Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Acanthocephalans of the genus Centrorhynchus (Palaeacanthocephala: Centrorhynchidae) of birds of prey (Falconiformes) and owls (Strigiformes) in Slovakia

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Parasitology Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Three species of thorny-headed worms of the genus Centrorhynchus were found to parasitize birds of prey and owls in the territory of the Slovakia during the years 2012–2014. Out of 286 examined bird individuals belonging to 23 species, only Buteo buteo, Buteo rufinus, Falco tinnunculus (Falconiformes), Asio otus, Strix aluco, Strix uralensis and Tyto alba (Strigiformes) were infected by acanthocephalans. All the bird species except for S. aluco represent new host records for Slovakia. The most prevalent acanthocephalan Centrorhynchus aluconis was detected in all 15 examined birds of non-migratory Ural owl S. uralensis (P = 100 %); however, it was found occasionally also in two individuals of the tawny owl S. aluco (P = 20 %), one long-eared owl A. otus (P = 7.7 %), one barn owl T. alba (P = 33.3 %) and the common buzzard B. buteo (P = 0.8 %). Two other thorny-headed worms occurred exclusively in Falconiformes in raw or mixed infections: Centrorhynchus buteonis was found in 11 individuals of B. buteo (P = 9.2 %), and two birds (B. buteo and B. rufinus) were parasitized simultaneously by C. buteonis and the species Centrorhynchus globocaudatus. Moreover, the latest, relatively rare acanthocephalan was found alone in two common kestrels F. tinnunculus (P = 2.7 %). Regarding intensity of infection, it ranged from a single female of C. buteonis, C. globocaudatus or C. aluconis per host (four cases) to a maximum of 82 C. aluconis per an Ural owl. The difference in acanthocephalan species spectrum between birds of prey and owls in Slovakia was apparent.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amin OM (2013) Classification of Acanthocephala. Folia Parasitol 60:273–305. doi:10.14411/fp.2013.031

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Borgsteede FHM, Okulewicz A, Zoun PEF, Okulewicz J (2003) The helminth fauna of birds of prey (Accipitriformes, Falconiformes and Strigiformes) in the Netherlands. Acta Parasitol 48:200–207

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimitrova Z, Dimitrova N (2012) Review of species of the phylum Acanthocephala from the Middle-Bulgarian Region. Agric Sci Technol Stara Zagora 4:159–165

  • Dimitrova ZM, Gibson DI (2005) Some species of Centrorhynchus Luhe, 1911 (Acanthocephala: Centrorhynchidae) from the collection of the Natural History Museum, London. Syst Parasitol 62:117–134. doi:10.1007/s11230-005-5486-7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dimitrova ZM, Murai E, Genov T (1995) Some species of the family Centrorhynchidae Van Cleave, 1916 (Acanthocephala) from Hungarian birds. Parasitol Hung 28:89–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimitrova ZM, Georgiev BB, Genov T (1997) Acanthocephalans of the family Centrorhynchidae (Paleacanthocephala) from Bulgaria. Folia Parasitol 44:224–232

    Google Scholar 

  • Dipineto L, Borrelli L, Pepe P, Fioretti A, Caputo V, Cringoli G, Rinaldi L (2013) Synanthropic birds and parasites. Avian Dis 57:756–758

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ewald JA, Crompton DWT (1993) Centrorhynchus aluconis (Acanthocephala) and other helminth species in tawny owls (Strix aluco) in Great Britain. J Parasitol 79:952–954, Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3283737

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrer D, Molina R, Castella J, Kinsella JM (2004) Parasitic helminths in the digestive tract of six species of owls (Strigiformes) in Spain. Vet J 167:181–185. doi:10.1016/S1090-0233(03)00103-5

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Furmaga S (1957) The helminth fauna of predatory birds (Accipitres and Striges) of the environment of Lublin. Acta Parasitol Pol 1957:215–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson DI, Bray RA, Harris EA (Compilers) (2005) Host-Parasite Database of the Natural History Museum, London. URL

  • Hamann MI, Kehr AI, González CE (2014) Helminth community structure in the Argentinean bufonid Melanophryniscus klappenbachi: importance of habitat use and season. Parasitol Res 113:3639–3649. doi:10.1007/s00436-014-4029-z

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Illescas Gomez MP, Rodriguez Osorio M, Aranda Maza F (1993) Parasitation of falconiform, strigiform and passeriform (Corvidae) birds by helminths in Spain. Res Rev Parasitol 53:129–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Kritscher E (1985) Catalogus faunae Austriae: Aschelminthes, Schlauchwürmer; Nemertini, Schnurwürmer. Teil 4. Phylum: Acanthocephala. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie de Wissenshaften. Wien. IV d: 1–15 (in German)

  • Kutzer E, Frey H, Nöbauer H (1982) Zur parasitenfauna österreichischer eulenvögel (Strigiformes). Angew Parasitol 23:190–197

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lewin J (1992) Parasites of the water snake, Natrix natrix L., in Poland. Acta Parasitol 37:195–199

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewin J, Grabda-Kazubska B (1997) Parasites of Vipera berus L. in Poland. Acta Parasitol 42:92–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Lunaschi LI, Drago FB (2010) A new species of Centrorhynchus (Acanthocephala (Centrorhynchidae) endoparasite of Guira guira (Aves, Cuculidae) from Argentina. Helminthologia 47:38–47. doi:10.2478/s11687-010-0007-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McInnes FJ, Crompton DWT, Ewald JA (1994) The distribution of Centrorhynchus aluconis (Acanthocephala) and Porrocaecum spirale (Nematoda) in tawny owls (Strix aluco) from Great Britain. J Raptor Res 28(1):34–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer A (1933) Acanthocephala. Vierter Band, 2. Abt. 2. Academische Verlagsgesellshaft M.B.H, Buch, pp 1–582

