Comparative Parasitology 67(1) 2000 - Peru State College

casionally prey on tadpoles and insect larvae
also.
Only 30 (10.5%) of the total number of species
of amphibians reported in Mexico (285)
(Flores-Villela, 1998) have been surveyed for
helminth parasites so far. Seventy-three helminth
species have been recorded. Interestingly
enough, 25 of the 73 (34%) are endemic species
found only in Mexico (see Baker [1987] and Lamothe
et al. [1997]). However, our knowledge
about helminth parasites of amphibians in Mexico
is still far from complete. Parasitic organisms
are becoming an important part of the body
of knowledge about the natural history of their
hosts, and this information can be easily used as
a powerful and predictive tool to support biodiversity
studies and conservation initiatives, as
has been shown by Hoberg (1996, 1997). We
plan to continue collecting data on the parasite
fauna of amphibians in Mexico and, in this way,
contribute to the understanding of their biology
and their role in biodiversification and as monitors
of climatic change.
Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge Agustin Jimenez,
Berenit Mendoza, and Coral Rosas for their assistance
in field trips and Dr. T. Scholz for his
comments on an early version of the manuscript.
Identification of hosts by Adrian Nieto and Edmundo
Perez (Museo de Zoologia, Facultad de
Ciencias) is greatly appreciated. This study was
funded by Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de
Investigacion e Innovacion Tecnologica, Universidad
Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (PA-
PIIT-UNAM IN201396), and Consejo Nacional
de Ciencia y Tecnologfa (CONACYT 2676PN)
to G.P.P.L., PAPIIT-UNAM IN219198 to
G.P.P.L. and V.L.R., and CONACYT J27985-N
to V.L.R.
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Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington