Helminth parasites of the blue-footed booby on Isla Isabel, México.

J Parasitol

Instituto de Ecología A.C., Red de Biología Evolutiva, km 2.5 ant. carretera a Coatepec, Xalapa, Veracruz, 91070, México.

Published: August 2011

A survey of the helminth fauna of the blue-footed booby, Sula nebouxii, on Isla Isabel, off the Pacific coast of México, is presented. Eight parasite species were found: 4 digeneans (Galactosomum puffini , Mesostephanus microbursa, Opisthometra planicollis, and Renicola thapari), 3 nematodes (Contracaecum sp., Porrocaecum sp., and Tetrameres sp.), and 1 cestode (Tetrabothrius sp). All these species are reported for the first time in the blue-footed booby, and they represent 8 new locality records as well. Species accumulation curves suggest these 8 parasite species comprise the total helminth fauna of this population of boobies. The most frequent and abundant parasite was R. thapari, inhabiting the kidney of its host. In male boobies, a significant negative correlation was found between abundance of R. thapari and host body condition.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1645/GE-2675.1DOI Listing

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