Helminth Parasites of the Lizard Nothobachia ablephara (Gymnophthalmidae) in Caatinga Areas from the Sertão of Brazil.

Abstract

The lizard Nothobachia ablephara is endemic to dune areas and sandy soils adjacent to the São Francisco River in semiarid northeastern Brazil. Forty-nine lizard specimens were collected in 2 Caatinga areas in the municipality of Petrolina in Pernambuco state. Three gastrointestinal helminth taxa were identified, the nematodes Parapharyngodon alvarengai and Physaloptera sp. and the cestode Oochoristica sp. Nothobachia ablephara showed low parasite richness, but high levels of infection by P. alvarengai. There were no significant differences between the parasitism rates of the 2 study areas or between male and female lizards. This is the first study on parasitism in N. ablephara, thereby increasing knowledge of parasite fauna that infect gymnophthalmid lizards in the Sertão of Brazil.