Just Accepted Manuscripts
Articles

Metazoan endoparasites of Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus caesius (Cope, 1862) (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) in South American Chaco: Structural attributes at different organization levels.

PDF
  • Juan Caraballo,
  • Cynthya Gonzalez,
  • Ricardo Guerrero,
  • Vanesa Arzamendia
Juan Caraballo
Centro de Ecologia Aplicada del Litoral (CECOAL) CONICET-UNNE
Cynthya Gonzalez
Laboratorio de Biología y Ecología de Helmintos Parásitos. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral (CECOAL) CONICET-UNNE. Ruta Provincial 5, Km 2,5 (3400) - Corrientes, Argentina.
Ricardo Guerrero
Laboratorio de Biología de Vectores y Parásitos, Instituto de Zoología y Ecología Tropical (IZET), Facultad de Ciencias. Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV). P.O. Box 47058, 1041A - Caracas, Venezuela.
Vanesa Arzamendia
Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Conservación de Tetrápodos. Instituto Nacional de Limnología (INALI). CONICET. Ruta Nacional 168 Km 0, Paraje “El Pozo” (3000) - Santa Fe, Argentina.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-17983

Published 2025-11-19

Keywords

  • Community,
  • endoparasitism,
  • Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus caesius,
  • metazoan

How to Cite

Caraballo, J., Gonzalez, C., Guerrero, R., & Arzamendia, V. (2025). Metazoan endoparasites of Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus caesius (Cope, 1862) (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) in South American Chaco: Structural attributes at different organization levels. Acta Herpetologica. https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-17983

Copyright (c) 2025 Juan Caraballo, Cynthya Gonzalez, Ricardo Guerrero, Vanesa Arzamendia

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Abstract

In this study, the structure of metazoan endoparasites infracommunities and component community in Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus caesius (Cope, 1862) (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) is presented. From 21 specimens (15 females; 6 males) collected between February 2017 and March 2022 at Ingeniero Juárez, Formosa, Argentina, 90.5% of individuals surveyed (n= 19) were infected with at least one species of metazoan. Nine hundred sixty specimens were collected (117 adults; 843 larvae), from 11 taxa. Kalicephalus appendiculatus (Nematoda), Raillietiella furcocerca (Pentastomida), Ophiotaenia joanae, Catadiscus uruguayensis, Opisthogonimus lecithonotus (Platyhelminthes) were found as adults. Larvae identified were Oligacanthorhynchus sp. (Acanthocephala), Physaloptera sp. (Nematoda), Strigea spp. and Alaria sp. (Digenea). Digenea was the richest group (S= 6). Adults were collected in intestines, trachea and esophagus, while larvae were found in mesenteries and body cavity. O. joanae was the most prevalent species (38.1%) and K. appendiculatus had the highest mean abundance (3.7). Considering larvae, Strigea spp. were dominant and Oligacanthorhynchus sp. were subdominant. Between pairs of metazoans, positive and negative covariations were obtained. In general, intensity of metazoan taxa had positive correlation to host weight and body condition but had negative relationships with snout-vent length. Mean infracommunity richness (including larvae and adults) was 4.35 ± 1.27 taxa/host. Richness and diversity were higher in larval infracommunities than those composed by adults. This is the first ecological study of endoparasites in snakes from Argentina. New reports to parasite biodiversity in Dry Chaco were added, also, information about habitat use, diet, and position in trophic webs of host was generated.

PDF

References

  1. Aho, J. (1990): Helminth communities of amphibians and reptiles: comparative approaches to understanding patterns and processes. In: Parasite communities: patterns and processes, pp. 157- 195. Esch, G., Bush, A., Aho, J., Eds, London, Chapman and Hall.