    Google Scholar 

  • Michálek J (1984) Physaloptera alata Rudolphi, 1819 and Centrorhynchus buteonis (Schrank, 1788) in Falconiformes in Czechoslovakia. Folia Parasitol 31:383–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Obuch J (2011) Spatial and temporal diversity of the diet of the tawny owl (Strix aluco). Slov Raptor J 5:1–120. doi:10.2478/v10262-012-0057-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Obuch J, Danko Š, Mihók J, Karaska D, Šimák L (2013) Diet of the Ural owl (Strix uralensis) in Slovakia. Slov Raptor J 7:59–71. doi:10.2478/srj-2013-003

    Google Scholar 

  • Okulewicz J, Sitko J (2002) Acanthocephala of birds in the Czech Republic. Helminthologia 39:176

    Google Scholar 

  • Petrochenko VI (1958) Acanthocephalans of domestic and wild animals, vol 2. Academy Science USSR, Moscow, 456 pp. (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Prokopič J, Mahnert V (1970) Über Helminthen der Kleinsäuger (Insectivora, Rodentia) Tirols (Österreichs). Ber Nat–Med Ver Innsbruck 58:143–154, In German

    Google Scholar 

  • Richardson DJ, Nickol BB (1995) The genus Centrorhynchus (Acanthocephala) in North America with description of Centrorhynchus robustus n. sp., redescription of Centrorhynchus conspectus, and a key to species. J Parasitol 8:767–772

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryšavý B (1957) Zur Kenntnis der Helminthenfauna der Vögel in der Tschechoslowakei. Česk Parasitol 4:299–329, In Czech, with German summary

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanmartín ML, Álvarez F, Barreiro G, Leiro J (2004) Helminth fauna of falconiform and strigiform birds of prey in Galicia, Northwest Spain. Parasitol Res 92:255–263. doi:10.1007/s00436-003-1042-z

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Santoro M, Mattiucci S, Nascetti G, Kinsella JM, Di Prisco F, Sabatino T, D’Alessio N, Veneziano V, Aznar FJ (2012) Helminth communities of owls (Strigiformes) indicate strong biological and ecological differences from birds of prey (Accipitriformes and Falconiformes) in Southern Italy. PLoS ONE 7(12):e53375. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0053375

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Santos VGT, Amato SB (2010) Helminth fauna of Rhinella fernandezae (Anura: Bufonidae) from the Rio Grande do Sul Coastland, Brazil: analysis of the parasite community. J Parasitol 96:823–826. doi:10.1645/GE-2388.1

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shirazi S, Hesaraki S, Mostafaei TS, Davoodi J (2014) First report on Centrorhynchus aluconis in common buzzard (Buteo buteo) in Northwest Iran. Acta Vet Beograd 64:276–280. doi:10.2478/acve-2014-0026

    Google Scholar 

  • Sitko J (1994) Helminths of birds of prey (Falconiformes) and owls (Strigiformes) in the Czech Republic and their influence on health condition of caged birds. Zprávy MOS 52:53–84, In Czech, with German summary

    Google Scholar 

  • Sitko J (2011) Checklist of the Acanthocephala in birds in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Comenius Museum Přerov 2011, 35 pp. IBSN 978-80-903713-8-5

  • Škarda J (1964) The helminth fauna of some wild birds in Czechoslovakia. Acta Univ Agric Brno B 12:269–293, In Czech, with English summary

    Google Scholar 

  • Tenora F, Lusk S (1960) Beitrag zur näheren Erkenntnis der Helminthenfauna bei Raubvögeln (Falconiformes) in der Tschechoslowakei. Acta Univ Agric Brno A 4:205–211, In Czech, with German summary

    Google Scholar 

  • Tezel M, Girisgin AO, Birlik S, Yildirimham HS, Senlik B (2014) Helminths of the digestive tract in Buteo buteo (Falconiformes: Falconidae) in Bursa Province of Northwest Turkey. Turk J Zool 38:1–5. doi:10.3906/zoo-1403-24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tkach VV (1993) First report on the helminths of insectivores from the Danube Delta. Analele Științifice ale Institutului Delta Dunării 197–201

  • Van Cleave HJ, Pratt EM (1940) A new species of the genus Centrorhynchus (Acanthocephala) from the barred owl. J Parasitol 26:297–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vrezec A, Tome D (2004) Altitudinal segregation between Ural Owl Strix uralensis and tawny owl S. aluco: evidence for competitive exclusion in raptorial birds. Bird Study 51:264–269. doi:10.1080/00063650409461362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamaguti S (1963) Acanthocephala. Vol V Systema Helminthum. Interscience New York, 423pp

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the persons, agencies and institutions that provided the material for this study, namely Milan Olekšák, Ervín Hapl, Jozef Chavko and all innominates from the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic. This work was supported by the Grant Agency of the Slovak Republic VEGA (1/0702/12 and 2/068/13).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epizootology and Parasitology, Institute of Parasitology, The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 041 81, Košice, Slovakia

    P. Komorová & Z. Hurníková

  2. Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia

    M. Špakulová & Z. Hurníková

  3. Institute of Biology and Ecology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Moyzesova 11, 041 54, Košice, Slovakia

    M. Uhrín

Authors
  1. P. Komorová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Špakulová
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Z. Hurníková
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. Uhrín
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Komorová.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Komorová, P., Špakulová, M., Hurníková, Z. et al. Acanthocephalans of the genus Centrorhynchus (Palaeacanthocephala: Centrorhynchidae) of birds of prey (Falconiformes) and owls (Strigiformes) in Slovakia. Parasitol Res 114, 2273–2278 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4420-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4420-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation