The enteric helminth fauna of the threatened yellow-blotched sawback turtle, Graptemys flavimaculata Cagle, 1954, was examined for the first time. Seven specimens were collected from the Pascagoula River in Jackson, George, and Green counties, Mississippi, U.S.A. The turtles were necropsied for toxicology studies, and their intestinal tracts were salvaged for parasitic analysis. One acanthocephalan species, Neoechinorhynchus stunkardi; 5 trematode species, Telorchis corti, T. angustus, T. singularis, an unidentified pronocephalid, and Cotylaspsis cokeri; and 2 nematode species, Falcaustra procera, and Spiroxys sp., were found. No new species were encountered; however, G. flavimaculata is a new host record, and the Pascagoula River is a new location record for all 8 helminth species. Transmission of at least 3 of the 8 helminth species involves ingestion of a mollusc intermediate host by the turtle host, which is not unexpected given the molluscivorous diet of adult G. flavimaculata.
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1 July 2002
Enteric Helminths of Graptemys flavimaculata Cagle, 1954, a Threatened Chelonian Species from the Pascagoula River in Mississippi, U.S.A.
Michelle L. Steinauer,
Brian D. Horne
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Cotylaspsis cokeri
Falcaustra procera
Graptemys flavimaculata
Neoechinorhynchus stunkardi
Pascagoula River
Pronocephalidae
Spiroxys sp