  2. Amaral, A. (1978): Serpentes do Brasil: Iconografia Colorida. São Paulo. Editora da Universidade de São Paulo.
  3. Amato, J.F.R., Amato, S.B. (2010): Técnicas gerais para coleta e preparação de helmintos endoparasitos de aves. In: Ornitologia e Conservação: Ciência Aplicada, Técnicas de Pesquisa e Levantamento, pp. 367-394. Von Matter, S., Costa Straube, F., Almeida Accordi, I., Queiroz Piacentini, V., Cândido Jr., J.F., Eds, Rio de Janeiro, Technical Books Editora.
  4. Amin, O. (1987): Key to the families and subfamilies of Acanthocephala, with the erection of a new class (Polyacanthocephala) and a new order (Polyacanthorhynchida). J. Parasitol. 73: 1216–1219.
  5. Amin, O. (2013): Classification of Acanthocephala. Folia Parasitol (Praha). 60: 273-305.
  6. Anderson, R.C., Chabaud, A.G., Willmontt, S. (2009): Keys to the Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates. Archival Volume, Wallingford. CAB International.
  7. Anderson, R.C. (2000): Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates: Their Development and Transmission. Wallingford, CAB International.
  8. Andrade, H., da Costa, S.M., dos Santos, M.A., dos Reis Dias, E.J. (2020): Diet review of Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus (Wied-Neuwied, 1825) (Serpentes: Dipsadidae), and first record of Dermatonotus muelleri (Boettger, 1885) (Anura: Microhylidae) as a prey item in Sergipe State, northeastern Brazil. Herpetol. Notes 13: 1065-1068.
  9. Andrade-Díaz, M.S., Sarquis, J.A., Loiselle, B.A., Giraudo, A.R., Díaz-Gómez, J.M. (2019): Expansion of the agricultural frontier in the largest South American Dry Forest: Identifying priority conservation areas for snakes before everything is lost. PLoS One 14: e0221901.
  10. Ávila, R., Morais, D., Anjos, L., Almeida, W., Silva, R. (2013): Endoparasites infecting the semiaquatic coral snake Micrurus surinamensis (Squamata: Elapidae) in the Southern Amazonian region, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Braz. J. Biol. 73: 645-647.
  11. Barton, D., Riley, J. (2004) Raillietiella indica (Pentastomida) from the lungs of the giant toad, Bufo marinus (Amphibia), in Hawaii, U.S.A. Comp. Parasitol. 71: 251-254.
  12. Batista, S.F., Gomes Facure, K., Marques, O.A.V. (2019): First record of mammal consumption by Erythrolamprus miliaris. How wide is the diet of this water snake? Herp. Notes 12: 713-715.
  13. Bellini, G.P., Giraudo, A.R., Arzamendia, V., Etchepare, E.G. (2015): Temperate snake community in South America: is diet determined by phylogeny or ecology? PLoS One 10: e0123237.
  14. Benesh, D.P., Tellervo Valtonen, E. (2007): Effects of Acanthocephalus lucii (Acanthocephala) on intermediate host survival and growth: implications for exploitation strategies. J. Parasitol. 93: 735-741.
  15. Biserkov, V., Kostadinova, A. (1997): Development of the pleroceroid I of Ophiotaenia europaea in reptiles. Int. J. Parasitol. 27: 1513-1516.
  16. Bolek, M., Gustafson, K.D., Langford, G.J. (2024): Parasites in relation to other organisms: Hosts, reservoirs, and vectors. In: Concepts in Parasitology, pp. 40-46. Gardner, S.L., Gardner, S.A., Eds, Lincoln Nebraska, Zea Books.
  17. Bray, R.A., Gibson, D.I., Jones, A. (2008): Keys to the Trematoda. Volume 3. Wallingford. CAB International.
  18. Brown, G.P., Madsen, T.R.L., Shine, R. (2017): Resource availability and sexual size dimorphism: differential effects of prey abundance on the growth rates of tropical snakes. Funct. Ecol. 31: 1592-1599.
  19. Bursey, C.R., Goldberg, S.R., Parmalee, J.R. (2001): Gastrointestinal helminths of 51 species of anurans from Reserva Cuzco Amazónico, Peru. Comp. Parasitol. 68: 21-35.
