Centrorhynchus spp. (Acanthocephala) in South America: new anuran record and checklist of vertebrate hosts

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this study was to record Centrorhynchus sp. associated with the exotic species Aquarana catesbeiana (bullfrog) in southern Brazil and to present a checklist of vertebrate hosts in South America. Twenty-nine adults and juveniles of A. catesbeiana were collected in Capão do Leão, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between October 2019 and December 2020. We found 275 specimens of Centrorhynchus sp. cystacanths in the stomach musculature and coelomic cavity of 55.1% of hosts (16). There was no significant differences in the prevalence and mean intensity of infection with cystacanths when compared males and females of A. catesbeiana. The prevalence was significantly higher in adults than in juveniles. The checklist presents 106 species of vertebrate hosts and 14 taxa of Centrorhynchus recorded in nine South American countries. Avian were the main definitive hosts of Centrorhynchus spp. and snakes Dipsadidae, anurans Hylidae and Leptodactylidae the main paratenic hosts in South America. This is the first record of Centrorhynchus cystacanths in A. catesbeiana in the South America. The study provides tools to help understand the parasitic relationships between species of Centrorhynchus and A. catesbeiana and other hosts in areas where bullfrog have been introduced.

Keywords

• Bullfrog
• cystacanth
• paratenic host
• definitive host
• invader
• infection rates