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Helminth parasites of Jamaican anoles (Reptilia: Iguanidae): variation in prevalence and intensity with host age and sex in a population of Anolis lineatopus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

P. Vogel  and
D. A. P. Bundy
P. Vogel
Affiliation:
Arbeitsgruppe für Verhaltensforschung, Abteilung für Biologie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-4631 Bochum and Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie, Abteilung Wickler, D-8131 Seewiesen, GE
D. A. P. Bundy
Affiliation:
Parasite Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, JM
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Summary

The Jamaican iguanid lizard Anolis lineatopus is the host of 4 species of helminth parasite: an acanthocephalan (Centrorhynchus spinosus), a digenean (Mesocoelium danforthi), and 2 nematodes (Cyrtosumum scelopori and Thelandros (?cubensis). Prevalance of C. spinosus was unrelated to host age but was considerably higher in males (43%) than in females (10%). The intensity increased with host age: (range: 1–23, median: 3). Prevalence of C. scelopori increased with host age in both sexes: juveniles (<3 months) were uninfected while infection occurred in almost all lizards older than 9 months. Intensity was higher in males (range: 1–403, median: 158) than in females (range: 1–297, median: 86). The infection patterns of C. spinosus and C. scelopori differed significantly from each other and were not consistent with a simplistic direct relationship between time of exposure and infection prevalence. Acanthocephalan and digenean infections occurred at low prevalence and intensity although prevalence in older, larger lizards tended to be higher than in younger, smaller ones.

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 94 , Issue 2 , April 1987 , pp. 399 - 404
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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