Research Note - Endoparasites of the Bird-voiced Treefrog, Hyla avivoca (Anura: Hylidae), from Arkansas

4 Pages·1993·0.45 MB·English

by  Mcallister, C T

140 JOURNAL OF THE HELMINTHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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J. Helminthol. Soc. Wash.
60(1), 1993, pp. 140-143
Research Note
Endoparasites of the Bird-voiced Treefrog,
Hyla avivoca (Anura: Hylidae), from Arkansas
CHRIS T. MCALLISTER,' STANLEY E. TRAUTH,2 STEVE J. UrroN,3 AND DAVID H. JAMIESON2
1 Renal-Metabolic Lab (151-G), Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center,
4500 S. Lancaster Road, Dallas, Texas 75216,
2 Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University,
State University, Arkansas 72467', and
3 Division of Biology, Ackert Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506
ABSTRACT: Sixty-one juvenile and adult bird-voiced mieson et al., 1993), and only 1 report has been
treefrogs, Hyla avivoca Viosca, 1928, were collected published on parasites of this frog. Reiber (1941)
from 8 counties of central and southern Arkansas and
reported Oswaldocruzia waltoni Ingles, 1936 from
examined for endoparasites. Thirteen (21%) of the frogs
H. avivoca from Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee, a spe-
were found to be infected with 1 or more parasites,
including 13 of 13 with Tritrichomonas augusta, 10 of cies inquirenda according to Baker (1987). We
13 (77%) with Opalina sp., 4 of 13 (31%) with Nyc- report the identity and prevalence of endopara-
totherus cordiforrnis, 1 of 61 (2%) with Megalodiscus sites infecting H. avivoca from southern and cen-
temperatus, 3 of 61 (5%) with Cylindrotaenia ameri-
tral Arkansas.
cana, 4 of 61 (7%) with Batracholandros bassii, 2 of
61 (3%) with Abbreviata sp., and 5 of 61 (8%) with During May and June 1990 and again between
Oswaldocruzia (Oswaldocruzid) pipiens. All represent May and July 1991, 61 juvenile and adult H.
new host records for the respective parasites. avivoca (58 males, 3 females, mean ± snout-vent
KEY WORDS: Abbreviata sp., Anura, Batracholan-
length [SVL] = 36.3 ± 0.5, range 31^8 mm)
dros bassii, bird-voiced treefrog, Cylindrotaenia amer-
were collected by hand in swampy habitat from
icana, Hyla avivoca, Hylidae, intensity, Megalodiscus
temperatus, Nyctotherus cordiforrnis, Opalina sp., Os- 8 counties in central (35°05'N, 92°26'W) and
waldocruzia pipiens, prevalence, survey, Tritrichomo- southern (33°19'N, 92°32'W) Arkansas. Of these,
nas augusta. a subset of 13 frogs (all males, 36.4 ± 0.7, 33-
41 mm SVL) were collected during July 1991
The bird-voiced treefrog, Hyla avivoca Viosca, from Conway (N = 6) and Lafayette (N = 7)
1928, is a small anuran that ranges within the counties and examined for protozoans, and all
Mississippi River and Gulf Coast drainage sys- 61 were examined for helminths. Frogs were ex-
tems from extreme southern Illinois to South amined within 48 hr of capture. Detailed meth-
Carolina, Georgia, and Florida westward to parts ods for examining and processing hosts and pre-
of Arkansas and Oklahoma (Smith, 1966; Co- paring and staining parasites are identical to those
nant and Collins, 1991). The species generally provided by McAllister et al. (1989).
inhabits permanent wooded swamps comprised Voucher specimens of parasites are deposited
of tupelo-cypress, birch, and buttonbush. Al- in the U.S. National Museum Parasite Collection
though much is available on the natural history (USNM), USDA, Beltsville, Maryland 20705.
of related hylids, the biology of//, avivoca is not Voucher specimens of hosts are deposited in the
well-known (Trauth and Robinette, 1990; Ja- Arkansas State University Museum of Zoology
Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington
OF WASHINGTON, VOLUME 60, NUMBER 1, JANUARY 1993 141
(ASUMZ 16003-16015, 16080-16081, 16409- Table 1. Parasites found in Hyla avivoca from Ar-
16411, 17733-17738, 17767-17769, 17800- kansas.
17813, 17815-17821, 17920-17932).
