Helminth Parasites of the Eastern Box Turtle, 



Terrapene Carolina Carolina (L.) 



(Testudines: Emydidae), in North Carolina 



Michael D. Stuart 1 and Grover C. Miller 



Department of Zoology, North Carolina State University 

 Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7617 



ABSTRACT — We examined 117 eastern box turtles, Terrapene Caro- 

 lina Carolina, for helminth parasites. Nine species (two trematodes, 

 six nematodes, and one acanthocephalan) were recovered, and 39% 

 of the turtles were infected with three-five species of parasites. 

 Infection rates were as follows: Oswaldocruzia sp. (82.9%), Spironoura 

 affinis (76.1%), Telorchis robustus (29.9%), Cosmocercoides dukae 

 (20.5%), Aplectana sp. (6.0%), Brachycoelium salamandrae (2.6%), 

 Physaloptera sp. (2.6%), Serpinema (=Camallanus) microcephalus (0.9%), 

 and Macracanthorhynchus ingens (0.9%). Ulcerations of the stomach 

 mucosa harbored larval Spironoura affinis. The presence of Spironoura 

 affinis, Telorchis robustus, and Serpinema microcephalus suggests a 

 close phylogenetic relationship of Terrapene to other emydid turtles. 

 The other helminth species are normally found in amphibians and 

 might represent parasites acquired in the turtle's evolutionary transi- 

 tion from an aquatic to a terrestrial lifestyle. 



The box turtle, Terrapene Carolina (L.), is found throughout the 

 eastern United States. This small, terrestrial turtle has been studied 

 more thoroughly than most reptile species, perhaps because of its 

 ubiquity and innocuousness. The wealth of our knowledge on diet, 

 habitat preference, and behavior makes the box turtle an excellent 

 model for investigating parasite-host interactions (Stuart and Miller 

 1987). 



This study was initiated to determine the following: (1) helminth 

 intensity and prevalence in box turtles in North Carolina; (2) correlations, 

 if any, of host age and sex with helminth intensity and prevalence; 

 (3) similarity of helminth fauna in host specimens from North Carolina 

 and elsewhere in the United States; and (4) helminth infection patterns 

 in relation to box turtle behavior and dietary habits. 



MATERIALS AND METHODS 



Turtles were collected from 13 North Carolina counties between 

 June 1982 and August 1989. Collecting was done primarily on the 



Present address: Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Asheville, 

 Asheville, NC 28804. 



Brimleyana 18:83-98, June 1993 83 



