Comparative Parasitology 67(1) 2000 - Peru State College

Comp. Parasitol.
67(1), 2000 pp. 129-133
Research Note
Helminths of Two Sympatric Toad Species, Bufo marinus (Linnaeus)
and Bufo marmoreus Wiegmann, 1833 (Anura: Bufonidae) from
Chamela, Jalisco, Mexico
SOL GALICIA-GUERRERO,1 CHARLES R. BURSEY,2 STEPHEN R. GOLDBERG,3 AND
GUILLERMO SALGADO-MALDONADO1'4
1 Institute de Biologfa, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apartado Postal 70-153,
Mexico 04510 D.F.,
2 Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, Shenango Campus, 147 Shenango Avenue, Sharon,
Pennsylvania 16146, U.S.A. (e-mail: cxbl3@psu.edu), and
1 Department of Biology, Whittier College, Whittier, California 90608, U.S.A.
(e-mail: sgoldberg@whittier.edu)
ABSTRACT: Helminths of sympatric Bufo marinus
(Linnaeus) (N = 49) and Bufo marmoreus Wiegmann
(TV = 19) from the Pacific coast of Jalisco, Mexico,
are reported. Bufo marinus harbored Ochoterenella
digiticauda Caballero y Caballero, Rhabdias fuelleborni
Travassos, Physaloptera sp. (larvae), an unidentified
species of nematode, and cystacanths of Centrorhynchus
sp. Bufo marinus is a new host and Jalisco
a new locality record for R. fuelleborni and Physaloptera
sp. Bufo marmoreus harbored Aplectana incerta
Caballero y Caballero, R. fuelleborni, Physocephalus
sp. (larvae), and cystacanths of Centrorhynchus sp.
Bufo marmoreus is a new host record for each of these
helminths.
KEY WORDS: Bufo marinus, Bufo marmoreus, nematodes,
Aplectana incerta, Ochoterenella digiticauda,
Rhabdias fuelleborni, Physaloptera sp., Physocephalus
sp., Centrorhynchus sp., cystacanth, Jalisco, Mexico.
Twenty-five species of Bufo have been reported
from various regions of Mexico; 8 species
are endemic (Flores-Villela, 1993). During
September 1995, individuals of 2 species, Bufo
marinus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Bufo marmoreus
Wiegmann, 1833, from the Pacific coast of Jalisco
State, Mexico, became available for examination
for parasites. The cane toad, B. marinus,
originally ranged from southern Texas to central
Brazil but now has worldwide distribution (Zug
and Zug, 1979). The marbled toad, B. marmoreus,
is endemic to Mexico, occurring from the
Transverse Volcanic Axis, Sierra Madre del Sur,
and highlands of northern Oaxaca State eastward
to the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain and Yucatan
Peninsula, westward to the Pacific coast, and
4 Corresponding author (e-mail:
ibiologia.unam.mx).
gsalgado@mail.
129
south to the Rio Balsas basin and the; central
depression of Chiapas State (Flores-Villela,
1993). There are several reports of helminths
from B. marinus (Caballero y Caballero, 1949,
1954; Kloss, 1971; Goldberg and Bursey, 1992;
Goldberg et al., 1995; Barton, 1997; Linzey et
al., 1998), but to our knowlege there are no reports
of helminths from B. marmoreus. The purpose
of this note is to report helminths of B.
marinus and B. marmoreus from Jalisco, Mexico.
Forty-nine Bufo marinus (mean snout-vent
length, SVL = 129 mm ± 30 mm SD; range,
75-190 mm) and 19 B. marmoreus (SVL = 76
mm ± 5 mm SD; range, 65-83 mm) were examined.
The toads had been collected by hand
from Emiliano Zapata Village (19°24'N,
104°59'W) about 30 km south of the Chamela
Biological Station, Institute de Biologfa, Universidad
Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (IB UN-
AM), Jalisco, Mexico, and were deposited in the
Coleccion Nacional de Anfibios y Reptiles,
IBUNAM. The toads were killed by freezing,
the body cavity was opened by a longitudinal
incision from vent to throat, and the gastrointestinal
tract was excised by cutting across the
esophagus and the rectum. Stomachs and intestines
were opened longitudinally and examined
under a stereomicroscope. Helminths were removed
and counted. Acanthocephalans and
nematodes were fixed using 4% saline-formalin.
Acanthocephalans were stained with Meyer's
paracarmine, dehydrated in a graded ethanol series,
cleared in methyl salicylate, and mounted
in Canada balsam. Nematodes were dehydrated
to 70% ethanol, cleared in glycerol, and exam-
Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington