0000000000202838
AUTHOR
Enrique A. Crespo
Parasites in Stranded Cetaceans of Patagonia
There is an increasing interest in parasites of marine mammals of Argentina. Here, we examined several poorly known cetaceans, i.e., 2 spectacled porpoises and 1 Burmeister's porpoise (Phocoenidae), and 1 Gray's beaked whale and 1 Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphidae); we also updated the parasite information for 1 sperm whale (Physeteridae). These hosts strand only occasionally. We found Anisakis simplex s.l. in 2 spectacled porpoises and the Burmeister's porpoise, and recorded its distribution among the stomach chambers. Anisakis physeteris infected the sperm whale; Corynosoma cetaceum occurred in the duodenal ampulla of the Burmeister's porpoise; Corynosoma australe was found in the posterior…
Cestodes from Hector's beaked whale ( Mesoplodon hectori ) and spectacled porpoise ( Phocoena dioptrica ) from Argentinean waters.
Single individuals of 2 little-known cetacean species, Mesoplodon hectori and Phocoena dioptrica, stranded and died on the coast of Argentina (Buenos Aires and Chubut provinces, respectively) and were studied for the presence of helminths. The cestodes found were described and illustrated using light microscopy. The following cestode taxa were recovered: Tetrabothrius (Tetrabothrius) hobergi n. sp. (several fragmented specimens, at least 1 gravid) and Tetrabothrius (s.l.) sp. 1 (several fragmented immature specimens) from M. hectori, and Tetrabothrius (s.l.) sp. 2 (single fragmented immature specimen) and 2 morphotypes of tetraphyllidean larvae from P. dioptrica. Tetrabothrius (T.) hobergi …
A Visitor of Tropical Waters: First Record of a Clymene Dolphin (Stenella clymene) Off the Patagonian Coast of Argentina, With Comments on Diet and Metazoan Parasites
The poorly known Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene) is a small oceanic cetacean distributed in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. In this study, we report, for the first time, a vagrant individual of Clymene dolphin in Argentina (Rada Tilly) that represents the current southern-most record for this cetacean species. We provide a molecular identification of the dolphin, based on partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, generated from DNA extracted from its metazoan parasites. Three prey species, namely Argentine hake, Patagonian squid and lobster krill were identified from hard pieces collected in the stomach. Seven metazoan parasite taxa (three in adult …