Assessment of the helminth fauna in northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) occurring within South Texas

Abstract Populations of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus; hereafter bobwhite) have been declining across their geographic range in North America, prompting consideration of the role parasites may play. We conducted this study to learn about the helminth fauna in South Texas, a region that supports a sustainable bobwhite population. Helminths were examined from 356 bobwhites collected during the 2014–2015 (n = 124) and 2015–2016 (n = 232) hunting seasons, when increasing trends in precipitation were observed in comparison with the previous two years. Ten helminth species were found, consisting of 14,127 individuals. Of these, all are heteroxenous parasites and three are pathogenic (Dispharynx nasuta, Tetrameres pattersoni and Oxyspirura petrowi). Aulonocephalus pennula numerically dominated the component community (81% prevalence, 99% of the total helminths found), whereas each of the remaining species occurred rarely (≤9% prevalence) and contributed few individuals (≤0.4%) to the helminth community. Prevalence and abundance of A. pennula were not influenced by host age, sex or body mass, but abundance was higher during the 2014–2015 than the 2015–2016 hunting season. Our findings indicate that the helminth community in bobwhites from South Texas can vary during long-term, highly variable precipitation conditions and these communities are more similar to those found in the Rolling Plains of Texas than those found in the eastern part of the bobwhite's geographic range in the US.

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Ecological Risk Assessment of the Effects of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on Northern Bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ) in the South Texas Plains Ecoregion

Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management ◽

10.1002/ieam.4479 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Laura Beth Sabin ◽

Miguel Mora

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Ecological Risk ◽

Ecological Risk Assessment ◽

Colinus Virginianus ◽

South Texas ◽

The South ◽

Neonicotinoid Insecticides ◽

Northern Bobwhites

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Helminth Parasite Communities of the Water-rat, Hydromys chrysogaster, from Queensland

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr96074 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 445 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

L. R. Smales ◽

T. H. Cribb

Keyword(s):

Bimodal Distribution ◽

Helminth Fauna ◽

Helminth Community ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Far North ◽

Core Species ◽

Helminth Communities ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Hydromys Chrysogaster ◽

High Diversity

The helminth fauna from 124 water-rats, Hydromys chrysogaster, collected from 33 localities in Queensland was analysed. A total of 45 species of helminths was found, comprising 2 acanthocephalans, 2 cestodes, 13 nematodes and 28 trematodes. The helminth community of the water-rats in the region north of latitude 18˚ (far north) was different from that of water-rats south of 18˚ (central); Sorensen’s Index 45·8% similarity, whereas Holmes and Podesta’s Index gave 32·1% similarity. Comparisons with data from water-rats from southern and Tasmanian regions showed that they were different from each other and from both Queensland regions. The helminth communities were characterised by high diversity, dominated by trematodes in the central and Tasmanian regions, but with nematodes becoming more prominent in the far northern and southern regions. No core or secondary species were found in the Queensland helminth communities, the southern community was suggestive of a bimodal distribution and the Tasmanian had two core species. A checklist of helminth species occurring in water-rats from eastern Australia is provided.

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Temporal and between-site variation in helminth communities of bank voles (Myodes glareolus) from N.E. Poland. 1. Regional fauna and component community levels

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182008004393 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 135 (8) ◽

pp. 985-997 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

J. M. BEHNKE ◽

A. BAJER ◽

P. D. HARRIS ◽

L. NEWINGTON ◽

E. PIDGEON ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Temporal Stability ◽

Similarity Index ◽

Helminth Fauna ◽

Myodes Glareolus ◽

Component Community ◽

Bank Voles ◽

Helminth Infections ◽

Site Variation ◽

Jaccard's Similarity Index

SUMMARYHelminth infections were studied in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) from 3 woodland sites in N.E. Poland in the late summers of 1999 and 2002, to assess the temporal stability of derived statistics describing the regional helminth fauna and component community structure, and spatial influence on the latter. Regional helminth fauna changed dramatically between the two years, primarily due to a fall in the abundance ofSyphacia petrusewiczibut was partially compensated for by an increase inMesocestoides lineatusandCladotaenia globifera. It was dominated by nematodes overall, but more so in 1999 than in 2002 when larval cestodes were more frequent. Most derived parameters for component community structure varied considerably between sites and the two surveys, the hierarchical order for sites not being maintained between surveys. They were susceptible to the disproportionate influence of three relatively rare, unpredictable species with the greatest overall aggregated distribution among hosts. Jaccard's similarity index was less influenced by the rare species, showing greater stability between sites and across years. In conclusion, temporal variation confounded any site-specific characteristics of the summary measures quantified in this study and their usefulness is therefore restricted to the years in which the surveys were conducted.

