, Departamento Zoologia, UFRGS,

Porto Alegre, RS”, Brazil.

Polystoma cuvieri Vaucher, 1990 (Figs. 1-3)

Description. Based on 17 specimens mounted in

toto, 16 measured and three hamuli pairs mounted

in Faure. Polystomatidae. Body elongated while

alive, whitish with brown caeca (Fig. 1). Total

body length 2 to 4.8 mm (3.1; 0.94; 16); body

width 0.63 to 2.21 mm (1.24; 0.48; 16).Ventral,

Santos & Amato

Polystoma Cuvieri in Physalaemus Cuvieri

RESULTS

subterminal mouth; oral sucker 40 to 210 (182; 29;

10) long; pharynx 150 to 270 (188; 33; 13) long,

145 to 280 (191; 40; 13) wide. Bifurcate and

anastomosed intestine with numerous external

digitations, extending to the haptor (Fig. 2). Haptor

766 to 1718 (1179; 288; 16) long; 780 to 2271 (62;

459; 16) wide, with six similar suckers; anterior

suckers 175 to 500 (320; 92; 15) long, 213 to 510

(334; 100; 15) wide; median suckers 175 to 470

(319; 73; 16) long, 180 to 450 (294; 67; 16) wide;

posterior suckers 200 to 430 (293; 67; 15) long,

215 to 470 (314; 73; 16) wide; hamuli length to

the tip of the handle (X) 210 to 345 (285; 45; 15),

hamuli length to the tip of the guard (Y) 210 to 325

(260; 36; 15), ratio X/Y 0.9 to 1.2 (1.1; 0.1; 15)

(Fig. 3), hamuli hook length 48 to 68 (59; 6; 15).

Testis single and follicular in middle of body, post-

ovarian, hidden by vitelline follicles. Genital bulb

posterior to intestine, 8 genital spines 13 to 28 (18;

6; 8) long. Ovary sinistral, anterior, curved, 400 to

960 (637; 204; 8) long, 100 to 514 (292; 145; 8)

wide. Vitellarium follicular, dorsal and ventrally

occupying most of body from pharynx to hamuli.

Uterus reaching the genital pore through several

loops. Lateral vagina near anterior extremity of

ovary. Only two mounted specimens had eggs;

each specimen with only one egg, 160 to 280 (220;

85; 2) long, and 95 to 100 (98; 4; 2) wide.

Infection site: urinary bladder.

Collection site: Municipalities of Campo Belo do

Sul and Anita Garibaldi, State of Santa Catarina,

and Bom Jesus, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Prevalence: 31.86%.

Mean intensity of infection: 2.06 helminths/host.

Mean abundance of infection: 0.65

helminths/host.

Range intensities of infection: 1-11

helminths/host.

Deposited specimens: CHIOC 35805. CHIOC

37771. CHIOC 37772. CHDZ 3027-1-2. CHDZ

3042-1-1.CHDZ 3055-1-1.

Neotrop. Helminthol., 6(1), 2012

Figure 1. Polystoma cuvieri ventral view. Bar = 400 µm.

Polystoma cuvieri was highly specific to Ph.

cuvieri, seven other anuran species (60 Rhinella

icterica; 48 Leptodactylus latrans; 45 Scinax

fuscovarius; 29 Melanophryniscus simplex, 11

Ischnocnema henselii; six Elachistocleis bicolor

and four L. plaumanni) were captured along with

91 Ph. cuvieri, and only Ph. cuvieri hosted P.

cuvieri. Vaucher (1990) examined 15 species of

anurans and only Ph. cuvieri and Physalaemus

biligonigerus (Cope, 1861) hosted P. cuvieri. Since

Ph. biligonigerus had only one specimen in its

DISCUSSION

Figure 3. Hamuli from three specimens of Polystoma cuvieri. Bar = 100 µm.

Santos & Amato

Polystoma Cuvieri in Physalaemus Cuvieri

Figure 2. Polystoma cuvieri general ventral view showing caeca variations. Bar = 500 µm.

Neotrop. Helminthol., 6(1), 2012

Species Body length Hamuli length Host Locality References

(mm) (µm)

P. borellii Combes & Laurent, 1974 4.2 - 5.6 350 - 530 Pleurodema borelli (Peracca, 1895) Argentina Combes & Laurent (1974)

P. praecox Combes & Laurent, 1978 3.0 - 6.4 350 - 377 Telmatobius oxycephalus Vellard, 1946 Argentina Combes & Laurent (1978)

P. andinum Combes & Laurent, 1978 4.9 - 8.0 370-480 Melanophryniscus rubriventris (Vellard, 1947) Argentina Combes & Laurent (1978)

P. guevarai Combes & Laurent, 1979 6.79 - 7.88 298 - 348 Hyla pulchella Duméril & Bribon, 1841 (=Hypsiboas pulchellus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841)) Argentina Combes & Laurent (1979)

P. lopezromani Combes & Laurent, 1979 6.99 - 8.16 544 - 606 Phrynohias venulosa (Laurenti, 1768) Argentina Combes & Laurent (1979)

P. diptychi Vaucher, 1986 8.3 970 - 980 Bufo diptychus Cope, 1862 (= Rhinella dipticha ( Cope, 1862)) Paraguay Vaucher (1986)

P. napoensis Vaucher, 1987 2.68-3.47 286-368 Osteocephalus leprieurii (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) Ecuador Vaucher(1987)

Osteocephalus taurinus Steindachner, 1862 Ecuador Vaucher(1987)

P. touzeti Vaucher, 1987 4.18 315-319 Gastrotheca riobambae(Fowler, 1913) Ecuador Vaucher(1987)

P. cuvieri Vaucher, 1990 2.44 - 4.23 278 - 413 Physalaemus cuvieri and Ph. biligonigerus Paraguay Vaucher (1990)

P. cuvieri 2.37 - 4.79 210 - 330 Physalaemus cuvieri Brazil Present study

Table 1. Polystoma species recorded for South America.

ACKNOWLEGMENTS

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This is the first record of P. cuvieri in Brazil.

To the herpetologists, Rafael Balestrin, Patrick

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and to Mariana Gliesh and Etiele Senna for helping

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Santos & Amato

Polystoma Cuvieri in Physalaemus Cuvieri

*Author for Correspondence / Autor para

correspondencia:

Viviane G. T. Dos Santos

Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de

Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande

do Sul, Porto Alegre, 91501-970 Porto Alegre,

Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.

E-mail/correo electrónico:

santosvgt@gmail.com

Received December 20, 2011.

Accepted February 15, 2012.

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