  20. Bush, A., Holmes, J. (1986): Intestinal helminths of lesser scaup ducks: patterns of association. Can. J. Zool. 64: 132-141.
  21. Bush, A.O., Lafferty, K.D., Lotz, J.M., Shostak, A.W. (1997): Parasitology meets ecology on its own terms: Margolis et al. revisited. J. Parasitol. 83: 575–583.
  22. Bustos, M.L., Sánchez, M.N., Teibler, G.P., Peichoto, M.E. (2023): Parasitic fauna of captive snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from northeastern Argentina. South Am J. Herpetol. 26: 44-55.
  23. Cabral, H., Bueno-Villafañe, D., Romero-Nardelli, L. (2017): Comments on the diet of juvenile Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus caesius (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) in the Paraguayan Chaco. Phyllomedusa 16: 299-302.
  24. Cabral, H., Carrillo, J.F.C., Bejarano Coronel, D., Caballero Gini, A.N., Santana, D.J. (2022): Report of aggregation behavior in Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus caesius (Cope, 1862) (Serpentes: Dipsadidade) in the Dry Chaco. Rev. latinoam. Herpetol. 5: 25-30.
  25. Cabral, H., Piatti, L., Santana, D. (2024): Impacts of climate change in taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity in snakes in largest dry forest ecoregion, the Gran Chaco. J. Arid Environ. 224: 105214.
  26. Campião, K.M., Ribas, A.C.A, Morais, D.H., Silva, R.J., Tavares, L.E.R. (2015): How many parasites species a frog might have? Determinants of parasite diversity in South American anurans. PLoS One 10: e0140577.
  27. Caraballo, J., Ulibarrie, A., Hamman, M., Guerrero, R., Arzamendia, V., González, C. (2024): Metazoan endoparasites of snakes from Argentina: review and checklist with distributional notes and remarks. J. Helminthol. 98: 1-19.
  28. Carlson, C.J., Dallas, T.A., Alexander L.W., Phelan, A.L., Phillips, A.J. (2020a): What would it take to describe the global diversity of parasites? Proc. R. Soc. B. 287: 20201841.
  29. Carlson, C.J., Hopkins, S., Bell, K.C., Doña, J., Godfrey, S.S., Mackenzie, L.K., Lafferty, K.D., Moir, M.L., Speer, K.A., Strona, G., Torchin, M., and Wood, C.L. (2020b): A global parasite conservation plan. Biol. Conserv. 250: 108596.
  30. Carvalho, E.F.F., Silva-Neta, A.F.D., Silva, C.S., Oliveira, C.R., Nunes, J.D.C.X., Souza, T.G., Ávila, R.W. (2018): Helminths infecting the cat-eyed snake Leptodeira annulata Linnaeus 1758 (Squamata: Dipsadidae) in a semiarid region of Brazil. Helminthologia 55: 281-285.
  31. Castellari-González, R., Marcial de Castro, T., Silva-Soares, T. (2016): Predation of the water snake Erythrolamprus miliaris (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) by the crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous (Carnivora: Canidae). Bol. Mus. Biol. Mello Leitão, Nova Sér. 38: 315-323.
  32. Caubisens Poumarau, E.M. (1968): Trematodes de ofídios de la Argentina. Rev. Mus. Argent. 1: 1-129.
  33. Cawthorn, R.J., Anderson, R.C. (1976): Development of Physaloptera maxillaris (Nematoda: Physalopteroidea) in skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and the role of paratenic and other hosts in its life cycle. Can. J. Zool. 54: 313-323.
  34. Chen, H.W., Liu, W.C., Davis, A.J., Jordán, F., Hwang, M.J., Shao, K.T. (2008): Network position of hosts in food webs and their parasite diversity. Oikos 117: 1847–1855.
