Helminth parasites and Prey composition in the stomach of Ptychadena species from Obazuwa Wetland in Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This investigation was aimed at determining the helminth parasites and prey items in the stomach of Ptychadena sp. from Obazuwa wetland in Edo State Nigeria. Four Ptychadena sp. (P. longirostris, P. bibroni, P. oxyrhynchus and P. mascareniensis) were collected using the visual/acoustic encounter survey methods. The stomach contents of the frogs examined revealed a total of 127 identifiable items comprising of 108 arthropods, 16 nematodes and 3 cestodes. The arthropods recorded belonged to 9 taxa and percentage frequency of occurrence was: Araneae 5%, Blattaria 10%, Coleoptera 10%, Diptera 17.5%, Hymenoptera 47.5%, Lepidoptera 2.5%, Mollusca 15%, Myriapoda 7.5% and Orthoptera 7.5%. The Hymenoptera  recorded in the four Ptychadena sp. only accounted for 23 (18.1%) of the total identifiable prey items. Most of the recorded helminths were recovered from the stomach of P. oxyrhynchus consisited of (cestodes and nematodes from 2 and 7 specimens, respectively while only nematodes were recovered from single specimens of P. longirostris and P. bibroni each.  Percentage frequency of occurrence of the helminths was 5% for cestodes and 22.5% for the nematodes. The record of helminth parasites as part of the stomach contents of the frogs is a first report in Nigeria on dietary studies in anurans.