All 13 H. avivoca examined for protozoans USNM Helminth
Collection
harbored at least 1 species, and 13 of 61 (21 %) Parasite Number Prevalence*
were infected with helminths (Table 1). None of
Protozoa
the frogs was infected with apicomplexan or try-
Mastigophora
panosomal parasites in the blood, the intestinal
Tritrichomonas
contents and feces were negative for coccidia,
augusta 82024-82025 13/13(100%)
and the gallbladder did not contain myxozoans. Opalinata
The cosmopolitan flagellate, Tritrichomonas Opalina sp. 82024 10/13(77%)
augusta Alexeieff, 1911, was commonly found Ciliophora
Nyctotherus
in the colon and rectum of//, avivoca. This pro-
cordiformis 82025 4/13(31%)
tozoan has been reported previously from nu-
Platyhelminthes
merous anurans, including the canyon treefrog,
Trematoda
Hyla arenicolor, green treefrog, H. cinerea\n treefrog, //. eximia; squirrel treefrog,
Megalodiscus
temperatus 82023 1/61 (2%)
H. squirella; gray treefrog, H. versicolor; spring Cestoidea
peeper, Pseudacris (syn. Hyla} crucifer; Pacific Cylindrotaenia
americana 82021-82022 3/61 (5%)
chorus frog, P. (//.) regilla; spotted chorus frog,
Nematoda
P. clarkii; Brimley's chorus frog, P. brimleyi; and
Abbreviata sp. 82066 2/61 (3%)
the western chorus frog, P. triserlata (Walton, Batracholandros
1964; McAllister, 1991). bassii 82065 4/61 (7%)
Oswaldocruzia
Endocommensal Opalina sp. not identifiable
pipiens 82020 5/61 (8%)
to species were observed in the colon of H. avi-
voca. Opalina hylaxena Metcalf, 1923, has been * Number infected/number examined (%).
previously reported from closely related H. ver-
sicolor from Michigan, Massachusetts, Indiana,
and Georgia (Metcalf, 1923). In addition, an small intestine of 3 H. avivoca from an unnamed
Opalina sp. was reported by Metcalf (1923) from slough near Blackwell and Cox Creek Lake in
Cope's gray treefrog, H. chrysoscelis in Texas; Grant County; mean intensity was 3.3 ± 1.5
however, he noted that 3 //. chrysoscelis from (range 1-6) worms. A total of 7 hylids, 3 of which
Hot Springs, Arkansas, were negative for opa- are in the genus Hyla, have been reported pre-
linids. Other opalinids have been reported from viously as hosts of C. americana, including the
other species of Hyla (see Carini, 1937; Metcalf, european hylid, H. arborea from Czechoslo-
1940). vakia, H. arenicolor from Utah, and H. squirella
The ciliate Nyctotherus cordiformis Ehrenberg, from Texas (see McAllister, 1991).
1838, also infected the colon of//, avivoca. This A single pharyngodontid nematode, Batracho-
ciliate has been reported previously from H. ver- landros bassii (Walton, 1940) Fetter and Quen-
sicolor (Walton, 1947) and numerous other hy- tin, 1976, was found in the colon of 4 frogs (3
lids (Walton, 1964; McAllister, 1987). males, 1 female) collected from Calion Lake in
A single paramphistomatid digenean, Mega- Union County, Cox Creek Lake in Grant Coun-
lodiscus temperatus (Stafford, 1905) Harwood, ty, and an unnamed slough near Blackwell. The
1932, was found in the cloaca of an adult male species was described originally by Walton (1940)
H. avivoca from an unnamed slough near Black- as Pharyngodon bassii from Cuban treefrogs, Os-
well, Conway County. Other hylid hosts include teopilus septentrionalis. Since then, additional
H. chrysoscelis from Nebraska (Brooks, 1976), frogs have been listed as hosts, including Puerto
H. cinerea from Texas (Harwood, 1932), H. ex- Rican crested toads, Peltophryne spp., bullfrogs,
imia from Mexico (Bravo-Hollis, 1941), and P. Rana catesbeiana, and tropical frogs, Eleuthero-
crucifer from Michigan (Najarian, 1955). Brooks dactylus spp. (Barus and Moravec, 1967; Barus,
(1976) provided a summary of the amphibians 1972, 1973; Coy Otero and Ventosa, 1984).
reported to harbor this worm. Two third-stage Abbreviata sp. were found in
Adult nematotaeniid cestodes, Cylindrotaenia the stomach of each of 2 frogs (male and female)
atnericana Jewell, 1916, were recovered from the collected from Calion Lake and an unnamed
Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington
142 JOURNAL OF THE HELMINTHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
slough near Blackwell. Numerous authors have cies of the genera Parapharyngodon and Batracho-
reported physalopteroid larvae from North landros (Oxyuridae). Folia Parasitologica 20:131-
139.