  35. Christoffersen, M.L., De Assis, J.E. (2013): A systematic monograph of the Recent Pentastomida, with a compilation of their hosts. Zool. Meded. 87: 1–206.
  36. Colwell, R.K., Mao, C.X., Chang, J. (2004) Interpolating, extrapolating, and comparing incidence-based species accumulation curves. Ecology. 85: 2717-2727.
  37. Combes, C. (2005): The art of being a parasite. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
  38. Corrêa, D.N., Quintela, F.M., Loebmann, D. (2016): Feeding ecology of Erythrolamprus jaegeri jaegeri (Günter, 1858) and Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus sublineatus (Cope, 1860) in the coastal zone of Subtropical Brazil (Serpentes, Dipsadidae). An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc. 88: 293–308.
  39. Dallas, T.A., Laine, A.L., Ovaskainen, O. (2019): Detecting parasite associations within multi-species host and parasite communities. Proc. R. Soc. B. 286: 20191109.
  40. De Castro Araújo, K., De Sousa Silva, C., Tavares de Sousa Machado, H., De Oliveira, C.R, Ávila, R.W. (2020): Endoparasites of Philodryas olfersii (Lichtenstein, 1823) in Restinga environments of the Parnaíba river delta, Northeastern Brazil. Neotrop. Helminthol. 14: 129-141.
  41. De Chambrier, A., Alves, P.V., Schuster, R.K., Scholz, T. (2021): Ophiotaenia echidis n. sp. (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae) from the saw-scaled viper, Echis carinatus sochureki Stemmler (Ophidia: Viperidae), one of the world's deadliest snakes, from the United Arab Emirates. Int. J. Parasitol. Parasites Wildl. 14: 341-354.
  42. De Marzo, T., Gasparri, N.I., Lambin, E.F., Kuemmerle, T. (2022): Agents of forest disturbance in the Argentine Dry Chaco. Remote Sens. 14: 1-19.
  43. Dei-Cas, E., Rodríguez, N., Botto, C., Osimani, J. (1976): Larvas plerocercoides de Spirometra (Dibothriocephalidae) en el hombre y en animales silvestres de Uruguay. Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo 18: 165172.
  44. De Souza, E., Lima‑Santos, J., Entiauspe‑Neto, O.M., dos Santos, M.M., de Moura, P.R., Hingst‑Zaher, E. (2022): Ophiophagy in Brazilian birds: a contribution from a collaborative platform of citizen science. Ornithol. Res. 30: 15-24.
  45. Detterline, J.L., Jacob, J.S., Wilhelm, W.E. (1984): A comparison of helminth endoparasites in the cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) and three species of water snakes (Nerodia). Trans. Am. Micros. Soc. 103: 137-143.
  46. Di Pietro, D.O., Williams, J.D., Cabrera, M.D., Alcalde, L., Cajade, R., Kacoliris, F.P. (2020): Resource partitioning in a snake assemblage from east central Argentina. An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc. 92: 1-22.
  47. Drago, F.B., Lunaschi, L. (2015): Update of checklist of digenean parasites of wild birds from Argentina, with comments about the extent of their inventory. Neotrop. Helminthol. 9: 325-350.
  48. Eva, H.D., Belward, A.S., De Miranda, E.E., Di Bella, C.M., Gond, V., Huber, O., Jones, S., Sgrenzaroli, M., Fritz, S. (2004) A land cover map of South America. Glob. Chang. Biol. 10: 731-744.
  49. Fain, A. (1966): Pentastomida of snakes. Their parasitological role in man and animals. Mem. Inst. Butantan 33: 167-174.
  50. Falk, B.G., Snow, R.W., Reed R.N. (2017): A validation of 11 body-condition indices in a giant snake species that exhibits positive allometry. PLoS One 12: e0180791.
  51. Fayard, M., Dechaume-Moncharmont, F.X., Wattier, R., Perrot-Minnot, M.J. (2020): Magnitude and direction of parasite-induced phenotypic alterations: a meta-analysis in acanthocephalans. Biol. Rev. 95, 1233-1251.
