Blood parasites of some Anurans from southern Nigeria

Eighty nine wild anurans comprising of 14 species from nine genera i.e. Afixalus dorsalis, Amietophrynus maculatus, A. regularis, Amnirana galamensis, Arthroleptis poecilonotus, Arthroleptis sp., Aubria subsigilata, Hoplobatrachus occipitalis, Hyperolus concolor, Hyperolus fusciventris, Hyperolus fusciventris burfoni, Hyperolus sp., Ptychadena mascareniensis and Silurana tropicalis caught from three sampling sites: Okomu Oil Palm Plantation, Usen Cocoa Plantation and the banks of River Niger at Agenegbode, Edo State in southern Nigeria were examined for blood parasites. Nine anuran individuals (10.11%) were parasitaemic. Four species of blood parasites; microfilariae of Folleyellides, microfilariae of an unidentified filarid nematode, a Trypanosoma sp. and an intracellular blood parasite, were identified in the infected anurans. Of the four blood parasite species encountered, the microfilariae of Folleyellides was the most prevalent 7/89 (7.87%), occurring in 2 individuals of Hoplobatrachus occipitalis from Okomu and in 4 individuals of Amietophrynus spp.; in 3 individuals of A. regularis from Agenegbode and in 1 individual of A. maculatus from Usen and in 1 individual of A. galamensis from Agenegbode. It was followed by the Trypanosoma sp. with a prevalence rate of 3.37%, occurring in 1 individual of Amietophrynus maculatus from Usen and in 2 individuals of Amietophrynus regularis from Agenegbode. Folleyellides microfilariae seem to be a multi-host parasite occurring in four host species in contrast to the unidentified filarid detected only in Aubria subsigillata. The unidentified intracellular blood parasite bears close resemblance to Hemoliva sp. and was only detected in A. regularis from Agenegbode. With regards to sex, more females harboured blood parasites with a prevalence of 25% in contrast to males which had only 1.75%.