Abstract
Chaetophractus villosus and Dasypus hybridus are the most widespread and abundant armadillos inhabiting the Pampas grasslands. Studies on the parasitic fauna from an ecological perspective are scarce in both species. We describe and compare the component communities of C. villosus and D. hybridus in the Pampas ecoregion of Argentina and analyse if the composition and structure of the parasitic communities of these host species reveal trophic behaviour and/or habitat use. In the population of C. villosus 10 species of helminths were found, namely Ancylostoma caninum, Aspidodera fasciata, Aspidodera scoleciformis, Mazzia bialata, Moennigia celinae, Orihelia anticlava, Strongyloides sp., Trichohelix tuberculata (Nematoda) and Mathevotaenia sp. (Cestoda), whereas in the population of D. hybridus four species were found, A. fasciata, Delicata abbai, Pterygodermatites chaetophracti and Strongyloides sp. Only A. fasciata and Strongyloides sp. were present in both species. Prevalences and intensities were similar in Strongyloides sp. In A. fasciata, however, there were differences regarding mean intensity. Diversity was higher in C. villosus than in D. hybridus. The differences may be related to the diet, behaviour, evolutionary histories or immune response of the species studied. A combination of several of these factors would possibly influence the composition of their parasitic fauna.
Funding source: Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Award Identifier / Grant number: N861
Funding source: Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica
Award Identifier / Grant number: PICT 2016–0691
Acknowledgments
We thank Luis G. Pagano, Fernando C. Galliari, Luis Rossi and Juan P. Luaces for their invaluable help in the field, and Rosario Iglesias for her aid with the map.
Author contribution: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Researchfunding: This work was supported by the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (grant number N861) and the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (grant number PICT 2016–0691).
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
References
Abba, A.M. and Vizcaíno, S.F. (2011). Distribución de los armadillos (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae) en la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mastozool. Neotrop. 18: 185–206.Search in Google Scholar
Abba, A.M., Udrizar Sauthier, D.E., and Vizcaíno, S.F. (2005). Distribution and use of burrows and tunnels of Chaetophractus villosus (Mammalia: Xenarthra) in the eastern Argentinean pampas. Acta Theriol. 50: 115–124. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03192624.Search in Google Scholar
Abba, A.M., Cassini, G.H., and Galliari, F.C. (2011). Nuevos aportes a la historia natural de la mulita pampeana Dasypus hybridus (Mammalia, Dasypodidae). Iheringia Ser. Zool. 101: 325–335. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0073-47212011000300007.Search in Google Scholar
Abba, A.M., Zufiaurre, E., Codesido, M., and Bilenca, D.N. (2015). Burrowing activity by armadillos in agroecosystems of central Argentina: biogeography, land use, and rainfall effects. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 200: 54–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2014.11.001.Search in Google Scholar
Abba, A.M., Torres, R.M., and Superina, M. (2019). Dasypus hybridus. Categorización 2019 de los mamíferos de Argentina según su riesgo de extinción. Lista Roja de los mamíferos de Argentina, Available at: <https://doi.org/10.31687/SaremLR.19.034>.Search in Google Scholar
Anderson, R.C., Chabaud, A.G., and Willmott, S. (2009). Keys to the nematode parasites of vertebrates. Archival volume. CAB International, U.K.10.1079/9781845935726.0000Search in Google Scholar
Bordes, F., Morand, S., Krasnov, B.R., and Poulin, R. (2010). Chapter 7. Parasite diversity and latitudinal gradients in terrestrial mammals. In: Morand, S. and Krasnov, B.R. (Eds.). The biogeography of host-parasite interactions. Oxford University Press Inc., New York, pp. 89–98.Search in Google Scholar
Burkart, R., Bárbaro, N.O., Sánchez, R.O., and Gómez, D.A. (1999). Eco-regiones de la Argentina. Administración de Parques Nacionales, PRODIA, Buenos Aires.Search in Google Scholar
Bush, A.O., Lafferty, K.D., Lotz, J.M., and Shostak, A.W. (1997). Parasitology meets ecology on its own terms: Margolis et al. revisited. J. Parasitol. 83: 575–583. https://doi.org/10.2307/3284227.Search in Google Scholar
Casanave, E.B. and Polini, N.N. (1999). Comparative study of some haematological parameters of two wild populations of Chaetophractus villosus (Mammalia, Dasypodidae). Comp. Hematol. Int. 9: 13–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/pl00010001.Search in Google Scholar
Combes, C. (2001). Parasitism. The ecology and evolution of intimate interactions. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.Search in Google Scholar
Cuba-Caparo, A. (1976). Some hematologic and temperature determinations in the 7-banded armadillo (Dasypus hybridus). Lab. Anim. Sci. 26: 450–455.Search in Google Scholar
Ezquiaga, M.C. (2013). Estudios parasitológicos en Dasypodidae (Mammalia, Xenarthra) de Argentina: el valor de la diversidad en la interpretación de las asociaciones parásito-hospedador-ambiente, Doctoral dissertation. Argentina, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.Search in Google Scholar
Ezquiaga, M.C. and Navone, G.T. (2013). Trichostrongylina parasites of Dasypodidae (Xenarthra) from Argentina; A new species of Macielia (Molineidae: Anoplostrongylinae) in Chaetophractus vellerosus and redescription of Trichohelix tuberculata. J. Parasitol. 99: 821–826. https://doi.org/10.1645/13-200.1.Search in Google Scholar
