First record of Cephalobaena tetrapoda (Pentastomida: Cephalobaenidae) as a parasite on Liophis lineatus (Ophidia: Colubridae) in Northeast Brazil.
Cephalobaenidae constitutes one of the main pentastomid groups infecting the respiratory tract of snakes. Six specimens of Liophis lineatus, a colubrid, were collected by active capture and pitfalls installed on the banks of the Batateiras river, close to its source, in the APA - Area de Proteção Ambiental (a protected environmental area of the IBAMA - Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources), and in a remnant of the humid tropical forest FLONA - Floresta Nacional do Araripe, both in the municipality of Crato, state of Ceará, Northeast Brazil. Out of the six specimens of L. lineatus examined, only one had its lung infected by the pentastomid Cephalobaena tetrapoda. This represents the first record of C. tetrapoda as a parasite of a snake in Northeast Brazil, as well as the first record of a colubrid, L. lineatus, as a new host for the pentastomid in Brazil.
Almeida
W O
WO
Departamento de Ciências Físicas e Biológicas, Universidade Regional do Cariri, Crato, CE, 63100-000, Brazil. walmeida@urca.br
Brito
S V
SV
Ferreira
F S
FS
Christoffersen
M L
ML
D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification*; D001938:Brazil; D017812:Colubridae / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D008168:Lung / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male