  52. Fernandes, B.M.M., Kohn, A. (2014): South American trematodes parasites of amphibians and reptiles. Rio de Janeiro, Oficina de Livros.
  53. Fernández-Reinoso, R., Acosta, J.C., Acosta, R., Corrales, L.A. (2022): Primer registro de depredación de Erythrolamprus sagittifer (Squamata: Dipsadidae) por Geranoaetus albicaudatus (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) en la Provincia de Neuquén, Argentina. Rev. latinoam. herpetol. 5: e544.
  54. Fredes, F., Raffo, E. (2005): Hallazgo de Raillietiella sp. en culebra chilena de cola larga (Philodryas chamissonis) de un zoológico de la región metropolitana. Parasitol. latinoam. 60: 189-191.
  55. Fontenot, L.W., Font, W. (1996): Helminth parasites of four species of aquatic snakes from two habitats in southeastern Louisiana. Proc Helminthol Soc Wash. 63: 66-75.
  56. Gasparri, N.I., Grau, H.R. (2009): Deforestation and fragmentation of Chaco dry forest in NW Argentina (1972–2007). For. Ecol. Manage. 258: 913-921.
  57. Giraudo, A.R., Arzamendia, V., Bellini, G.P., Bessa, C.A., Calamante, C.C., Cardozo, G., Chiaraviglio, M., Costanzo, M.B., Etchepare, E.G., Di Cola, V., Di Pietro, D.O., Kretzschmar, S., Palomas, S., Nenda, S.J., Rivera, P.C., Rodríguez, M.E., Scrocchi, G.J., Williams, J.D. (2012): Categorización del estado de conservación de las Serpientes de la República Argentina. Cuad. herpetol. 26: 303-326.
  58. Grabda-Kazubska, B. (1963): The life cycle of Metalepthophallus gracillimus (Lühe, 1909) and some observations on the biology and morphology of developmental stages of Letophalus nigrovenosus (Bellingham, 1844). Acta Parasitol. Pol. 11: 349-370.
  59. Guerrero, R. (1996): Streblidae (Diptera: Pupipara) parásitos de los murciélagos de Pakitza, Parque Nacional Manu, Perú. In: Manu, la biodiversidad del sureste del Perú, pp. 627-641, Wilson, D., Sandoval, A., Eds, Washington DC, Smithsonian Institution.
  60. Hamann, M.I., Kehr, A.I. (2003): Ecological aspects of parasitism in the tadpole of Pseudis paradoxa from Argentina. Herpetol. Rev. 34: 336-341.
  61. Hamann, M.I., Kehr, A.I., González, C.E., Duré, M.I., Schaefer, E.F. (2009): Parasite and reproductive features of Scinax nasicus (Anura: Hylidae) from a South American subtropical area. Interciencia 34: 214-218.
  62. Hamann, M.I., González, C.E. (2009): Larval digenetic trematodes in tadpoles of six amphibian species from northeastern Argentina. J. Parasitol. 95: 623-628.
  63. Hamann, M.I., Fernández, M.V., González, C.E. (2019): Metacercariae of Strigeidae parasitizing amphibians of the Chaco region in Argentina. An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc. 91: e20180044.
  64. Hamann, M.I., Fernández, M.V., González, C.E. (2022 a): Larval digenean parasitizing amphibian hosts from the Argentinian Chaco region. Acta Parasitol. 68: 194-207.
  65. Hamann, M.I., González, C.E., Duré, M.I., Palomas, Y.S. (2022 b): Helminth community in the Llanos frog, Lepidobatrachus llanensis (Ceratophryidae), from the Dry Chaco. South Am J Herpetol. 25: 12-17.
  66. Hammer, Ø., Harper, D.A.T., Ryan, P.D. (2001): PAST: Paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol electron. 4: 1-9.
