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

By

Soria-Díaz, Leroy
Rábago-Castro, Jaime Luis
Domínguez-Vega, Hublester
Gómez-Ortíz, Yuriana
Manjarrez, Javier
Garrido-Olvera, Lorena

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019-10-1

Original Publication

Nature conservation

Volume

36

Pages

1--6

Subjects

Coccidia , Mexico , Nematoda , Reptile , urban wildlife

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 2012-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.36.e29587

 

Abstract

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.