American frogs (see McAllister and Freed, 1992).
-, and F. Moravec. 1967. Systematic studies of
Abbreviata (syn. Physalopterd) ranae (Walton, parasitic worms found in the hosts Lepisosteus
1931) Morgan, 1941, thought to be a valid spe- tristoechus (Ginglymodi, Lepisosteidae) and Hyla
cies from frogs, has been designated as species insulsa (Ecaudata, Hylidae) from Cuba. Vestnik
Ceskoslovenske Spolecnosti Zoologicke 31:1-14.
inquirenda by Baker (1987).
Bravo-Hollis, M. 1941. Revision de los generos Di-
Five specimens of Oswaldocruzia (Oswaldo-
plodiscus Diesing, 1836 y Megalodiscus Chandler,
cruzid) pipiens Walton, 1929, were recovered 1923 (Trematoda: Paramphistomoidea). I. An-
from the small intestine of 5 H. avivoca (3 males, nales del Instituto de Biologia Universidad Na-
2 females) collected from the aforementioned lo- cional Autonoma de Mexico 12:127-146.
Brooks, D. R. 1976. Parasites of amphibians of the
cales and Lake Erling, Lafayette County. This
Great Plains. Part 2. Platyhelminths of amphibi-
nematode is a common parasite of amphibians
ans in Nebraska. Bulletin of the University of Ne-
and reptiles ranging from Canada to southern braska State Museum 10:65-92.
Texas, including P. crucifer, P. streckeri, P. trise- Carini, A. 1937. Contribution a 1'etude des Opalin-
riata, H. cinerea, and//, versicolor(Baker, 1977, idae des batracheines du Bresil. Annales de Par-
asitologie Humaine et Comparee 15:46-56.
1987; McAllister, 1987).
Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1991. A Field Guide
In summary, several new host records are re-
to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Cen-
ported for parasites of//, avivoca from Arkansas. tral North America, 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin,
Unfortunately, prevalence of infection could not Boston.
be compared between the sexes due to a paucity Coy Otero, A., and L. Ventosa. 1984. Nematodos
parasitos de anfibios Cubanos. Poeyana 269:1-20.
of females. However, H. avivoca is infected by a
Harwood, P. D. 1932. The helminths parasitic in the
parasite fauna typical of that reported previously Amphibia and Reptilia of Houston, Texas and
for other hylid frogs. This is interesting given vicinity. Proceedings of the United States National
that the diet of frogs reported herein, unlike other Museum 81:1-74.
species of Hyla, consisted primarily of Cremas- Jamieson, D. H., S. E. Trauth, and C. T. McAllister.
1993. Food habits of male bird-voiced treefrogs,
togaster ants (Jamieson et al., 1993). Therefore,
Hyla avivoca (Anura: Hylidae), in Arkansas. Texas
interpretation of the ecological relationships of Journal of Science 45. (In press.)
H. avivoca parasites and potential intermediate McAllister, C. T. 1987. Protozoan and metazoan
hosts will have to await additional study of bird- parasites of Strecker's chorus frog, Pseudacris
voiced treefrogs collected outside the breeding streckeri streckeri (Anura: Hylidae), from north-
central Texas. Proceedings of the Helmintholog-
season along with sympatric congeners. Indeed,
ical Society of Washington 54:271-274.
these parasites may not be typical of this tree frog . 1991. Protozoan, helminth, and arthropod
population in general, as there was a conspicuous parasites of the spotted chorus frog, Pseudacris
absence of ground-dwelling arthropods in their clarkii (Anura: Hylidae), from north-central Ar-
kansas. Journal of the Helminthological Society
diet compared to other species of Hyla (Jamieson
of Washington 58:51-56.
etal., 1993).
, and P. S. Freed. 1992. Larval Abbreviata sp.
We thank the Arkansas Game and Fish Com- (Spirurida: Physalopteridae) in introduced Rio
mission for Scientific Collecting Permits Nos. Grande chirping frogs, Syrrhopus cystignathoides
1114 and 831 to C.T.M. and S.E.T., respectively. campi (Anura: Leptodactylidae), from Houston,
Texas. Texas Journal of Science 44:359-361.
-, S. J. Upton, and D. B. Conn. 1989. A com-
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Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington