Parasites in feces of the endemic rattlesnake, Crotalus triseriatus (Serpentes: Viperidae), from Mexican highlands

There are few studies about parasitic infections in Crotalus triseriatus (Wagler, 1830), an endemic rattlesnake from the highlands of central Mexico. This species occupies several habitats, from conserved forested regions to heavily impacted landscapes. To increase the parasitologi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Leroy Soria-Díaz, Jaime Luis Rábago-Castro, Hublester Domínguez-Vega, Yuriana Gómez-Ortíz, Javier Manjarrez, Lorena Garrido-Olvera
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2019-10-01
Series:Zoologia (Curitiba)
Online Access:https://zoologia.pensoft.net/article/29587/download/pdf/
Description
Summary:There are few studies about parasitic infections in Crotalus triseriatus (Wagler, 1830), an endemic rattlesnake from the highlands of central Mexico. This species occupies several habitats, from conserved forested regions to heavily impacted landscapes. To increase the parasitological knowledge of this reptile species without impacting populations, we obtained fecal samples of 16 rattlesnakes between 2012 and 2014 from Toluca Valley, Mexico. By using flotation technique, we found oocysts of Eimeria sp. and eggs of Capillariidae sp. The most frequent parasite was Eimeria sp. (62.5%). This study provides the first records of occurrence of parasites in reptilian feces from Mexico. Our results may be important for wildlife conservation purposes, for example, they could indicate of the population health of this species during processes of translocation.
ISSN:1984-4689