  67. Izquierdo, A.E., Grau, H.R. (2009): Agriculture adjustment, land-use transition and protected areas in Northwestern Argentina. J. Environ. Manage. 90: 858-865.
  68. Jiménez-Ruiz, FA, García-Prieto L, Pérez-Ponce de León, G. (2002): Helminth infracommunity structure of the sympatric garter snakes Thamnophis eques and Thamnophis melanogaster from the Mesa Central of Mexico. J. Parasitol. 88: 454-460.
  69. Jones, A., Bray, R.A., Gibson, D.I. (2005): Keys to the Trematoda. Volume 2. Wallingford, CAB International.
  70. Justo, M.C.N., Fernandes, B.M.M., Knoff, M., Cárdenas, M.Q., Cohen, S.C. (2017): Checklist of Brazilian Cestoda. Neotrop. Helminthol. 11: 187-282.
  71. Kennedy, C.R. (2006): Ecology of the Acanthocephala. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
  72. Khalil, L., Jones, A., Bray, R. (1994): Key to the cestode parasites of vertebrates. Wallingford, CAB International.
  73. Lacerda, G.M.C., Santana, J.A., de Araújo Filho, J.A., Ribeiro, S.C. (2023): Checklist of parasites associated with ʻreptiles’ in Northeast Brazil. J. Helminthol. 97: 1-28.
  74. Lescano, J.N., Bellis, L.M., Hoyos, L.E., Leynaud, G.C. (2015): Amphibian assemblages in dry forests: multi-scale variables explain variations in species richness. Acta Oecol. 65–66: 41-50.
  75. Lester, R.J.G., Blomberg, S.P. (2021):Three methods to measure parasite aggregation using examples from Australian fish parasites. Methods Ecol Evol. 12: 1999-2007.
  76. Lettoof, D., von Takach, B., Bateman, P.W., Gagnon, M.M., Aubret F. (2019): Investigating the role of urbanisation, wetlands and climatic conditions in nematode parasitism in a large Australian elapid snake. Int. J. Parasitol. Parasites Wildl. 3: 32-39.
  77. Leung, T.L.F., Koprivnikar, J. (2019): Your infections are what you eat: How host ecology shapes the helminth parasite communities of lizards. J. Anim. Ecol. 88: 416-426.
  78. Lunaschi, L.I., Sutton, C.A. (1985): Trematodes de reptiles incorporados a la colección helmintológica del Museo de La Plata. Neotropica 31: 69-81.
  79. Lunaschi, L.I., Drago, F.B. (2002): Primer registro de Catadiscus uruguayensis Freitas y Lent, 1939 (Digenea: Diplodiscidae) como parásito de reptiles. Neotropica 48: 65-67.
  80. Lunaschi, L.I., Cremonte, F., Drago, F.B. (2007): Checklist of digenean parasites of birds from Argentina. Zootaxa 1403: 1-36.
  81. Madsen, T., Shine, R. (2000): Silver spoons and snake body sizes: prey availability early in life influences long-term growth rates of free-ranging pythons. J. An. Ecol. 69: 952-958.
  82. Magurran, A.L. (1988): Ecological diversity and its measuring. New Jersey, Princeton University Press.
  83. Maldonado, P., Hohne, E., Naumann, M. (2006): Atlas del Gran Chaco Sudamericano. Buenos Aires, Sociedad Alemana de Cooperación Técnica (GTZ) ErreGé and Asoc.
  84. Margalef, R. (1972): Homage to E. Hutchison, or why is there an upper limit to diversity. Trans. Conn. Acad. Arts Sci. 44: 21–235.
  85. Mati, V.L.T., Pinto, H.A., Melo, A.L. (2015): Helminths of Liophis miliaris (Squamata, Dipsadidae): a list of species and new records. Helminthologia 52: 159-166.
  86. Matias, C.S., Silva, C., Sousa, J.G., Ávila, R. (2018): Helminths infecting the black false boa Pseudoboa nigra (Squamata: Dipsadidae) in northeastern Brazil. Acta Herpetol. 13: 171-175.
