Plesiochorus cymbiformis (Rudolphi, 1819) Looss, 1901 (Digenea: Gorgoderidae) in Olive Ridley Sea turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829) (Testudines: Chelonidae) from the Brazilian coast: New geographic occurrence and associated injuries

Abstract

The present study reports the first occurrence of Plesiochorus cymbiformis (Digenea: Gorgoderidae), in two Olive Ridley Sea turtles Lepidochelys olivacea (Testudines: Chelonidae), from the states of São Paulo and Sergipe in Brazilian coast. Concerning the Neotropical region, P. cymbiformis has been previously reported in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Panama and Brazil, in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from Brazil, in hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) from Puerto Rico, and in Olive Ridley Sea turtles only in Costa Rica. Lesions resulting from the presence of parasites in the hosts’ urinary bladders are also presented. This is the second report on endoparasites in Olive Ridley sea turtles from Brazil.

Keywords

• brazil
• cystitis
• gorgoderidae
• helminthfauna
• lepidochelys olivacea
• lesion
• patology
• plesiochorus cymbiformis
• olive ridley sea turtles
• sea turtles