Endoparasites associated with anuran amphibians in a conservation area in the Sete Cidades National Park, Piauí State, Brazil

Resumo

Inventories are the basis of studies, essential for determining which and how many species are part of an ecosystem and important for understanding the diversity and functioning of organisms. Studies on parasitic fauna are based on the importance of these organisms as disease-causing agents that can influence the biosecurity of ecosystems and natural environments. Thus, research that investigates the relationship between helminths and anurans provides information that helps in the conservation of these species and their habitats. The aim of this study is to describe the parasitic community associated with anuran amphibians in the Sete Cidades National Park (PNSC), an important conservation area in the north of the state of Piauí, Brazil. We analyzed 318 anuran amphibians, distributed among 21 species and four families. Of these, 142 individuals were parasitized by at least one species of endoparasite, giving an overall prevalence of 44.65%. A total of 8056 parasite specimens were counted and identified in 26 parasite taxa, with an average infection intensity of 56.73 and abundance of 25.33. Among the most abundant species found were Raillietnema spectans Gomes, 1964 (3034), Schrankiana schranki (Travassos, 1925) (2383), and Aplectana hylambatis (Baylis, 1927) (1540). In this study, we expanded the parasite fauna of anurans in the PNSC, which previously consisted of 13 parasite taxa in just four anuran species. Here, we recorded 21 additional parasite taxa, with new records of infection in 17 anuran host species. We also added 19 new parasite taxa to the existing records for the state of Piauí, significantly expanding our knowledge of the region.