  87. McVinish R., Lester R. J. G. (2020): Measuring aggregation in parasite populations. J. R. Soc. Interface. 17: 20190886.
  88. Möhl, K., Grosse, K., Hamedy, A., Wüste, T., Kabelitz, K., Lücker, E. (2009): Biology of Alaria spp. and human exposition risk to Alaria mesocercariae—a review. Parasitol. Res. 105: 1-15.
  89. Montes, M.M., Furlán, E.O., Barneche, J.A., Vercellini, C., Acuña Gonzalez, T., Ibañez Shimabukuro, M., Arzamendia, V. (2025): New information on adults pentastomids (Crustacea: Pentastomida) found in ophidians from Argentina: Insights from 28S rDNA and COI mtDNA. Syst. Parasitol. 102: 25.
  90. Morales, G., Pino, L. (1987): Parasitología Cuantitativa. Caracas, Fundación Fondo Editorial Acta Científica Venezolana.
  91. Niewiadomska, K., Pojmańska, T. (2011): Multiple strategies of digenean trematodes to complete their life cycles. Ann. Parasitol. 57: 233-241.
  92. Nogueira, C., Williams, J., Giraudo, A., Fitzgerald, L., Arzamendia, V., Scrocchi, G., Schargel, W., Rivas, G. (2020): Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus. In: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. e.T50956250A50956261.
  93. Nori, J., Torres, R.M., Lescano, J.N., Cordier, J.M., Periago, M.E., Baldo, J.D. (2016): Protected areas and spatial conservation priorities for endemic vertebrates of the Gran Chaco, one of the most threatened ecoregions of the world. Divers. distrib. 22: 1212-1219.
  94. Oliveira, M.C., Ferreira‑Silva, C., Silva, R.J., França, F.G.R., Lorenço‑de‑Moraes, R. (2024): Water snakes have a high diversity of parasites in anthropized environments. Urban Ecosyst. 27: 1435-1449.
  95. Ostrowski de Núñez, M. (1979): Ungewöhnliche Xiphidiocercarie aus Ampullaria canaliculata nebst Bemerkungen über Travtrema stenocotyle. Angew. Parasitol. 20: 46-52.
  96. Pence, D.B., Eason, S. (1980): Comparison of the helminth faunas of two sympatric top carnivores from the rolling plains of Texas. J. Parasitol. 66: 115-120.
  97. Pereira, J.V., Mascarenhas, C.S., Müller, G. (2022): Digenea parasitizing snakes in Pampa Biome, southern Brazil. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. 93: e934112.
  98. Pérez-Ponce de León, G., Poulin, R. (2016): Taxonomic distribution of cryptic diversity among metazoans: not so homogeneous after all. Biol. Lett. 12: 20160371.
  99. Pérez-Ponce de León, G., Poulin, R. (2018): An updated look at the uneven distribution of cryptic diversity among parasitic helminths. J Helminthol 92: 197-202.
  100. Pinto, R.R., Fernandes, R. (2004): Reproductive biology and diet of Liophis poecilogyrus poecilogyrus (Serpentes, Colubridae) from southeastern Brazil. Phyllomedusa 3: 9-14.
  101. Prieto, Y.A., Giraudo, A.R., López, M.S. (2012): Diet and sexual dimorphism of Liophis poecilogyrus (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) from the wetland regions of northeast of Argentina. J Herpetol.: 402-406.
  102. Poulin, R. (1993): The disparity between observed and uniform distributions: A new look at parasite aggregation, Int. J. Parasitol. 23: 937-944.
  103. Poulin, R. (1997): Species richness of parasite assemblages: evolution and patterns. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst. 28: 341-358.
  104. Poulin, R. (1999): The functional importance of parasites in animal communities: many roles at many levels? Int. J. Parasitol. 29: 903-914.
  105. Poulin, R. (2001): Interactions between species and the structure of helminth communities. Parasitology. 122: S3-S11.
