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Blood parasites in two co-existing species of lizards (Zootoca vivipara and Lacerta agilis)

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Abstract

We investigated the occurrence of blood parasites of two lizard species: the common or viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara) and the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) in western Poland. Selected traits of lizard body morphology were studied with respect to the presence and intensity of haematozoan infection in blood samples collected from 218 adult lizards; 88 of the common lizard and 130 of the sand lizard. Haemogregarinid blood parasites were found to be the common parasite of both lizard species in studied locality with prevalence 39.8 (95% CL, 29.5–50.8) for Z. vivipara and 22.3 (95% CL, 15.5–30.4) for L. agilis. Incidence of parasitemia did not differ between sexes and was not correlated with morphological traits or presence of ectoparasites—Ixodes ricinus ticks. However, a significant difference between the two species of lizards was a greater frequency of haemogregarinid parasitism in Z. vivipara.

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Acknowledgement

We are very grateful to M. Biskup and M. Bogaczyk for assistance in the field. This work was financially supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education of Slovak Republic and the Slovak Academy of Sciences No. 1/0139/08, MH was supported by grant MSM 6007665801, and NN 303 3174 33 by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parasitological Institute SAS, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia

    Viktória Majláthová & Božena Haklová

  2. Institute of Biology and Ecology, University of P.J. Šafárik in Košice, Moyzesova 11, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia

    Igor Majláth

  3. University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Branišovská 31, 370 05, Česke Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Martin Hromada

  4. Department of Behavioural Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, PL-61-701, Poznań, Poland

    Anna Ekner & Marcin Antczak

  5. Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Science, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625, Poznań, Poland

    Piotr Tryjanowski

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  1. Viktória Majláthová
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  2. Igor Majláth
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Correspondence to Viktória Majláthová.

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Majláthová, V., Majláth, I., Haklová, B. et al. Blood parasites in two co-existing species of lizards (Zootoca vivipara and Lacerta agilis). Parasitol Res 107, 1121–1127 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-1981-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-1981-0

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