PARASITES OF WATER TURTLES IN EDO STATE AND BAYELSA STATE

ABSTRACT

Investigation of two genera of water turtles Pelomedusa subrufa and Pelusios castenus derbianus for parasites was undertaken from June to September 2019. A total of 15 specimens were examined. The overall prevalence in P. subrufa was 100% and in P. castenus, 83.33%. The Parasites recorded include Monogenea: Polystomoides bourgati, Polystomoides chabaudi; Trematode: Telorchis sp; Nematode: Camallanus sp., Physaloptera and two unidentified nematodes occurring in the stomach and intestine. Camallanus sp. was the most common parasite with a prevalence rate of 88.87% in P. subrufa and 83.3% in P. castenus derbianus. Polystomoides chabaudi was the only monogenea found in Pelomedusa subrufa with a prevalence of 88.89% and a mean intensity of 8.6 while Polystomoides bourgati was the only monogenea found in Pelusios castenus with a prevalence of 16.67% with a mean intensity of 2.0. The report of the occurrence of Telorchis sp. in water turtles in Nigeria is very recent. Numdi (2009) made the first record of Telorchid trematodes in P. castaneus from Patani. Nigeria thus becomes a new geographic record for these parasites. The finding of Physaloptera sp. in P. castaneus and unidentified intestinal nematode are new host records as there has been no previous report of these parasites in the P. castaneus studied in Nigeria.