  106. Poulin, R., Morand, S. (2000): The diversity of parasites. Q. Rev. Biol. 75: 277–293.
  107. Poulin, R., Nichol, K., Latham, A.D. (2003): Host sharing and host manipulation by larval helminths in shore crabs: cooperation or conflict? Int J Parasitol. 33: 425-433.
  108. Prieto, Y.A., Giraudo, A.R., López M.S. (2012): Diet and sexual dimorphism of Liophis poecilogyrus (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) from the wetland regions of northeast Argentina. J. Herpetol. 46: 402-406.
  109. Quintela, F.M., Iob, G., Artioli, L.G.S. (2014): Diet of Procyon cancrivorus (Carnivora, Procyonidae) in restinga and estuarine environments of southern Brazil. Iheringia Sér. Zool. 104: 143-149.
  110. Reiczigel, J., Marozzi, M., Ibolya, F., Rózsa, L. (2024): Biostatistics for parasitologists: A painless introduction. In: Concepts in Parasitology, pp. 84-91. Gardner, S.L., Gardner, S.A., Eds, Lincoln Nebraska, Zea Books.
  111. Richardson, D.J. (2006): Life cycle of Oligacanthorhynchus tortuosa (Oligacanthorhynchidae), an acanthocephalan of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). Comp. Parasitol. 73: 1-6.
  112. Rios, F.M., Zimmerman, L.M. (2015): Immunology of Reptiles. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd: Chichester. UK.
  113. Rodgers, M.L., Bolnick, D.I. (2024): Opening a can of worms: a test of the co-infection facilitation hypothesis. Oecologia 204: 317-325.
  114. Santoro, M., Aznar, F.J., Mattiucci, S., Kinsella, J.M., Pellegrino, F., Cipriani, P., Nascetti, G. (2013): Parasite assemblages in the western whip snake Hierophis viridiflavus carbonarius (Colubridae) from southern Italy. J. Helminthol. 87: 277-285.
  115. Schad, G.A. (1956): Studies on the genus Kalicephalus (Nematoda: Diaphanocephalidae). I. On the life histories of the North American Species K. parvus, K. agkistrodontis and K. rectiphilus. Can J Zool. 34: 425-452.
  116. Scholz, T., De Chambrier, A. (2003): Taxonomy and biology of proteocephalidean cestodes: current state and perspectives. Helminthologia 40: 65-77.
  117. Silva-Trejo, F.S., Sánchez-Nava, P., Sunny, A., Venegas-Barrera, C.S., Manjarrez, J. (2025): Parasite fauna of the blackbelly garter snake (Thamnophis melanogaster) in Central México. Diversity: 17: 11.
  118. Thul, J.E., Forrester, D.J., Abercrombie, C.L. (1985): Ecology of parasitic helminths of wood ducks Aix sponsa In the Atlantic flyway. Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 52: 297-310.
  119. TNC (2005): Evaluación Ecorregional del Gran Chaco Americano. Buenos Aires, Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina (FVSA).
  120. Warburton, E.M. (2020): Untapped potential: The utility of drylands for testing eco-evolutionary relationships between hosts and parasites. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl. 12: 291-299.
  121. Williams, J., Vera, D., Di Pietro, D. (2021): Lista comentada de las serpientes de la Argentina, con referencias a su sistemática, distribución geográfica, dieta, reproducción, potencial peligrosidad y etimologías. Revista Mus La Plata 6: 26-124.
  122. William, J., Vera, D. (2023): Serpientes de la Argentina. Buenos Aires, Ediciones LBN.
  123. Wood, C.L., Johnson, P.T. (2015): A world without parasites: exploring the hidden ecology of infection. Front. Ecol. Evol. 13: 425-434.
  124. Yamaguti, S. (1975): A synoptical review of life histories of digenetic trematodes of vertebrates: with special reference to the morphology of their larval forms. Tokyo, Yugaku-sha.