Ezquiaga, M.C. and Navone, G.T. (2014). A new species of Moennigia (Trichostrongylina: Molineidae) a parasite of Chaetophractus spp. (Xenarthra: Dasypodidae) from Argentina. J. Parasitol. 100: 500–503. https://doi.org/10.1645/13-337.1.Search in Google Scholar
Ezquiaga, M.C., Digiani, M.C., and Navone, G.T. (2012). A new molineid (Trichostrongylina) parasite of Dasypus hybridus (Xenarthra: Dasypodidae) from Argentina. J. Parasitol. 98: 1156–1160. https://doi.org/10.1645/ge-3110.1.Search in Google Scholar
Ezquiaga, M.C., Abba, A.M., and Navone, G.T. (2016). Loss of helminth species diversity in the large hairy armadillo Chaetophractus villosus on the Tierra del Fuego Island, Argentina. J. Helminthol. 90: 245–248. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022149x14000893.Search in Google Scholar
Galíndez, E.J., Aggio, M.C., Estecondo, S., and Casanave, E.B. (1997). Estructura esplénica de Chaetophractus villosus: adulto y neonato. Rev. Bras. Biol. 57: 393–401.Search in Google Scholar
Galíndez, E.J., Codon, S.M., and Casanave, E.B. (2000). Spleen of Dasypus hybridus (Mammalia, Dasypodidae): a light and electron microscopic study. Anat. Rec. 25: 286–291. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-0185(20000301)258:3<286::aid-ar8>3.0.co;2-p.10.1002/(SICI)1097-0185(20000301)258:3<286::AID-AR8>3.0.CO;2-PSearch in Google Scholar
Gallo, J.A., Abba, A.M., and Fasola, L. (2019). Armadillos as natural pests controls: food habits of five armadillos in Argentina. Mastozool. Neotrop. 26: 117–127. https://doi.org/10.31687/saremmn.19.26.1.0.03.Search in Google Scholar
Gibb, G.C., Condamine, F.L., Kuch, M., Enk, J., Moraesbarros, N., Superina, M., Poinar, H.N., and Delsuc, F. (2016). Shotgun mitogenomics provides a reference phylogenetic framework and timescale for living xenarthrans. Mol. Biol. Evol. 33: 621–642. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msv250.Search in Google Scholar
Goater, T.M., Goater, C.P., and Esch, G.W. (2014). Parasitism: the diversity and ecology of animal parasites, 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9781139047876Search in Google Scholar
González, E.M., Soutullo, A., and Altuna, C.A. (2001). The burrow of Dasypus hybridus (Cingulata: Dasypodidae). Acta Theriol. 46: 53–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03192416.Search in Google Scholar
Kamiya, T., O’Dwyer, K., Nakagawa, S., and Poulin, R. (2014). What determines species richness of parasitic organisms? A meta‐analysis across animal, plant and fungal hosts. Biol. Rev. 89: 123–134. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12046.Search in Google Scholar
Krasnov, B.R., Poulin, R., and Morand, S. (2006). Patterns of macroparasite diversity in small mammals. In: Morand, S., Krasnov, B.R., and Poulin, R. (Eds.). Micromammals and macroparasites. Springer, New York, pp. 197–231.10.1007/978-4-431-36025-4_12Search in Google Scholar
Navone, G.T. (1986). Estudios parasitológicos en edentados argentinos. II. Nematodes parásitos de armadillos: Aspidodera fasciata (Schneider, 1866); Aspidodera scoleciformis (Diesing, 1851) y Aspidodera vazi Proença, 1937. (Nematoda-Heterakoidea). Neotropica 32: 71–79.Search in Google Scholar
Navone, G.T. (1987). Descripción del macho de Pterygodermatites (Paucipectines) chaetophracti (Navone y Lombardero, 1980) Sutton, 1984 (Nematoda-Rictulariidae). Neotropica 33: 45–49.Search in Google Scholar
Navone, G.T. (1988). Estudios parasitológicos en edentados argentinos IV. Cestodes pertenecientes a la familia Anoplocephalidae Cholodkovshy, 1902, parásitos de dasipódidos. Neotropica 34: 51–61.Search in Google Scholar
Navone, G.T. (1990). Estudio de la distribución, porcentaje y microecología de los parásitos de algunas especies de edentados argentinos. Stud. Neotrop. Fauna Environ. 25: 199–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650529009360820.Search in Google Scholar
Notarnicola, J. and Navone, G.T. (2003). Systematic and distribution of Orihelia anticlava (Molin, 1858) (Nematoda, Onchocercidae) from dasypodids of South America. Acta Parasitol. 48: 103–110.Search in Google Scholar
Poulin, R. and Morand, S. (2004). Parasite biodiversity. Smithsonian Books, Washington.Search in Google Scholar
Reiczigel, J., Marozzi, M., Fabian, I., and Rozsa, L. (2019). Biostatistics for parasitologists – a primer to quantitative parasitology. Trends Parasitol. 35: 277–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2019.01.003.Search in Google Scholar
Rios, T.A. (2020). Estudios parasitológicos en xenartros (Mammalia: Xenarthra) del Chaco argentino y su interacción con el impacto antrópico, Doctoral dissertation. Argentina, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.Search in Google Scholar
Rios, T.A., Ezquiaga, M.C., Abba, A.M., and Navone, G.T. (2016). Intestinal parasites of Tolypeutes matacus, the most frequently consumed armadillo in the Chaco Region. Int. J. Parasitol. Parasites Wildl. 5: 254–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2016.08.001.Search in Google Scholar
Sikes, R.S. and the Animal Care and Use Committee of the American Society of Mammalogists. (2016). 2016 guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the use of wild mammals in research and education. J. Mammal. 97: 663–688. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyw078.Search in Google Scholar
Vicente, J.J., Rodrigues, H.O., Gomes, D.C., and Pinto, R.M. (1997). Nematóides do Brasil. Parte V: Nematóides de mamíferos. Rev. Bras. Zool. 14: 1–452. https://doi.org/10.1590/s0101-81751997000500001.Search in Google Scholar
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
