Is Amphiorchis (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) an exclusive parasite of sea turtles?

Abstract

SummaryThe side-necked turtle Hydromedusa tectifera commonly inhabits the tributary streams of the Rio de La Plata and occasionally is found in brackish waters within the estuary of the Rio de La Plata. Few studies have been conducted on its parasitic fauna, especially in Argentina. In the present work Amphiorchis sp. is registered for the first time in a freshwater turtle, expanding the knowledge about the specificity of the genus that until now was considered inhabiting only marine turtles.

Closing the knowledge gap: Helminth parasites of freshwater turtles from the Chaco-Pampa Plain, Southern South America

“…Parasites of the South American freshwater turtles have been understudied, with most records (more than 60) coming from Brazil (see Mascarenhas & Müller, 2022). All turtle species from the Chaco-Pampa plain of Argentina have been studied for internal parasites, with deeper analysis conducted on H. tectifera and P. hilarii: seven species of digeneans and seven nematodes were recorded (Lombardero & Moriena, 1977;Palumbo et al, 2016Palumbo et al, , 2019Palumbo et al, , 2020Palumbo et al, , 2021Palumbo & Diaz, 2018;Palumbo et al, 2024). Additionally, few ecological studies on some of these turtle species contemplate the analysis of host diet and their parasites (Pereira et al, 2018;Mascarenhas et al, 2021;Palumbo et al, 2021).…”

Seasonal variation of Hedruris dratini (Nematoda) parasitizing Hydromedusa tectifera (Chelidae), with focus on host’s torpor state

“…There are few parasite records for the South American Snake-necked turtle Hydromedusa tectifera Cope, 1870 in Argentina, two trematodes: Cheloniodiplostomum testudinis (Dubois, 1936) and Amphiorchis sp. [24,26], and three nematodes: Hedruris dratini [25], H. orestiae (Moniez, 1889) and Spiroxys contortus (Rudolphi, 1819) [23,25]. Hedruris dratini (Hedruridae) is a highly prevalent nematode parasitizing the stomach of different Argentine populations of Hyd.…”