GASTROINTESTINAL HELMINTHS OF THE DUSKY DOLPHIN, LAGENORHYNCHUS OBSCURUS (GRAY, 1828), OFF PATAGONIA, IN THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC

The stomachs and intestines of 23 dusky dolphins incidentally caught in a trawl fishery off Patagonia were surveyed for helminths. All the dolphins were parasitized, with a total of 3,936 helminth individuals. Only five species occurred, of which three were common (prevalence ± 10%): Anisakis simplex, Braunina cordiformis and Hadwenius sp. A. simplex was present in all the dolphins and showed the highest abundance and mean intensity (104.9 individuals/infected host). B. cordiformis was next most common (87%), and Hadwenius sp. third (52.2%). A. simplex was found mostly in the stomach (94.8%), B. cordiformis in the duodenal ampulla (51.4%), and Hadwenius sp. in the stomach (64.5%). The rare …