A Helminthological Survey of Four Families of Waterfowl (Ardeidae, Rallidae, Scolopacidae and Phalaropodidae) from Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

This is a survey of the parasitic helminths of 71 individuals of 14 species of waterfowl belonging to the families Ardeidae, Rallidae, Scolopacidae and Phalaropodidae from Hokkaido, Japan, namely Ixobrychus eurhythmus, Nycticorax nycticorax, Bubulcus ibis, Ardea cinerea, Rallus aquaticus, Amaurornis phoenicurus, Fulica atra, Calidris alpina, Actitis hypoleucos, Numenius phaeopus, Scolopax rusticola, Gallinago gallinago, Gallinago hardwickii and Phalaropus lobatus. A total of 32 helminth species, including 11 nematodes (Capillaria sp., Amidostomum fulicae, Cyathostoma lari, Cyathostoma microspiculum, Contracaecum microcephalum, Porrocaecum reticulatum, Porrocaecum semiteres, Madelinema sp., Tetrameres scolopacis, Desportesius equispiculatus and Skrjabinoclava horrida), nine trematodes (Acanthoparyphium charadrii, Echinoparyphium recurvatum, Himasthla megacotyla, Prosthogonimus sp., Levinseniella conicostoma, Maritrema eroliae, Spelotrema longicolle, Allodiplostomum scolopacis and Apharyngostrigea ardeolina), eight cestodes (Diphyllobothrium sp., Ligula sp., Gryporhynchus nycticoracis, Trichocephaloides megalocephala, Choanotaenia macrocephala, Choanotaenia sp., Aploparaksis orientalis, and Aploparaksis scolopacis) and four acanthocephalans (Southwellina hispida, Arhythmorhynchus capellae, Corynosoma sp. and Plagiorhynchus (Prosthorhynchus) malayensis), were obtained and identified from 56.3% of the 71 hosts. No helminths were recovered found from R. aquaticus, A. hypoleucos and P. lobatus. Among the obtained helminths, C. lari, A. ardeolina and Ligula sp. from I. eurhythmus, Prosthogonimus sp. from A. phoenicurus, Capillaria sp., C. microspiculum and Madelinema sp., from S. rusticola, A. orientalis from G. hardwickii, and A. charadrii and L. conicostoma from C. alpina are the first host records worldwide. Additionally, C. lari, C. microspiculum, A. fulicae, P. semiteres, Madelinema sp., S. horrida, A. orientalis and P. (P.) malayensis were the first records of these species in Japan.