Influence of drying time on nematode eggs in scats of scincid lizard Egernia stokesii

Two pharyngodonid nematode species, Pharyngodon tiliquae and Thelandros trachysauri, infect the Australian lizard Egernia stokesii (gidgee skink) in populations from South Australia. Eggs are detected in lizard scats that are deposited in piles outside the rock crevice refuges that the lizards occupy. Eggs were isolated by salt flotation from fresh scats and from scats that had been dried in simulated field conditions for 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. Egg counts decreased with drying time for both nematode species, but T. trachysauri eggs were still detected after 28 days of drying, whereas P. tiliquae eggs were rarely detected after 14 days. These results suggest that egg counts can be used to infer host infection status only from relatively fresh scats and that eggs of the 2 species persist in a state where they can be detected by standard flotation techniques, for different times.