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EYEWORMS (OXYSPIRURA PETROWI) IN NORTHERN BOBWHITES (COLINUS VIRGINIANUS) FROM THE ROLLING PLAINS ECOREGION OF TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA, 2011−13

Journal of Wildlife Diseases ◽

10.7589/2015-04-103 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 562-567 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Nicholas R. Dunham ◽

Andrea Bruno ◽

Sadia Almas ◽

Dale Rollins ◽

Alan M. Fedynich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colinus Virginianus ◽

Northern Bobwhites ◽

Rolling Plains

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Body Fat Levels of Northern Bobwhites in South Texas

Journal of Wildlife Management ◽

10.2307/3801654 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 194 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nancy E. Koerth ◽

Fred S. Guthery

Keyword(s):

Body Fat ◽

South Texas ◽

Northern Bobwhites

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Pilot Study of Antimicrobial Resistance in Northern Bobwhites (Colinus virginianus)

Avian Diseases ◽

10.1637/11629-031517-regr ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 61 (3) ◽

pp. 391-396

Author(s):

Michael Zhang ◽

Zhenyu Shen ◽

Dale Rollins ◽

William Fales ◽

Shuping Zhang

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Colinus Virginianus ◽

Northern Bobwhites

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Fitness Costs and Benefits Associated with Dispersal in Northern Bobwhites (Colinus virginianus)

The American Midland Naturalist ◽

10.1674/0003-0031(2003)150[0073:fcabaw]2.0.co;2 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 150 (1) ◽

pp. 73-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

DARRELL E. TOWNSEND ◽

DAVID M. LESLIE ◽

ROBERT L. LOCHMILLER ◽

STEPHEN J. DeMASO ◽

SCOTT A. COX ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colinus Virginianus ◽

Costs And Benefits ◽

Fitness Costs ◽

Northern Bobwhites

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Variation in the helminth community structure in spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) from four montane wadis in the St Katherine region of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s003118200400558x ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 129 (3) ◽

pp. 379-398 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

J. M. BEHNKE ◽

P. D. HARRIS ◽

A. BAJER ◽

C. J. BARNARD ◽

N. SHERIF ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Life Histories ◽

Late Summer ◽

Helminth Community ◽

Component Community ◽

New Host ◽

Helminth Communities ◽

Spiny Mice ◽

Host Sex ◽

Acomys Dimidiatus

We compared helminth communities in spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) from 4 wadis in the arid montane region of the southern Sinai in Egypt, in a 4-week period in late summer. Total helminth species richness was 14 (8 nematodes, 5 cestodes and 1 acanthocephalan) with 94% of mice carrying at least 1 species and an overall mean species richness of 1·85. The most prevalent parasites wereProtospirura muricola(47·8%) andDentostomella kuntzi(46·3%). One larval cestode,Joyeuxiella rossicum, represents a new host record. The helminth community was dominated by intestinal nematodes (88·7%) of which 58·2% were arthropod-transmitted heteroxenic species. At the component community level, 70% of the worms were recovered from mice in just two wadis (Gharaba and Tlah) and 48·6% of intestinal nematodes were from Wadi Gharaba. Although only 7 species of helminths were recorded from Wadi Gharaba, this site gave the highest Berger-Parker dominance index because ofP. muricola. P. muricolawas also dominant in Wadi El Arbaein whilstSyphacia minutawas the dominant species in Wadis Gebal and Tlah. At the infracommunity level, mean species richness and Brillouin's index of diversity were highest in Wadi Tlah and lowest in Wadi Gebal, and the former was age dependent. Whilst mice from different wadis differed in the nematodes that were most common, those from Wadi Gharaba carried the highest mean number of worms/mouse. The abundance ofP. muricolain particular varied markedly between sites: Wadi Gharaba was distinct as the site showing the highest mean worm burden whereas mice from Wadi Gebal were uninfected. None of the directly transmitted oxyuroid nematodes showed significant variation in abundance between wadis, or host sex or age classes. Overall, the single extrinsic factor in the study, site of capture, was more important than the intrinsic factors in explaining variation in helminth communities in the region. We conclude that in the high mountains of southern Sinai, each wadi is distinct in terms of its rodent parasites, and hence we expect spatially different coevolutionary pressures on their hosts, with resultant variation in life-histories.

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