ABSTRACT
The Amphibians of Uzere community in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria were investigated for nematode parasites. A total of 46 anuran specimens of 12 species were examined which included: Afrixalus dorsalis, Afrixalus fulvovittatus, Amietophrynus maculatus, Hoplobatrachus occipitalis, Hylarana galamensis, Hyperolius concolor, Hyperolius guttulatus, Phrynobatrachus sp., Ptychadena bibroni, Ptychadena mascareniensis, Ptychadena oxyrhynchus and Ptychadena pumilio were examined. Eleven nematode species were recorded in this survey. These parasites include Aplectana sp., Amplicaecum sp., an ascaridoid larva, Capillaria sp., Cosmocerca ornata., Cosmocerca commutata, Foleyellides sp., Oswaldocruzia jaegerskioeldi, Physaloptera sp. (adult and larva), Rhabdias spp. and an encysted larva of an unidentified nematode. An overall prevalence of 56.5% was recorded. The dominant anuran species found in this location were P. oxyrhynchus and A. fulvovittatus. Among the anurans examined, P. oxyrhynchus harboured the highest number of parasites. The multi host nematode parasites recovered from this study include: Aplectana sp., Cosmocerca ornata, Oswaldocruzia jaegerskioeldi, and Rhabdias spp. Most of the parasites encountered were adults but one occurred as larva, which possibly uses its amphibian host as transport host.
